Tokyo Heart

Dirty Hearts San Francisco

San Francisco - a city loved by millions, but it sure could use some cleaning up.

We have met and talked to a lot of people over the years who have visited San Francisco. Many have told us how much they loved their visit here.

San Francisco has been, and still is, a great place to visit. There are so many things for tourists to do and see (locals too, of course) that every day can be a fun filled adventure.

San Francisco also still has some great old buildings - not just towers of glass shining in the sun - but of course, there are plenty of those too. Walking around, looking at the architecture of homes and office buildings, many of which are well over 100 years old, is always a treat. 

Unfortunately, San Francisco has a very dirty side too. 

We spend more months in Tokyo than we do in San Francisco, and while it is certainly possible to find trash in the streets in Tokyo, and the bushes lining some of the streets in Tokyo, it's nothing compared to the carpet of litter that seems to be what San Francisco could well become know for. Of course, the trash has to contend for first place with the number of homeless and beggars that seem to be every 10-20 feet apart as one walks along many of the streets. And, if you're not walking, you'll see the same people (same meaning they have their spots) at many traffic lights, just waiting for the light to stop traffic so they can do their begging walk. I actually saw two of these people do a shift change. One took his sign out of the bushes, the other put his sign in the bushes, they had a few seconds of conversation, shook hands, and one headed "home" while the other took over the corner. 

We also travel a lot. In fact, we just finished a one-month tour of Europe, staying in five countries, and other than Barcelona, where cigarette butts carpet the streets, the cities are clean. I mean, trash is not all over the place, no human feces on the sidewalks, and no overflowing trash bins on the streets. People in Europe are proud of their cities and homes. Tbey keep things clean, just like the Japanese who actually sweep the area in front of their homes daily rather than waiting for the city to do the clean up.

San Francisco - San Franciscans - have you no pride at all? Really? No Pride?

City leaders (Mr. Ed Lee, Mayor of San Francisco, are you and your employees so incompetent or so blase that you don't give a damn? Or are you all too busy figuring out more ways to screw more money out of the citizens and businesses so you can bloat the city employee figures and salaries some more?); citizens of San Francisco, beggars and homeless of San Francisco (although I doubt any of them will read this) - WTF is wrong with you people. San Francisco is such a great city yet you allow it to be befouled. You allow homeless from all over the nation to make SF their base camp (literally, camp). You allow drug needles and human shit to be on the streets. You don't clean up after your dogs.... I could go on and on, but hey, if you people don't care, then why are you living here? Move. Leave. Just don't go to some place where the people still respect each other and still know how to keep their city's streets clean. 

Oh, and speaking of crime (somebody always is), what's up with the lack of policing in San Francisco? Leave your car in a space for more than the two hour limit and those little vehicles that drive around constantly will issue you a ticket faster than you can say "hey!". 

But, have a crazy guy, or a homeless person, or just a common thief walking along the streets pulling on car door handles, or smashing car windows, or wandering onto someone's property, or breaking and entering, or even running around the street naked shouting who knows what, and guess what - there's nary a cop in sight. Maybe the donut shops are too alluring? Or maybe the mayor, #EDLEE doesn't know how to appoint a police chief that knows how to get the police to actually work? 

Okay, yeah, this is a rant, but I think it's a rant you can - and do - hear from many in San Francisco. Just not all of them are willing to write about it.

Come on San Francisco, you can do a hell of a lot better!  You can, can't you?

 

Where there’s a will…..there’s a will

Let me preface this by saying that this article should not be considered as legal advice. I am not a lawyer and I am not an expert on Japanese law. It is based on my recent personal experience in preparing a will. For a more comprehensive read about wills and many other topics about the finalities of life in Japan you are recommended to buy Wilhelmina Penn’s excellent book “The Expat’s Guide to Growing Old in Japan”. It’s well worth the small sum of $5.99 for the downloadable e-edition. A paper version is also available.

This article is written with non-Japanese readers in mind, but the basics can apply to Japanese citizens too.

My wife (who is Japanese) and I decided it was time to have our Japan wills written. On the recommendation of a friend we visited the law office of Yuki Ichikawa ([email protected]). Lawyer Ichikawa is fluent in English and is admitted to the bar to practice law in both Japan and the state of New York.

Of course, you can write you own will, known as a holographic will, but bear in mind that there are certain rules for doing so. First of all, you must hand write your holographic will, in Japanese, stamp your hanko on it, as well as the envelope, and make sure it is in a place where your survivors can easily find it. Read more about that in Ms. Penn’s book.

Keep in mind that the laws of your own country may require a different will to cover that country. This article only refers to Japan.

To determine if you need a will in Japan you can talk to Mr. Ichikawa or buy Ms. Penn’s book noted above. If you have a Japanese spouse, and have any assets in Japan, then chances are you need a Japan will.

If asking a lawyer or a public notary to prepare the will the procedure is not arduous, but it does take a bit of work. You will need to provide your lawyer, or the notary, with a copy of your family register (if you’re Japanese), an inkan shomeisho (proof of your personal hanko’s registration), a list of assets such as property, shares held in any company’s in Japan, and bank names (not the amounts, but the names), addresses for yourself and your children (if different), and how you want the estate divided. Remember, without a will in place, Japan has very specific laws about how your estate will be parceled out to your heirs. This may be in accordance with what you had hoped for or it may not. Once again, I refer you to Ms. Penn’s excellent book for more details.

In our case, we opted to have Lawyer Ichikawa draw up our wills. He provided us with copies in both Japanese and English, but the official document is the Japanese one. The English document is just for reference, but it is nice having it in both languages for ease of understanding. He is an expert, his fee was reasonable and he is a very easy, and nice, person to talk to. That’s why I’m recommending him.

Mr. Ichikawa will also act as the executor of your will, if you wish, but that duty can be assigned to anyone you name in the will (it’s a good idea to let them know, of course). He will charge for that, but that part of the fee only comes due when it’s time for the will to be executed, i.e., upon death and execution of your will.

In addition to Mr. Ichikawa’s fee you should also be prepared to pay the notary who prepares the actual paperwork for the deed and notarizes it. This fee varies according to the value of your total assets in Japan including property value, stocks, bank accounts, and other tangible assets. For the property you’ll need to provide a copy of your real estate tax bill, but for stock or cash related amounts you can just tell them the amount, no proof required.

Once you have all documentation needed send it to your lawyer or, if you’re working directly with a notary, to the notary. When the documents are prepared you will need to take proof of identification, such as a driver’s license, and your registered seal (hanko) with you, plus cash to pay the notary.

Normally, you will be given two copies of your will, the lawyer will keep one, and the notary will file an electronic copy into the nation-wide system that can be accessed by any notary or lawyer. This is the copy that will be used by the Family Court at the time of death.

Thinking about death, taxes, and wills is never fun, but neither is the potential nightmare you will leave for your family if you die intestate (i.e., no will in place). In that case, your estate will be parceled out according to the laws of Japan whether you like it or not (well, you won’t be here, but you know what I mean).

So, to wrap this up, let me urge you to talk to your lawyer (or Mr. Ichikawa) sooner rather than later and order a copy of Ms. Penn’s book today.

Rikugien - Wow! The People!

We've visited Rikugien in Bunkyo Ward before and thoroughly enjoyed our walk through this serene garden park. With that walk firmly in mind we set out for the 30 minute drive to Bunkyo Ku (Ward) to enjoy this warm and sunny autumn day with a repeat walk and a view of the autumn leaves reflecting in the park's pond.

See this posting in this blog for my past review: Rikugien - The Waka Poetry Garden

Turning the corner the first thing we noticed, to our surprise, was the long line of people stretching more than halfway down the long block from the entrance gate of the park. The line was moving along okay as people paid their entry fee and entered the garden. Since it was moving along we figured we'd go ahead and give it another tour. The next surprise was that the large parking lot we'd used before was now an apartment building. Okay, no worries, let's cruise around and find something in one of the coin parking lots dotting the area. Coin lot number one, full. Moving on to number two, full. And so forth for the next four or five lots we saw. But wait, there's one with a green light indicating an open space. Too late! The car that just turned the corner took that slot. Then, a quick glance to our left, and there was another green sign telling us there's an open spot. Let's grab it! These coin parking lots are often very small and this one was no exception. Only three slots in total and luckily for us slot number 1 was open. Yes! Parking accomplised.

Walking around the corner from the parking lot we decided to grab a bit to eat before crossing the street to the park. Restaurant number one, full. No problem, there are more restaurants along the street. Number two, full. Number three - yep, you guessed it, full and a waiting list of names hanging on the board outside that didn't seem to be diminishing even though other customers were coming out.

Turning back we spotted a table outside the same small bakery where we had eaten in the past so my wife quickly plopped down and claimed the table while I went inside to get some items to eat and drink.

Enjoying our meal we watched the line entering the park and although people continued to go in through the gate the line never seemed to grow shorter as more and more people lined up.

We discussed it and decided that (a) we've been to the park before, (b) the wait would be 20 to 30 minutes to enter, and (c) it was likely to be so crowded in the park, which isn't very big, that walking the park's paths would be like warily weaving our way through Shinjuku Train Station at rush hour (for the unaware Shinjuku Station gets over one million commuters per day). Our conclusion was to scratch the visit to the park and drive through some of the local neighborhoods on our way home since it's a part of Tokyo we don't normally venture through.

Lesson learned: when it's a sunny autumn day, and the leaves are in full autumn dress, don't try to visit one of the most popular parks in Tokyo.  Unless, that is, you just want to sit at a sidewalk table enjoying your pastry, sipping a cup of coffee, and watching the hordes hurry by.

Recapping a year in Tokyo and out

Ah - 2008 - a year to remember or a year to forget? Markets around the world in turmoil, a US presidential election that had the whole world watching-and talking, more media gaffs by Japan's politicians and public confidence in the government and the Prime Minister as levels below the freezing mark, gasoline prices like a yo-yo, and on & on.

Yet - we are still here - we are alive & well - and we are blessed with family and good friends. Being one who believes in positive thinking I am sure that 2009, the year of the Ox (in the Asian zodiac) will be a better year for all of us (officially, the year of the Ox starts with the Chinese New Year on Jan. 26, 2009 or the year 4707 in the Chinese calendar). According to the zodiac the Ox year is a conservative year - one of traditions and values - not a year to be outrageous. "Slow & Steady." This Ox year should bring stability and growth where patience and diligence pays off. This is a year of harvest - when we reap what we have sown. Take care of business this year, do not let things slide.

2008 started off with the wife-mate sidelined by a bad flu bug she picked up during our trip back to the USA. Good husband that I am (did I see wife-mate sneering over there??), I let her rest undisturbed (yep, I can make my own coffee, thank you!) and her recovery was fairly quick. She was up & about in time to make our annual trek to the neighborhood shrine known as Omiya Hachiman Jingu to get our "ato yaku" done (read more about the yaku barai in the January 2007 write-up - go to the archives if interested).  Of course, we also got our fresh lucky arrow for 2008, which we'll return to be consumed in the sacred fire of the shrine when we make our way over there a few days into the new year - and get our new arrow, naturally!

With the wife well enough to get out & about, and a fine warm day, we joined our friends - the Shorts - on a "pilgrimage" to 6 shrines to get our 7 lucky gods. You can read more about this pilgrimage, if interested, in the write-up in the Culture section of this blog (and the reason for the Showcase Baby!).

February through May sped by pretty quickly with work keeping me occupied - good candidates for great clients - the work of a headhunter! Of course, we did manage to get some domestic trips in and in April I took my first visit to Nikko. That's usually one of the major locations that many tourists to Japan want to see so I figured that after a total of 18 years of living in Japan I should get up there & have a look. We made the short drive (only a couple of hours) from Tokyo with our friends, the Hories, and after visiting the ancient shrine we spent a night in an excellent onsen (hot spring spa) on the river.

On the way back we visited the village of the Heike Clan where I found my long lost twin!

Come June we were ready for a trip that I've been thinking about for a long time - a driving trip down the west coast of the USA. Landing in Seattle we drove up to Vancouver where we took the ferry across to Victoria. There, we stayed in a great B&B for a couple of nights, and after taking in the sights of Victoria we took another ferry across to Washington. From there we drove to Olympic National Park where we stayed in the well preserved old lodge at Lake Quinault. I never knew there is a rain forest in the USA, but there definitely is - and we enjoyed hiking around in it for a couple of day, seeing the giants (trees) before making our way down to our first ever visit to Portland where we fortunate to

catch up with old friends, the Gerbers, who we hadn't seen for 38 years. Leaving Portland we made a couple of stops at the wineries for a tasting (and purchase, natch!) of some of Oregon's finest Pinot Noir. Fortunately, the wine made it to San Francisco intact, but for some odd reason it quickly evaporated once we opened the bottles & poured it into our wine glasses.

Heading on south we spent a night in Ashland, OR to see a play at the annual Shakespeare Festival. Up early the next day we made the longest leg of the trip, covering about 570 miles, driving down Highway 1 part of the way to see the redwood forests - oh yeah, those are some really BIG trees too! - before arriving in San Francisco, our "home away from home." After a few days of nice visits with the kids who live there we winged our way to Hawaii to spend a few days on Kaneohe Bay enjoying the hospitality of our friends, the Hories. Leaving wife-mate there I made my way on back to Tokyo while she stayed to enjoy the 4th of July fireworks display that the marine base puts on out on the bay each year.

Both back in Japan we made another trip up to Nikko (catching up on those lost years?) with our good friends the Khoo's, who were visiting from Singapore. We stayed in another great onsen that had once upon a time been an old schoolhouse. The "ookami" (the lady who runs it) had the old schoolhouse torn down, transported, and rebuilt on the river. Known as Honke Banyu, this is a great place to go if you're looking for a nice place to stay, with good food, and some sightseeing to be done. We were fortunate as during our stay there was a story-teller artiste who played the Biwa (Japanese lute) and told the story of "miminashi Hoichi," which you can read about at (Mimi Nashi Hoichi).

September brought a bit of sadness as the Takako's mother passed on at the glorious age of 88. We headed up to Hokkaido for the services and Takako was back there a few weeks later for the 49 day ceremony done in the Buddhist tradition. We'll go back up next year for the one year ceremony and a driving trip around the beautiful countryside of Hokkaido.

In November we were very happy to have our daughters & their families visit us to celebrate Thanksgiving as well as daughter 2's birthday and our granddaughter's birthday. Another onsen trip (did I mention we enjoy onsen?) to Hakone this time to stay in an inn that was built 125 years ago & has a claim to fame in that Sun Yat Sen stayed there many, many years ago.

December and Christmas was different in that it was the first one in many years that we have not spent back in the states with the children & their families. We stayed put in Tokyo this year & had old friends over for a very tasty Christmas turkey (wife-mate is a pretty darned good cook) and a few bottle of wine from the family cellar.

Oh - and lest I forget, I did become the Tokyo ambassador for InterNations. If you are interested in joining this group of internationally minded people let me know & I'll be happy to send you a personal invitation.

As we move on towards 2009 I want to wish you all a very Happy & Prosperous New Year!

This week in review

Not a terribly exciting week here in old Edo (the old name for Tokyo), but a decent one. Started off with a planning session for the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan www.accj.or.jp Direct Market Committee - a committee that I have chaired since the beginning of last year. As you can determine from the name this committee was set up to assist the efforts of direct marketers in Japan. Why do I chair it? Well, up till the end of 2005 I was running a company that specializes in direct marketing of insurance products. And, the other company that I am a director of here in Japan - BoomerangIt Japan www.bij.jpwill be more involved in direct marketing as the membership base grows.

Other than that it was a week of meeting clients & interviewing candidates for my headhunting business. Always looking for good, qualified candidates, so if you know of someone who is interested in a change send 'em our way. They can contact me at [email protected]

At least the weekend brought warmer weather so we enjoyed a nice sunny day on the golf course on Saturday with temps in the 15C range (that's about 60 for you Fahrenheit folks out there).

The warm weather continued on Sunday so the wife & I took a drive up north of Tokyo into Saitama prefecture where we found a nice soba (buckwheat) noodle shop for lunch. They have been hand making soba noodles there for over 20 years & the restaurant is housed in a 100 year old farmhouse that still has a thatched roof. Here is what it looks like.

So much for today's update. See you on the Blog!