Kakeibo: The Japanese Household Account Book

A time honored tradition of housewives across Japan, the kakeibo (家計簿), or "household account book" is as ubiquitous as a television or microwave in many Japanese houses.

While keeping a household expense ledger is by no means unique to Japanese households, the meticulous way in which housewives hang on to and, come pay day, tabulate up every last receipt and bill is quite amazing.

Six Questions About Buying a House in Japan

Many thanks to Ben in Hiroshima for today's post on buying a house in Japan. Ben is a new home owner and shared his buying experience in this exclusive AccessJ interview.

So you've got a job, a car, maybe you're even married, and you're thinking about taking another step forward in planting your roots in Japan: Buying a house to live in. House shopping will open up all kinds of questions: Do you want a マンション atop a 45-floor building or your own (perhaps tiny) plot of land to call home? What's your budget? Who will be living in the home? What silly neighborhood watch programs and trash disposal schedules are you willing to put up with?

The list goes on. But today, we'll start with some of the important financial questions. Grab your reading glasses and check out the interview below:

Destination: Ushuku Daibutsu, Ibaraki

Having just relocated from Nagano to Ibaraki-ken, AJ co-founder Dom and I have a lot of exploring to do!

We started with the largest standing Buddha in the world, located in Ushiku, southern Ibaraki. 

VICS (Vehical Information and Communication System)

A ways back, we posted about finding your own affordable GPS car navigation unit. However, in good Japanese fashion, many Japanese GPS units come with features that are in no way part of the global standard.

One such feature is Vehical Information and Communication System, or VICS (also known as doro kotsu joho tsushin shisutemu 道路交通情報通信システム) for short. Let's take a look at what this feature actually does.

Changing the Mesh in Your Amido Bug Screens (網戸)

Japanese houses are made up of four different types of sliding door (if you include the windows). I've already written guides on how to replace the paper on your sliding shouji paper screens and your fusuma doors. So, to complete the "DIY Doors in Japan" series, here's how to replace or repair the mesh in your bug screens, or amido (網戸).

Finding Private Baths and Onsen in Japan

I love Japanese onsens. I love the relaxing water, the pleasant designs of the tubs, and the views they often overlook--even the smell of sulfur has grown on me.

In fact, the only thing about onsens that I don't enjoy is the whole getting naked with a bunch of other guys part.

Getting Around Internet TV Region Restrictions in Japan

By now you have probably encountered the dreaded "this content is not available in your region" message when trying to watch your favorite free online TV website. Allegedly, content providers say this is due to discrepancies in cross-border copyright laws, although I personally suspect they are just trying to find ways to squeeze extra yen out of some poor ex-pats. Look no further than Hulu's recent entrance into the Japanese market, where they have the gall to charge you 980 yen a month for content that your American and Canadian peers can enjoy for the price of a few commercials.

But don't worry, where there is a will there is a way around content protection. In today's feature we will show you how to get that latest Simpson episode with putting yourself on the line for jail time by resorting to the dastardly art of internet piracy.

Checklist When Moving House in Japan

We'll publish individual guides on how to accomplish these steps in the future, but for now here is a to-do list when you move from one place to another in Japan.

Car Recycling in Japan

By now your have probably heard the horror stories of unsuspecting ex-pats forced to pay hefty sums of cash just for a dealer to scrap their cars. Or even worse, those unscrupulous individuals who simply couldn't be bothered to recycle anything and dump their cars in woods.

But thanks to the enactment of the Car Recycling Law, disposal is much less of a hassle. Let's take a look.

Selling Your Car

So you finally have enough money saved up for that fancy new ride and you are ready to get rid of your old rust buck. But how do you go about getting it off your hands? Well, there are always local JETs and ALTs looking for cheap rides, but if you are unlucky enough not to know any of the local ex-pat community, there are other ways to get rid of your jalopy.

Changing the Paper in Your Sliding Doors (襖 - Fusuma)

If you've damaged a 襖, or fusuma in your house or apartment then you're probably rightly worried about losing some of your damage deposit. Luckily, as with the paper doors (shouji) self-repair/replacement isn't particularly difficult.

Let's find out how to do it.

Renewing Shaken After it Expires

Shaken (車検), the mandatory vehicle safety and emissions test in Japan, was recently addressed in a series of posts on AccessJ comprising Dom's excellent self-shaken guide. To keep your car on the road in Japan (as a non-commercial driver, that is), you'll have to have a shaken inspection done on it every 2 years, your own car's expiration date indicated by a square sticker top-and-center on the front windshield.

When a car's shaken expires, it is not legal to drive on public roads in Japan. (So... pretty much everywhere.)


...But slip-ups happen, right? What if you forgot about your shaken until it was too late? Or what about cars in used-car lots? Surely the dealers aren't keeping all their cars up to date until they're sold?* A car is illegal to drive without shaken, but it's not illegal to own such a car, so there must be some way to get the shaken renewed, right??

Well, fear not! There is a way to restore road-worthiness to that 1992 Suzuki Alto whose shaken you forgot about while you were vacationing the summer away in Thailand. And we'll tell you how: