Rent Life Real Estate Agency, Japan: October 2014

Friday, October 31, 2014

White and Green

Japan is most famous for its Tokyo Metropolis and historical sites like Kyoto. Modern Japanese culture also has a strong following around the world from the latest in fashion, anime, and manga.

Some of the simpler things of life can also be enjoyed as well. It's not all about temples, skyscrapers, and designers.

Much like anyone else from around the world, their are wonders in nature to enjoy in one's backyard. I live in rural Japan, but work for Rent Life in an urban area on the outskirts of Tokyo, but only 4 minutes from the bullet train station of Shin-Yokohama.

Here are some more quiet and calming shots from a rural area of Japan.

White flower blossoming in rural Japan

[Pentax K-50, 1/320 sec., f/7.1, ISO 400]

#nature #landscape #flower #livinginJapan #landscape #RentLife

White flower blossoming in rural Japan

[Pentx K-50, 1/250 sec., f/6.3, ISO 400]

#nature #landscape #flower #livinginJapan #landscape #RentLife

Rain drops on a large leaf in a farmer's field in rural Japan

[Pentax K-50, 1/320 sec., f/7.1, ISO 1600]

#nature #landscape #flower #livinginJapan #landscape #RentLife

Whether you want to live in a rural farmhouse or a downtown apartment tower, be sure to call on Rent Life to help you meet your needs within your budget. Also, follow us on other social network sites that you might be a fan of:

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Rent Life Co., Ltd.
Shin-Yokohama Branch
Kaede Bldg. No. 2, 6th Floor
2-5-10 Kohoku-ku, Yokohama
Kanagawa Prefecture 222-0033
JAPAN
Tel. 045-470-3214
Email: e-yokohama@r-life.co.jp
URL: http://www.rent-yokohama.com/english/
Copyright Ⓒ 2014 Rent Life Co., Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

House Road Baba 1A

House Road Baba 1A is a two-story apartment building built with a steel frame structure.

This particular layout is referred to as a 3DK, which equates to three separate rooms with a dining/kitchen room. Two of the rooms have flooring, and one room has six tatami-mats.

The rooms with flooring both have windows affording lots of plentiful sunshine.

The kitchen/dining room is a bit small, but would be comfortable for a couple or a family with one or two small children.

Unusual for older apartments, the cupboard space below the sink, counter, and gas stovetop have what appear to be wooden doors.

This view shows the other room with flooring, the entrance, and the multi-use cabinet which can be used as a shoe closet or a good place for the kids to keep their knapsacks after coming home from school.

The bathroom and toilet are separate, which is pretty standard in most apartments this large. The vanity has direct access to the kitchen/dining area. Most folks might hang a curtain rod between the two walls to give bathers a little bit more privacy when entering/exiting the bath.

Although not clear, this apartment is right in the middle of two major train lines. Most folks might take a bus to either station, but if you're like me, I'd rather walk to the station, especially if the weather is nice.

More details regarding cost and more pictures can be seen at our page listed here:

http://www.realestate.co.jp/rentlife/en/rent/view/287209

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Mixed Neighborhood Fujisawa

One of the nice things about living in Japan is that no matter where I go, I am able to see something new that I have never seen before. This continues to be true even though I have been in Japan for more than 30 years.

Maybe it is only me, but the small things in Japan often catch my eye. While walking home from the office to the train station, I noticed a few things and took pictures of them to share with you.

Flower blossoming in parking lot. [Pentax K-50] 1/640 sec., f/7.1, ISO 100

This flower, which was blossoming all alone in a parking lot, caught my attention by the soft velvety surface of its petals. Most of the parking space consisted of cement blocks and black asphalt. Yet, somehow, this single flower had been able to grow and endure long enough to reach a stage of blossoming.

Parking lot [Pentax K-50] 1/250 sec., f/4, ISO 100

There was a very small house, among many in this neighborhood, that had a more utilitarian design in order to take advantage of every last inch of available space, of which was quite limited to begin with. Under such conditions, it's nice to see a home owner use what empty space was left for the parking space to add a nice, artistic, at-home mood to the overall residence by simply using round stones with colored square stones in a simple pattern with patches of grass growing in-between.

Parking lot [Pentax K-50] 1/320 sec., f/11, ISO 200

Some places in Japan have zoning laws, as do many other modern countries. In Japan, however, for whatever reason, there sometimes appears to be no zoning laws whatsoever. The shot of this Buddhist temple roof was taken from behind a wall of lush greenery that was surrounded by single family one-story and two-story houses. Additionally, there were some small shops, and multi-use apartment buildings that have businesses operating on the first floor with residential units on the second through the fifth or sixth floors. These neighborhoods often are lined with streets with just barely enough room for only one car to pass through. This is especially true in the urban areas surrounding Tokyo in Saitama, Chiba, and Kanagawa Prefectures.

Old shop sign [Pentax K-50] 1/250 sec., f/8, ISO 200

I felt a little sorry for the owners of this shop. Based on the exterior of the building, I got the impression that they might be going out of business or maybe they already had gone bankrupt. Regardless, I loved the contrast of the red, rusty kanji and hiragana characters of the sign against the oxidized copper or tin signboard.

Many of our clients request nice apartments located close to train stations, their office, or their school. If and when you have a chance, please take the time to get away from the more common areas of your neighborhood and find a small narrow street to wander down. You can experience a different side of Japan that is often left out of the tourist guide books. A nice neighborhood doesn't have to be famous to enjoy its serenity and atmosphere.

If you are in the market for a new home, whether it be a single-family house, or comfortable apartment ranging from one-room studios to large 5LDK units, please give us a call at Rent Life. We have the resources and know-how to get you moved into a new residence that meets your needs and fits your budget!

Cloudy Fuji-san

Many residences in the numerous valleys surrounding Mt. Fuji have a clear view of Japan's tallest mountain (volcano) from their front doors, an even better view from the second floor window of their house, and if they are lucky enough to live in one of the few apartment buildings in rural Japan, they can get a magnificent view of Mt. Fuji if they are residing on the upper floors.

Cloudy Mt. Fuji [Pentax K-50] 1/320 sec., f/11, ISO 200 #fuji #cloud #mountain #peak #Japan #rural #countrylife #housing #Japan #livinginJapan

How would you like to live in an apartment or house with a view of Mt. Fuji every morning as you head out to work or school?

Cloudy Mt. Fuji [Pentax K-50] 1/320 sec., f/11, ISO 100 #fuji #cloud #mountain #peak #Japan #rural #countrylife #housing #Japan #livinginJapan

Rent Life has the resources and know-how to help you find such a home. Whether it be in Shizuoka Prefecture, Yamanashi Prefecture, or Kanagawa Prefecture, we can help you find the right place with a great view of Mt. Fuji.

Cloudy Mt. Fuji [Pentax K-50] 1/320 sec., f/11, ISO 200 #fuji #cloud #mountain #peak #Japan #rural #countrylife #housing #Japan #livinginJapan

Come back and visit this blog in the future. I hope to have some shots of Mt. Fuji on a clear sunny day. This time of year offers many such chances, especially after a typhoon or big snow storm.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Evening River

Not far from the metropolis of Tokyo and Yokohama, you can visit rural areas in the Kanto area such as Ayase, Ebina, Hiratsuka, Isehara, Hadano, Minamiashigara, and Odawara.

Most of these towns have all of the modern conveniences you'd expect for comfortable daily living. However, you take the time to get out of your car, or walk 10 to 15 minutes from the local station, you can find small local rivers, brooks, and irrigation canals that feed water into the rice paddies.

Occasionally, the water is clean enough for various wildlife to survive in such waters. Here are some shots take at such a small river only 10 minutes from a rural train station in Kanagawa.

River [Pentax K-50] 1/320 sec., f/4.5, ISO 400 #river #evening #Japan #川 #夕方

Reflections of the sunset on the edge of the water as it falls over a small irrigation dam. The water from this river is fed directly into rice paddies.

Ripples [Pentax K-50] 1/200 sec., f/4.5, ISO 400 #river #evening #Japan #川 #夕方

No, this is not a shark nor the Loch Ness Monster. Simple ripples a a big koi fish as it forages near the water's surface.

Carp [Pentax K-50] 1/30 sec., f/4, ISO 400 #river #evening #carp #Japan #川 #夕方 #鯉

When I got closer to the river to take these shots, several other koi fish (carp) gathered directly below me. It makes me wonder if maybe someone from the neighborhood feeds the fish bread crumbs or something on a regular basis. They seemed to react as if it were "feeding time."

Carp [Pentax K-50] 1/30 sec., f/4, ISO 400 #river #evening #carp #Japan #川 #夕方 #鯉

Koi fish are typically found in ponds at public gardens or in the yard of a private home. I think the more popular koi are brighter colors of whites, yellows, oranges, and hues of red. These dark blue or gray koi might not be of the same variety found in such ponds. I wonder though if they are a natural species to these waters.

Carp [Pentax K-50] 1/40 sec., f/4.5, ISO 400 #river #evening #carp #Japan #川 #夕方 #鯉

I love this time of day when the light is just bright enough to not require a flash, but dark enough to create nice shadows and deeper colors. I have never touched a koi before, so I wonder if they are as slippery as they look in this shot.

River sunset [Pentax K-50] 1/200 sec., f/8, ISO 400 #river #evening #sunset #Japan #川 #夕方 #日没

Downriver, the sunset is reflecting of the water's surface. During this time of year, the rivers are quite full as rice farmers have set up several dams to raise the water high enough to flood their rice paddies.

River [Pentax K-50] 1/250 sec., f/5.6, ISO 400 #river #evening #sunset #Japan #川 #夕方 #日没

If you look closely, you can see the water master's hut reflected in the water surface. Inside the hut there seems to be a small motor to raise the device for damming the water. Maybe someday I'll be fortunate enough to catch the dam during actual operation.

Are you interested in living in a rural part of Japan? Have you become a little tired of the bustling commotion of living in a vibrant city with lights on all night long? Do you wish you could see the stars on a clear, crisp, autumn night?

Give us a call at Rent Life and we can help you find the perfect apartment just far away enough from the hustle and bustle of the metropolitan area, but close enough to a commuter train station for your daily commuting needs. You are also more than welcome to visit our office near Shin-Yokohama Station. We have a lovely model room featuring an integrated kitchen system using untreated lumber from trees grown locally in Nagano Prefecture, the homebase of our company's operations.

Minato Mirai

Landmark Tower in the Minato Mirai district of Yokohama, Japan.

One of the more popular destinations in Yokohama for shopping, dining, and entertainment for couples and families alike.

Until several years ago, Landmark Tower was the tallest building in Japan, and had the fastest elevator in the world.

The hotels in Minato Mirai offer an exceptional view of the bay and port facilities in addition to the Ferris wheel and adjacent amusement park.

I have heard that the hotel on the right was designed to represent the sail of a ship, which seems appropriate since Minato Mirai is also the home port of the sailing vessel Nippon Maru.

If you happen to be visiting Japan, please enjoy the sights, sounds, and festivities that can be regularly found in this modern port of Yokohama.

At Rent Life, we are only a couple train stops away from this beautiful part of Yokohama. If your are interested in a nice apartment in this area or nearby, give us a call or pay us a visit, and we can work to help you find just the right apartment that meets your needs and stays within your budget.

Our staff are well accustomed to helping anyone of any nationality who is currently working, studying, or living here in Japan or has plans to do so in the immediate future.

We are also able to assist SOFA status personnel in Japan who are looking for off-base quarters. Be sure to give us a call or visit our office in Shin-Yokohama.

Friday, October 24, 2014

Urban Renaissance Agency Corporate Yokohama Portside Apartment Building, Kanagawa Ward, Yokohama

We took a client to visit a nice rental apartment today in Sakaechou, Kanagawa Ward, in Yokohama.

Tenants at this unit can easily access Yokohama Station within about 10 minutes or less via the Central East Entrance of the Yokohama Station.

Today's apartment is managed by the Urban Renaissance Agency, formerly known as the Japan Housing Corporation, which is a semipublic Japanese housing agency. Their office are located in a very nice new building just across the street at this intersection.

As can be seen along the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo, Yokohama also has many elevated expressway. I am always impressed with how they are able to build support structures for these highway given the limited space that is available for such structures to begin with.

Along the way to the apartment, I noticed this small, interesting museum. Even though I peeked inside, I am still not clear what a "display" museum is.

Near the the apartment, UR Corporate Yokohama Portside, there was this interesting artistic object near the side of the apartment building. Landmark Tower is in the background on the left.

Although the UR Corporate Yokohama Portside apartment building is 14 stories tall, the lobby entranceway was surprisingly small.

This is the view looking north from the front side of the apartment on the 7th floor.

This is also a shot of the north view. Many trains can be barely seen just below in the middle of this shot.

This is a view of the hallway in the apartment taken at the entrance door.

This is one of the bedroom closets on the south side of the apartment.

The opposite bedroom is on the north side. It is almost a mirror image of the room shown above.

This apartment has a shower, toilet, and has poles above the tub that can be used with a heating fan in the ceiling to dry laundry, which is especially nice during the rainy season.

The vanity is right next to the bathroom opposite of the washing machine space.

This is the space for the washing machine (just opposite of the vanity).

This is the view of the hallway from the living/dining room looking toward the entranceway door.

The living/dining room has access to the Japanese-style tatami mat room.

This is the eastern view from the living/dining room. This tenant will have a nice view of Yokohama Bay Bridge, and probably a private view of the summer fireworks displays of which there are many in Yokohama Bay!

This is a view from the balcony looking southeast. Landmark Tower is peeping up from behind the apartment towers in the foreground.

This apartment has an intercom system that is connected to the front door and front lobby on the 1st floor.

Although a little date, this unit has a nice, clean, and spacious integrated kitchen system.

This is the northeastern view from the balcony.

Back indoors, here is a shot of the Japanese-style tatami mat room. This room and the living/dining room have nice exposure to sunlight on the east side.

This is the view from the front entranceway of the apartment looking toward the southwestern direction.