Sakura House Staff Blog

I had a chance to join Mikoshi at Tatekawa area with friends living in Morishita Guest House today!!

 

 

It was so exhausting, but at the same time, it was really fun carrying the Mikoshi with neighbors.

 

 

 

Joining Mikoshi in your neighborhood gives you a chance to get closed with your neighbors.

 

Try to join Mikoshi if you have a chance.

It is really fun doing it!!

 

 

 

Besides, free beers and free foods!!

Nothing to say, but FUN!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tomorrow we are gonna start carrying the Mikoshi at 6:00AM from Tatekawa to Kameido Tenjin, a major shrine in Kinshicho area.

 

We are gonna carry it a whole day tomorrow...

 

 

 

If you are interested in this Matsuri, let me know!

 

If you miss this one, I will try make an arrangement for you to do Mikoshi at the neighborhoods in Kameari 2 Apartment and Kinshicho Guest House in the middle of September.

 

You will be able to have a chance doing Mikoshi only in shitamachi area(Downtown Tokyo). If you love this kind of culture, live at Shitamachi!

Holy Christ!

The 2nd most important Japanese test: Business Japanese Proficiency Test will be scrapped next year!

Take a look at this, no joke.

Geez, looks like I've gotta take it before it's too late.

Luckily application deadline is still months away on 12th Oct. The final test will take place on 21st Nov.

Whew, maybe worth givin' it a shot. Official website

Did you know that there is an indian restaurant close by Monzennakacho?!

It's really close from the exit of Monzennakacho station! If you have the crave for some indian curry, you can get some here :)

It's close to sakura house Monzennakacho, so resident's that are currently staying..., why not try?! Often times you can see a clerk standing near the station, and if you get a leaflet from him, you can get one drink free!

 

 

 

Did I mention I am a motorsports fan?

Our friends from the States may be more familiar with "Pikes Peak International Hill Climb", held in the Colorado mountains every year. It's a 1-way time attack across a 20km, 150-turn dirt track, reaching as high as 4,300m! PPIHC is one of the most historical races and has entered its 88th year.

Take a look at this stunning video from this year's overall winner, Tajima Nobuhiro aka "Monster":



Although the race car is called "SX4", it has nothing to do with the showroom model. It belongs to the most outrageous "Unlimited" class. 6 times the power of a normal sedan but only 2/3 of the weight, image that.

Keep an eye on the speedometer at the lower right hand corner, the car is drifting through the corners at nearly 100mph. Ordinary "high performance sports car" would just be thrown off the hills into nowhere.

And in such a competitive sport, especially in such demanding conditions, it is hard to believe Tajima is 60 years old already.

This is truly an achievement of Man, Machine and Mind. Gotta go there and see it by myself, at least once in my lifetime.

 

 

There are lots of small and big events in Tokyo around summer.

I believe a lot of you guys have been to Hanabi or Matsuri where there are lots and lots of people..

Today I would like to introduce you a little different type of event in Setagaya area.

It is a smaill town event taking place along Shoinjinjame shopping street near Shoinjinjamae station(Setagaya Line).

 

It will take place on August 29^th from 1pm to 6pm. As soon as you get off at Shoinjinjamae station, you will see the event going on along Shoinjinjamae shopping street.

 

There will be

- Penalty kick game for children in the town from 1pm

- Bingo event from 2:45 pm

- Hawaiian Dance show from 4pm.

- and of course there will be lots of things to eat from town restaurant and lots of things to see prepared by town people

 

But the most interesting event is this!

From 5pm, if you bring the brochure above, you can get FREE VEGETABLE!

Isn't it fun? ^o^

If you feel like you are lacking Vitamin recently, please visit Shoinjinjamae station coming 29^th and get free vegetable!!

Also you will also get to meet warm and kind hearted Japanese people from the town!

 

Connaissez-vous le Mont Saint-Michel ? Bretons et Normands pensent qu'il se situe dans leur région respective. Le Mont se trouve en effet pile-poil entre les 2 régions.

 

 

Personnellement je suis bretonne, mais j'ai vécu toute mon adolescance en Basse Normandie et je vote donc contre ma région et attribue le Mont Saint Michel aux normands (oups, j'en attend déjà crier). Outre ce petit différent régional, saviez-vous que le Mont Saint-Michel est une des destinations touristiques françaises la plus appréciée des japonais ? Tous les japonais que je rencontre ont entendu parlé du Mont Saint-Michel. Tant et si bien que c'est le Mont Saint-Michel qui a représenté la France lors du 150^ème anniversaire des relations franco-japonaises. Imaginez cette campagne avec à la place : la Tour Eiffel et la Tokyo Tower ... C'est tout de même plus beau comme cela, vous n'êtes pas d'accord ?

 

 

No Fireworks + No Omatsuri (Festival) = No Summer in Tokyo

 

Without Omatsuri and Fireworks, it is nothing but HOT and HUMID in Tokyo!!!

 

It's really hot and humid in Tokyo during Summer in Tokyo, but go explore around towns in weekends!

 

You will find SUMMER!!

 

Today I went Tomioka Hachiman, a shrine at Monzen Nakacho, with some residents living in Sakura House Monzen Nakacho Apt!!

It was really fun exploring and seeing Mikoshi(神輿) at every corner of the streets in the town and shrine to feel the SUMMER!!

They all came from towns surrounding Tomioka Hachiman such as Nihombashi Hakozaki and Hatchobori.

 

   This year, I did not get involved in Mikoshi, but

Let's do Mikoshi Next year together at Monzen Nakacho!!

 

 

KIDS MIKOSHI

   

Beach, Matsuri Festival, Fireworks, Camping, etc...

They all sounds fun for summer vacation,

but this is the best event this summer in Japan!!

 

I know that I was born for this moment!

Pachinko...?

 

 

How could have I calm myself when I saw this at JR Shinjuku station?

 

Looks like I was not the only Sakura House staff there.

Were you there yesterday as well?

 

 

How can I tell you how exciting the concert was!?

(Taking photos or recording the show is not allowed.)

 

 

We are going to have the second show tonight.

It will be at Nissan Stadium in Yokohama just as yesterday.

Some of our residents are going there this evening!

 

 

*****************************************

Want to go, but don't have a ticket?

No problem. You are lucky!

 

A few seats are still available for free!

If you would like to join, please email to kiguchi@sakura-house.com by 4:20 p.m. today.

 

Just make sure that you can make it to Kozukue Station by 5:20 p.m. today.

If you are not sure about going, just e-mail me now! Why not?

*****************************************

Enjoy Japan's No.1(?) concert!

Okay. It's time to go.

We are...

How is your city?!

Do you have any plans on Sunday this week?

My colleagues and I are planning to go & see "OMATSURI", a Japanese festival, at Tomioka Hachiman, a shrine nearby Monzen Nakacho Station.

 

 

 

 

This OMATSURI is one of the major festivals in Tokyo and very famous for splashing water over people doing Omikoshi!! 

 

 

It is really fun to see it!!

We are planning to be at Sakura House Monzen Nakacho Apt. around 10:00AM on Sunday August 15th, 2010,

but if you do not live in Sakura House Monzen Nakacho Apt. or Monzen Nakacho Guest House, we can meet you at Monzen Nakacho Station Exit 6,

so please let us know if you wanna join us seeing it!!

 

After Matsuri, Let's go enjoy Shitamachi Ninjo!! 

 

For more detail, please contact teamb@sakura-house.com

As there is a common saying that

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence."

we are  so jealous of other people.

 

The answer of this matter is just thinking that as if it was your own.

Take a look at this!

 

 

 

 

 

So,the only thing you need to have is an imagination!

 

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/kotake_mukaihara_b.php

大家一定認為於六本木享用午餐, 是一件很昂貴的事。我就為大家介紹一下500日元的六本木午餐。

其實, 一般如要享用一份日式午餐定食, 大概都要700-800日元。

六本木的四天王大眾居食屋就設有?天兩款的500日元午餐定食。定食包括前菜一份?主菜(我選擇了豬肉湯)?白飯(可選擇份量, 超級大份也可以)?飲品(無限添飲, 選擇甚多, 蘋果汁?橙汁?凍熱咖啡?茶)。主菜味道還不錯呢!

 

可能因為價錢相宜, 午飯時間大多數都要排隊。由中午12時至下午2時, 一直都要排隊。

四天王
東京都港区六本木3-14-7アロービルB1F 106-0032
電話: 03(3746)0029
午飯時間: 11:00 - 17:00

 

Hi^^  Officially, according to the calender now the AUTUMN (Fall) season already starts;)  But it seems like we are still to survive in the Summer Heat for a little while more...

Good night sleep & Good food♪　they are the best cure for the good health!

The spicy vegetable rich & tasty Indian food is the best SLUTION for the healthy life^^

In Ota-ku Kamata I've found this wonderful Indian grocery store called " Indo Bazaar"    Check this out!!! →　http://www.indobazaar.com/index.php?main_page=page_4　

About 5 minutes from the store there's the cozy reasonable & variety of fun events happening SAKURA HOUSE  

"SAKURA HOUSE Ota-ku KAMATA 2"  →　http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/kamata_2.php

 

Only 1 stop from JR Kamata station there's another convenient friendly reasonable international SAKURA HOUSE

"SAKURA HOUSE Omori" →　http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/oomori.php

 

Tomioka Hachiman Reitaisai will take place from the 13th of August 2010 and the 15th of August 2010. It is one of the three biggest Japanese Festival in Tokyo.

The nearest station from Tomioka Hachiman is MonzenNakacho which is Tokyo Metro Oedo Line. If you want to have traditonal Japanese experience before leaving Japan, it is must thing to do!!!

 

As you know, there are a lot of Onsen (hot spring) places in Japan.

If this is true, then even the Shinkansen will look like a child's toy...

According to the Beijing's Review (in Japanese), China is developing a new MagLev train that travels inside a vacuum tube.

Since there will be no air resistance inside, the already stunningly fast MagLevs could move at insane speeds, e.g. 1,000km/h. In theory it could reach as much as 20,000km/h according to the report.

You read me, 20,000km/h.

That means you could travel around the earth (circumference around 40,000km) in just 2 hours.

Geez, 2 hours. That's the same amount of time I spend on public transport on an average working day.

As for the construction cost, they said the cross-section of the vacuum tube would be even smaller than an average underground tunnel, therefore it will be cheaper than conventional railways.

Well I guess they forgot the MagLev rails... plus the gigantic vacuum pumps... and the astronomical running costs...

Don't worry, the researchers said it is NOT vacuum inside the train compartments, so you will not suffocate while taking the ride of a lifetime.

Is it just me or it looks too good to be true?!

こんにちは。ヒロポンです。

さて、今日（きょう）も昨日（さくじつ）に引（ひ）き続（つづ）き東長崎（ひがしながさき）からです。
先日（せんじつ）、東長崎をそぞろ歩きしているとこんな看板（かんばん）を発見（はっけん）しましたよ。

 

 

！？

 

どこかで見（み）たような。

これ、いろんな所（ところ）でよくみるあのお店（みせ）やん！
さっきも通（とお）り過（す）ぎたし。

 

 

良（よ）くみると"しん"のフォントも同（おな）じなんですけど。。。

 

こんな似（に）たお店（みせ）を駅（えき）挟（はさ）んで構（かま）えさせてくれる東長崎の度量（どりょう）の大（おお）きさに感心（かんしん）しました！

 

ちなみに福しんのHPは下記ですが、一しんについてはなにも書かれていませんね。。。

http://www.fukushin.info/

そんなモヤモヤしたお店がある東長崎からでした。

 

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/higashi_nagasaki_b.php

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/higashi_nagasaki.php

 

Thank you Sakura House for a wonderful time and internship in Tokyo!

The internship has been such an interesting and exciting experience for us. During the last seven weeks at Sakura House we have learned a lot. We will always have good memories of our time at Sakura House.

We wish the Sakura House team all the best!

We hope to see you all soon again!

Your 1st interns, Christina & Inga

Hi everyone !

 

Were you ever in need of emergency money whilst in Japan?

 

Life can be quite tuff in Japan, students and people on Working Holiday usualy have one or severals small jobs that don't always pay very well ...

Something might happen and you are sudenly faced with the hard reality, money is scarce and you might not be able to make the 2 ends meet this month.

Other senario : you just arrived in Japan and you realise that your credit card does not work ! For our residents, it means that they can not pay their rent upon arrival and can't move-in .... It's always a hearbreaking situation for us and we always look for new alternative solutions when it happens.

 

Western Union finaly opened in Japan !

 

For those of you who ar not familiar with this service, Western Union allows people around the worl to send money to eachother in a blink of an eye. Western Union is worldwide, many branches exist around the world. Your loved ones will finaly be able to send you money almost instantaneously wherever they are. 

 

We are so happy to also let you guys know that Wester Union branches openned in the Travelex Foreign Exchange offices in Tokyo and that we have one very close to our office.This will be so much more convenient for all our residents !!!

The travelex office in Nishi Shinjuku is situated on the way back to Shinjuku Station, under the Mac Donalds, just beofre the "Odakyu Halc" department store.

 

 

A is Sakura House office

B is the Travelex with the Western Union Branch

 

 Please don't hesitate to ask u if you need more informations !!!!

 

 

 

It was so hot that I wanted to have some cool me down for friendship party at Sakura House office.

Thought about buying ice cream, but I had one in the morning and one at lunch already and thesedays my stomach is getting like a sumo wrestler I saw at McD*n*ld nearyby Monzen Nakacho Station.

 

 

 

             

 

Heading back to the office from Monzen Nakacho, I met a member of TEAM FRANCE who lives in Monzen Nakacho APT.

 

He is back from Mt. Fuji. Looks pretty exhousted, too. But anyway I desided to go with Japanese Summer dishes and I went to OTOFUYASAN (TOFU SHOP) nearby Monzen Nakacho Apt.

 

TOFU = SUMMER

TOFU =HEALTHY

TOFU = GOOD

BEER + TOFU = SUPER

 

 

   

I recommend this tofu shop because this shop is actually not a tofu shop you see in your town.

The cooking method is very traditional.  

No GAS!!

They use scrap wood for boiling and it taste different from any other tofu shops!!

When you have this tofu, you can tell no gas is used during the cooking process!!

 

If you want to try the difference, go to this store nearby Sakura House Monzen Nakacho Apt. If you have difficulty communicate with Ojisan (shop owner), please ring to the office. I can help you!

By the way, you can buy fresh soy milk, too!!

 

Or if you come to Friendship party at Sakura House office on every Monday evening, there might be one sometimes.

 

 

         

A summer dinner party was held at Kunitachi House last Friday. We had lovely time with a couple residents from Kunitachi House and Heights.http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/kunitachi.php

 

 

Since this extremely high humidity and  temperature make us feel dull and loose appetite, we wanted to share some meals that we can stay power over this crazy season.

 

Rei Shabu 冷しゃぶ 

Tofu Salada　豆腐サラダ

Goya champuru　ゴーヤチャンプル

Hiyamugi　ひやむぎ

Shiokara 塩辛

 Nagatsuka san, a good chief, mainly cooked the dishes for us. Thanks to his advanced cooking skills, we enjoyed having these tasty meals♪　

 

 Hiyamugi ひやむぎ

 

 

 

  Goya 58

 

 

 

Lee san showing various bottles of alcohol sleeping at the house hehe

 

We are planning to have some kind of party again in fall when we have excellent appetite! hehe   

 

 

                                            Ciao T

It's so hot these days, but the strong sunlight is helping grow my mini garden at home. I am starting with mini tomato, basil and blueberry. Unfortunately, blueberry is not growing so well, but the mini tomatos and basil are growing really well! It's actually quite easy to grow, and they grow enough so that you can have atleast 1 a day, but you need to make sure to put something like a net on it, since birds try to eat them before you...

If you know of any good methods to grow blueberries, or any simple and good things to grow at home, please let me know:)

 

Almost 10PM...

I am STILL in the Sakura House office (Shinjuku)....

I missed FIREWORKS in Sumida River!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

It is good maybe 'cause at least I could see the fireworks

 

 

 

by photo....

 

My colleague sent me a photo...

NICE...

 

 

I will definitely get off work at 6PM and go to see FIREWORKS in Koto-ku!! It was Sumida River today. And it is Arakawa River tomorrow.

It is starting around 7PM, so I should be able to make it!!

 

 

 

I am wondering if somebody living in Monzen Nakacho or Sumiyoshi has a plan to go and see it tomorrow.

 

Is any of you going?

 

 

 

We,

Our residents and Sakura House Staff had a great time last nite at the Vietnamese restaurant "Saigon"nearby Kamimachi Station on Setagaya-line. 

The food tasts great and waiters are all friendly. Service is excellent. No wander the place was packed even on weekdays!

 We are very much looking forward to seeing whoever missed this great party!!!

See you soon!

Mother Nature unleashed her fearsome power in Hong Kong earlier this week:

Yesterday evening we held our weekly "Friendship Party" at the Sakura House Office in Shinjuku!

Someone had the idea to bring a curious sauce named "Death drink" (or sauce, I don't remember well..). Thinking this was a joke, I tasted 1 drop of it with a potatoe chip...... and I resume this experience in 2 words: never again!!
My mouth was paralysed for approximatively 15 minutes!

So I decided to share this "amazing" experience with other residents and my collegues, who were laughing a lot!!  ;)

The girl on the photo is korean. After eating a tako-yaki that was dipped in "Death sauce", she said that she didn't felt much.........

I think she was the only in that case. The other koreans were suffering too! Incredible, this girl!

With what can I challenge her next week...^^?

Hi everyone, how are you? Japan Romania business association (JRBA) invited us to Romanian Wine Party! I don't know much about wine, but Romanian Wine is so good! I was happy with wine and my co-worker, Jun was really happy with beautiful Romanian ladies :)

JRBA:
http://www.jrba.org/

 

Hi all!!

 

Summer is heeere! 'Hope you're not suffering too much from the heat.

But summer in Japan does not only mean feeling like a lobster in a pot...

It's also Matsuri (summer festival) season!

 

 

 

And among the dozen types of matsuris in Japan, one of the most famous is surely Obon.

 

Obon is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. It has been celebrated in Japan for more than 500 years and traditionally includes a dance, known as Bon-Odori.

 

As Obon occurs in the heat of the  summer, participants traditionally wear yukata, light cotton kimonos. Many Obon celebrations include a carnival with rides, games, and summer festival food proposed by all sorts of small mobile food stalls.

  

 ***Tonight July 24th, the Yukigaya Obon Festival with Bon-Odori will be held around the Yukigaya Otsuka Station, on Tokyu Ikegami Line ***

(http://www.sakura-house.com/english/train_lines/ikegami.php)

It is a great chance to experience a little bit more Japan and its traditions in a very cheerful atmosphere.

 

If you're around the place, let's join the festival and experience the warmth of Japanese people !

 

 

Some residences around Yukigaya Otsuka aera

●Yukigaya Otsuka  1

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya.php

●Yukigaya Otsuka  2

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya_2.php

●Yukigaya Otsuka  3

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya_3.php

●Yukigaya Otsuka  4

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya_4.php

●Yukigaya Otsuka  5

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya_5.php

●Ishikawadai B

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/ishikawadai_b.php

●Kamata 2

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/kamata_2.php

●Togoshi

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/tokyo_heights.php

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/togoshi_ginza.php

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/togoshi_b.php

●Gotanda

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/gotanda.php

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/gotanda_b.php

http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/gotanda_c.php

 

Are you all surviving in this he----at??!!

In Tokyo the metropolitan area Shinjuku where the commute is quite convenient and many people coming & going a busy Big town, and the heat gets worse...BUT!!! the local residential area like Ota-ku Yukigaya Otsuka where the access to the central part of TOKYO is still so convenient approx.30 minutes commute, and also there are natural surroundings in the neighborhood.

Local Line the "Tokyu Ikegami Line" just so--------- coooool!!!  The short local cozy line takes you from Gotanda to Kamata also very good connection to Yokohama & Kawasaki area. ( http://www.sakura-house.com/english/train_lines/ikegami.php )

Check this beautiful POND - "Senzoku-Ike" about 15 minutes walk from Yukigaya Otsuka (only 2 stops from Yukigaya Otsuka Station, Tokyu Ikegami Line).

You can enjoy the SWAN Boat^^  And just feel the fresh cool  nature breeze♪

 Getting off the local "Tokyu Ikegami Line" at Yukigaya Otsuka station, there's a large scale Super Market called 'OZEKI' a grocery store right in front!   Living cost is quite reasonable and Safe, Friendly Atmosphere, Quiet residential town Yukigaya Otsuka.

 

There are modern, traditional and cozy several different types of SAKURA HOUSE Yukigaya Otsuka

●　SAKURA HOUSE Yukigaya Otsuka   http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya.php

●　SAKURA HOUSE　Yukigaya　Otsuka 2  http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya_2.php

●　SAKURA　HOUSE Yukigaya　Otsuka 3  http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya_3.php

●　SAKURA　HOUSE Yukigaya Otsuka　4  http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya_4.php

●　SAKURA　HOUSE Yukigaya Otsuka 5　http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/yukigaya_5.php

Now the very SPECIAL SUMMER Campaign's available♪ 

 

 

 

Today is my last day of internship in Sakura House... I know, time flies and I am already missing everyone at Sakura House as I write this post in the office. 

For the past 2 days, I had been attached to the maintenance team with Mochida san. It is from travelling around with the team that I understand how big Sakura Group is! Sakura House alone has over 1800 rooms available for rent to foreigners!

But I must say, it is really tiring to be in the maintenance team!  With Tokyo's hot summer, you really don't want to be outside working!

For Sakura House residents, you may already be familiar with all of them since they will regularly visit resident areas for inspections and routine cleaning. And YES! they are the one who are there when you needed help, they are Sakura House's pest control, plumber, gas man, painter, fix-it man etc. So for all the clean rooms that you move into, you  know who to thank :)

 

If you leave without washing your linens, you will be charged for Sakura House to wash it for you. These are the machines where those linens get washed

Tomigaya A is not your usual guesthouse, it is built in collaboration between Sakura House and a famous Japanese Architect!

Common Area

Kitchen Area

Next, we went to do a routine cleaning on one of Nakano houses... and I am surprised that Mochida san knows the residents by their name!

 

 

Christina already told you about our trip to Nikko with our internship program AYUSA. So here are some additional pictures from our trip to Nikko...

 

Our boat ride group picture (with some strangers in the back of the boat)

 

One of our funny looking "life pillows" - just in case...

 

What you recieved for colleting all stamps...a gold charm.

 

Poor little fish ...but it was delicious.

 

At the Toshogu shrine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A poor horse, Christina felt pity for...　　　　　　　　      ...so she bought some carrots and fed it.  

And here are some pictures of the Toshogu Shrine...

The famous wood carving of the three monkeys...

who "see no evil, hear no evil and speak no evil".

 

Last friday, Sakura House had a party at Sakuratei which is a restaurant where you can eat okonomi-yaki, monja-yaki, teppan-yaki and have a good time!

English menu are available together with easy-to-follow pictutorials on how to cook your okonomi-yaki!!

cooking in process...

 

well... it was pretty quiet at the start... probably because the alcohols are not doing its job yet...

 

Junya san going around making sure that everyone gets some alcohols in their system while Ochiai san can't wait for our first round of kampei!

 

delicious okonomi-yaki...

 

 

christine looked really excited to cook this teppan-yaki :)

 

and, the party get started.....

Thank you Sakura House!

 

I really enjoyed the party and Sakuratei.

 

 

Sakuratei is located in Sakura House Design Festa in Harajuku and it is spacious with big tables which is ideal for big gathering with friends :)

Check out Sakuratei here.

Check out Design Festa here.

 

 

 

I tried two famous ramen store around Sakura House Shinjuku Office over the weekend and I will like you to try them too!

 

This store is just located on the 1st Floor of Sakura House Shinjuku Office Building. Ochiai san says that this is probably the best ramen store in Tokyo!

 

 

Interesting stuff: you will hear the chef saying some cheers everytime he cooked a ramen!

yummy!!!!

 

If you prefer spicy ramen, you can take a short walk (3min walk) further down to find this mongolian style spicy ramen!

Nakamoto Ramen!!!

 

various spicy levels for you to choose from...

 

if you come during meal times, be prepared to queue up :)

 

I tried the one with medium level of spicy...

Address of Nakamoto Ramen:  東京都新宿区西新宿7-8-11　美笠ビルB1Ｆ 　

 

 

I know I know, today is Monday. Moreover it's a holiday here in Japan, "Umi-no-hi" or the Day of the Seas in English.

Well it is THE day to get out to the beach to catch the waves but if you prefer not to go on head-to-head with the scorching sun, there are still plenty of places in Tokyo to hang out.

While I am working at my desk at this moment, I am already thinking of the day after tomorrow because of this:

You might think it's just another ordinary red bean cake. But behold! This is the infamous "Shiro Imagawa-yaki", only available on Wednesday!

The chewy middle layer is wrapped by a snowy outer crisp, plus the red bean filling which is not too sweet. A perfect combination that took the good old Imagawa-yaki to a whole new level.

The shop is located on the 1st floor in Sangenjaya's landmark Carrot Tower:


This place is so famous that if you google the keywords "三軒茶屋 今川焼" it would pop out on top of the search results! Prepare to line up on Wednesday ~ (Red bean / Cream: 80 Yen; Cheese: 120 Yen)

This past weekend I went to Nikko with my internship program, AYUSA Japan. It was a breath of fresh air from the busy city life. We went on a boat ride which was my favorite part of the whole trip. They were very considerate to prepare plastic covers for everyone so we wouldn't get wet.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then, we were supposed to walk around the national park to do a stamp tour for 3 hours, but we decided to be lazy people and just wait in the station. While waiting, we soaked our feet in hot water. It was really HOT!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We stayed at a nice onsen hotel with very BIG rooms! We also had a delicious dinner. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The second day we went to see the Kegon waterfall. It was B-E-A-utiful! To get down to the viewing platform, we had to take an elevator that goes by meters.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After seeing the waterfall, we visited the Toshogu. The shrine is dedicated to the spirits of Ieyasu and two other of Japan's most influential historical personalities, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Minamoto Yoritomo. Unfortunately, I only took pictures mentally since it was a sacred place. Then we head back home. We were all hungry and exhausted!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This week, me and Kiguchi-kun, a member of sales team went to check the condition of several Sakura Houses in
Ikebukuro and Itabashi area.

After eating lunch in Ukimafunado on JR Saikyo line, we went to Sakura House Shimura Sanchome and Motohasunuma.

Sakura House Motohasunuma, is a large complex building with apartments and guest house units standing just 3 minutes away from Motohasunuma station on subway Mita line.

On the way back to our office, instead of going to the subway station, we decided to walk to Akabane station on JR Saikyo line. It was roughly 20 minutes on foot, but see what we have found between the house and Akabane station !!

It's "Akabane Shizen-kansatsu Koen" (Akabane Nature Observation Park), a large park with baseball field and campground, and a preserved Japanese-style house with a rice field !! Can you imagine it's in the middle of Tokyo ?

It's only 10 minutes from Sakura House Motohasunuma. You can enter the old house for free, jog around the park, play sports, or just sit and relax in the small forest with a creek in the middle.

We feel sorry for not knowing this park for long. If we did know, we could have informed our fellow residents in Motohasunuma...

Location of the park and more pictures:
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/14939371

Sakura House Motohasunuma:
http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/motohasunuma.php  


 

Sakura House residents are invited to the "Awa Odori" festival 2010
in Nakameguro on August 7th.

It is going to be a great experience to feel Japanese traditional culture!
We will prepare a costume for you and teach you how to dance.
*You must take dance lessons before the festival!

At the Awa Odori (Awa Dance Festival),  dance and walk while they follow
an accompaniment using such instruments as shamisen, drum, brass, and flute.

     
>>Pictures of Awaodori 2009
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36733168@N04/sets/72157621804245257/

[Event] Awa Odori (Dance Festival)
[Date] Saturday, August 7th, 2010 (4:00pm~)
[Place] Around Nakameguro sta.

[NOTE]
*Participation fee is FREE.
*Limited to 15 people.
*You must take dance lessons before the festival!
*The dance lesson schedule: 6:00pm~8:00pm
 July 15th(Thu),20th(Tue),29th(Thu),August 3rd(Tue),5th(Thu)
*You don't have to take part at all the dance lessons. It's negotiable.

Please contact us now if you are interested in it!
contact@sakura-house.com

 

Thank you all of those who surprised us with yummy gifts! 

As you can see on Gaku's expression, we were very pleased:)

Top left:  from Singappore! (jerky and chiffon)

Top right: Salt water taffy from the U.S (apparantely, you can only get these in Florida, California and Georgia!)

Bottom Left: gorgeous chocolates from Belgium, yum.

 

 

 

 

 

Look, isn't he funny looking this orange bird? May be you will meet him the next time you come to the office in Shinjuku. :-)

And another "cute" (real) animal is the oracle octopus Paul from Germany. Have you heard of him?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul became famous for predicting the results of the German soccer matches in the World Cup. Unfortunatlly he also predicted the vitory of Spain over Germany... but still don't eat him! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bonjour !!!

 

Assoiffé de littérature?

Pour ceux qui comme moi, adorent lire, mais qui sont incapables de comprendre plus d'une ligne de japonais, j'ai la solution idéale.

 

Book Off est une librairie de livres d'occasion. Vous pouvez y trouver tout type de littérature, mais aussi des livres d'art, de cuisine, de photographie, pour enfant ...etc. Le choix est immense et bien que la majorité des livres soit en anglais, il y a aussi une énorme section de livres en français. Le mieux, c'est le prix ! A "Kinokuniya", un livre étranger vaut en moyenne 1,200 yen ... l'arnaque quoi ! A Book Off; la plus grande partie des bouquins sont à 300 yen !

Sur le départ, trop de livres en stock, ou simplement envie de faire de la place, Book Off rachète les livres dont vous ne voulez plus. Personnellement je revends les livres que je ne veux pas garder pour mieux pouvoir en aheter d'autres.

Alors pour ceux qui ne sont pas encore passé à la lecture en ligne sur leur nouvel "I-pad" et qui aiment encore l'odeur et le touché des feuilles qui défilent entre leurs doigts, Book Off est un petit "paradis sur Tokyo Terre"

 

Il y a des Book Off dans plusieurs locations sur Tokyo, mais celui de Shirokanedai est définitivement le meilleur.

En plus des livres, vous y trouverez des CD, DVD et jeux vidéo de seconde main, en japonais ou en anglais.

 

Un petit creux? Je vous invite à vous poser dans le café qui est à l'intérieur. Les crèpes y sont délicieuses !!!

 

 

A proximité de Book Off Shirokanedai, se trouve une de nos résidences les plus appréciées par nos compatriotes français : Shirokanedai guest house. Très pratique si vous étudiez à Temple University

It was a nice relaxing day at work today. This morning, a person walked into the Sakura House office and she looked very familiar. It turned out that she was my Japanese classmate at UCLA. We took the intensive advanced Japanese class last summer which we learned a year-worth of advanced Japanese in one summer. I always remembered that she spoke Japanese extremely well. She also remembers Sakura House when they had a small office 5 years ago. What a small world! It's always nice to run into people in a different country. : )

This morning on the train, Christina made me laugh... just before the stop in Oimachi Christina said: "Get ready to be squeezed again!" Since we live in Omori, we get to experience the real Tokyo train feeling every morning and evening. Personal space is something you won't find during rush hour on a train in Tokyo. You have to share one square meter with about 10 other people - you feel packed like sardines! But to experience such a train ride has to be part of a Tokyo stay. Christina and I, we get to experience it for another 4 1/2 weeks, every morning and evening ;-)! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How we feel on the train!                                                                       A dream come true!

Our trip today with Namiki san and Ochiai san to the Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro was a very interesting trip. We learned more about the Sakura House Company and its history. Furthermore we had a delicious lunch at the Sakura Cafe in Ikebukuro which is located right next to the Sakura Hotel. Thank you Sakura House for the yummy lunch! About our trip to Ikebukuro you can read more on the other intern's bolg: Christina's, Jose's and Eugene's blog. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today I went to Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro with Namiki san and Ochiai san. It's the biggest hotel of Sakura House. We ate good lunch there!! ...Thank you Namiki san and Ochiai san. : )

 

  After lunch, we took a tour around the hotel. There are dormitory rooms, one person rooms, 2 people rooms, and family size rooms. This hotel is still new and there are people from all over the world staying there. The cafe is opened 24 hrs, so if you're hungry anytime of the day, you can just get a bite to eat there. It is also very close to the Ikebukuro train station where there are a lot of big department stores. A very nice place for your short stay in Tokyo!

 

                                                                      

Today all of the interns have the opportunity to go down to Sakura Cafe Ikebukuro for a nice lunch! Since the cafe is located on the first floor of Sakura Hotel Ikebukuro, the hotel manager is kind enough to give us a little tour around the hotel.

Have you ever been to Sangenjaya area?

You can go to Sangenjaya Station by Denentoshi line from Shibuya Station and it only takes 5mins!!

From the north exit of Sangenjaya station, you can see BIG ECHO which is one of the most popular Karaoke in Japan.

Also there are many restaurants, convenient stores, drug stores etc.

But .. my favorite place near Sangenjaya station is here!

This is Suzuran street and it is filled with restaurants and izakaya!

Please take a look at the houses and apartments near Sangenjaya station on our website!

CASA AREGLE A

CASA AREGLE B

CASA AREGLE C

SAGENJAYA

SANGENJAYA D

SANGENJAYA E
 

みなさんこんにちは、サクラハウス営業部カミサキです。

さて、FIFAワールドカップもベスト4が出そろって、いよいよ大詰めですね！

個人的にはスペインかオランダ、どちらかに初優勝してもらいたいと思ってます。

 

 

 

　　                 やっぱり、ビリャですよねー　( * * )→

 

 

 

 

サクラハウスもスペインで盛り上がりたい！！

 

って思ってたら、意外なところにありました。。

その名も、サクラハウス　「カッサ・アレグレ」。　　　これ。　↓

 

「カッサ」はスペイン語で家、「アレグレ」は幸せ。　直訳すると「幸福の家」

になるんでしょうか？

 

でもなぜそもそもスペイン語？　( ? _ ? )

スペイン好きの誰かが勝手に付けたのでしょうかね？　ふーむ。。

僕が知っている限りでは、以前から「カッサ・アレグレ」になっていましたね。

サクラハウスの人に聞いても答えは知らない、、、名前の由来が

不明なオモシロ物件です。

今度名前の由来の答えを聞いて、UPします。　m(｡･ε･｡)m　　

 

・・・・・・・スペインの国旗立てちゃおうかな！？

サクラハウスカッサアレグレA　http://www.sakura-house.com/jp/premise/casa_aregle_a.php

サクラハウスカッサアレグレB　http://www.sakura-house.com/jp/premise/casa_aregle_b.php

サクラハウスカッサアレグレC　http://www.sakura-house.com/jp/premise/casa_aregle_c.php

Went to Yebisu Beer Museum near Ebisu Station over the weekends and tasted some yummy beers :P

                

                 

Yebisu beer is so popular in Japan that Ebisu and Ebisu Station is named after it.

 

Introductory brochures are available in Chinese, English, Korean and of course, Japanese

If you choose to participate in the guided tour, you will be issued this tour card.

Tours are conducted on scheduled times and cost ￥500 per adult. It includes beer tasting at Yebisu Bar area at the end of the tour. However, the tour is conducted in Japanese.

Yebisu Bar

Various malts that are used to brew the beer

 

I feel happy now :)

 

Yebisu makes my day !

Around the Museum...

 

If you are looking to stay near this wonderful place, you can stay in Sakura House Ebisu which is conveniently located near to Ebisu Station and all other amenities spots!

Check them out! 

Sakura House Ebisu

Sakura House Ebisu B

Yesterday Christina and I got to design a flyer for the Japanese star festival Tanabata.

Tanabata  (七夕), meaning "the night of the seventh", is celebrated every 7th of July in Japan. This festival derived from the Chinese Star festival Qi Xi and was originally celebrated on the 7th day of the 7th month of the lunar calendar.

The Tanabata festival stemmed back to an old Chinese tale called Kikkoden. It says that the industrious weaver princess named Orihime and the hard-working cow herder prince named Hikoboshi fall in love with each other and forgot to do their work. As a result, Hikoboshi was banished to the other side of the big river (the Milky Way) by Orihime's father, the sky god.

The two lovers are seperate by the Milky Way and they are allowed to meet only once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month - on Tanabata. It is believed that Orihime and Hikoboshi cannot meet each other, if the day is rainy because the big river becomes to wide and deep to cross. So people pray for good weather on Tanabata.

Furthermore it is a Japanese tradition to write wishes on tanzaku paper (colorful, small stripes of paper) and to hang them on bamboo branches on Tanabata.

Christina and I preparing tanzaku papers for the customers who want to write their wishes on it. After two hours of cutting papers Christina was making funny faces! I can tell you we had a lot of fun yesterday afternoon...

                              

...and here you can see more hard-working staff of Sakura House at the office in Shinjuku as well as the bamboo branches with the tanzaku at the office. 

                                                                                       The flyer Christina and I desiged.  

 

Inga and I were so excited to move to Sakura House Oomori and when we saw the two name tag holders on our door, we got so excited thinking it would be an AWESOME idea to put our Sakura House business cards in. This way, we can probably also scare the people on our floor and keep an eye on them for Taka who has to clean our common space. But we realized it was also a BAD idea because if there are people who you don't want them to know where your room is, THEY WILL FIND YOU!!!

Last Saturday, we had a Friendship party at SHIMURA 3 CHOME.

It was expected that only few residents join the party due to the late announcement of having a party at there. 
As my expectation, when I arrived at the house, Hiropon(Sakura House staff) and Talaiti-san(Resident) were the only person who at there. (^^;)

It was thought that the party at Shimura 3 Chome would be a lonely party at the beginning
even though it was planed for the friendship party.

But unexpectedly, as times go by, more residents came to the house and the party became a party enough to be called as a "Friendship party"! 
Late participants were the residents from Shimura 3chome B.

So then, the party was international.  participants were Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Philipino and French.

We introduced ourselves and had a fun chatting.

 


 Hopefully, we gonna have a party at Shimura 3 chome again!

Tomorrow is the big day, I mean for those who will be taking the new Japanese test.

Well the authority said N1 is even more difficult than the previous Level 1, who knows? I'm gonna give them my best shot

Probably many of you who are staying with us will be doing the test as well. Good Luck and let's kick some serious butt!

Got some funny stuff to show everyone today.

These are prepaid phones from Softbank. One is mine and the other belongs to a housemate in the Omori Sakura House who is practicing Aikido and Iaido(a sword martial art...i think) in Japan. Can you see the carvings on the phone on the right? She claims that she got tired of the smooth edges on the phone. The black tape is stuck on there because she carved it too deep. Very creative design.

 

Wow, the second week of my internship at Sakura House is already over... I can't believe it.
The last couple of days were quite busy at the office. So yesterday Christina and I, we got to help signing the contracts, which was really interesting. Furthermore we were checking some move out notices, which took forever because there are so many houses and residents...but it is actually fun to do something productive and useful.

After to weeks I kind of got used to work full time again, but without the Tully's Coffee right across the street of the headquarters I could not survive....

Without my enormous amount of coffee I would do exactly the same as these guys....

 

 

 

Photo Walk around Shinjuku where Sakura House is located!

 

In this series of photowalk, you will see sights that you will see while you are on your way to Sakura House Office

On the way back to Shinjuku Station after a day of work...

 

Wide-road crossing in Shinjuku :) 

 

Nice weather isn't it?

 

During Morning rush hour.....

 

this morning, the sky is pretty gloomy and it looks like it is going to rain soon...

 

everyone rushing to their office...

 

In Tokyo, you can't walk and smoke at the same time, so there are designated smoking spots located around the city.

You will see this spot the moment you get out of the west exit

 

This was my last day as an intern at SAKURA-house, and I have to say, I really enjoyed my time here, although it was only for four days.

This was an amazing opportunity to experience Japanese business life, while still working in an international environment. Apart from this, the entire SAKURA-staff has been incredibly kind to us, helping us in and around the workplace. So I'd just like to thank everyone here.

I love the fact that SAKURA-house is able to maintain a professional, yet informal and friendly atmosphere on the workfloor. I'd like to express my graditude towards everyone here, you gave me an experience I will never forget. Thanks everyone! :)

Fifth day already! Last day of the internship! I just want to say that I really enjoyed my internship here and I'm very grateful for the opportunity I was given to do the internship here. I want to thank all the people that helped us and took care of us, especially Ricard and Ochiai. Furthermore I would like to thank Masayo Namiki, who actually offered us the internship. I learned a lot about Sakura-House and how they work, and it strikes me as peculiar that a company which is so successful, is still able to stay at a personal and provide such a nice atmosphere between their clients. You wouldn't find a lot of those companies in the Netherlands! 

Have you ever heard about Rakugo 落語?
It's like a Japanese traditional "sit" com. Listening to Rakugo in English would be a very exciting & precious opportunity! Don't miss it!


Sakura Cafe Hatagaya is celebrating its first anniversary!
To commemorate this special occasion, we are honoured to have Bunkyo Gakuin University Assistant Professor Dr. Kimie Oshima, to perform "Rakugo in English" for us.
Rakugo, or Traditional Japanese Comedy Story Telling,
is a popular verbal entertainment since the 19th century. Now Dr. Oshima has taken the art to the next level by combining it with English, sparking a chain of non-stop laughter!

After the performance, there will be a reception party
where drinks and light refreshments will be served.
Please join us and let us know more about your country's comedies!


---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 [July 3rd(Sat)]
 Sakura Cafe Hatagaya 1st Anniversary Special Celebration
 "Rakugo (Japanese traditional "sit" com) in English"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Date] 3rd July 2010 (Sat), 4:00 p.m. onwards

[Venue] Sakura Cafe Hatagaya (a 2-minute walk from Keio New Line Hatagaya sta.)

[Map] http://www.sakura-hotel-hatagaya.com/hotel_location.php

[Address] 1F Sakura Hotel Hatagaya, 1-32-3 Hatagaya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo

[Admission]
English Rakugo 500 Yen per person (around 50 seats available)
Reception Party 1,000 Yen per person (refreshments and drinks included)

[Schedule]
4:00 p.m. - Unplugged Live Music Performance
4:30 p.m. - Rakugo in English
6:00 p.m. - Reception Party

* Please reserve your seat in advance by sending an email to
  contact@sakura-house.com

We look forward to seeing you and sharing this great opportunity!

Yay, today I just had a short day!!! (8.50am to 11.00am) Even the time machine did't want to believe that I am already leaving again...but I had to go to the AMERICAN Embassey!

Our internship programm did organize a trip there. (And since it is actually an American program we went to the U.S. Embassey!) I think it was pretty scary! They don't even trust their own citiziens. Without a picture ID and an escort you won't get in!

And we had to leave our newly decorated Japanese cell phones at the entrance.

Furthermore we decide also to leave our umbrellas, just in case they would be considered to be weapons...

But I learned some interesting new things and the security check is at all embassies probably about the same. And furthermore the group agreed that we met the look-alike of Dr. House (American TV series "House")!!!. So, in all, the embassy visit was kind of fun!

And working @ Sakura House is still fun! Even though Christina and I were exited to have a short day... 

So yesterday I only had to stay at work until 11am...yay! : ( Because I visited the American Embassy with my internship program. The two hours at work, I got to go see an apartment in Yotsuya 3 Chome and it was for myself. I really liked the place and the location is very close to Shinjuku which is very convevnient. However, I'm still going to keep my options open to see other availabilities.

There I am!!

Oh yeah...I'll just briefly mention the American Embassy. The security check was CRAZY!! There were guards on every corner of the Embassy. And when we went in, we had to be escorted few people at a time into the conference room. Some intense stuff! But overall, I learned a lot and the visit was very interesting.

The second visit to Japan, I've been told, is supposed to be even better than the first. However the previous visit was exclusively vacation, this visit took a turn to the serious side. This serious side is my internship at SAKURA-house. With this internship of course, belongs travel to the actual job: the train ride. Who doesn't enjoy standing in a square meter, accompanied by at least 8 different people, combined with the hot and humid weather, it required some getting used to.

Back home, in the Netherlands, I am used to trains that are almost deserted compared to the trains over here. There is actually another very important difference, Japanese trains are on time. Always. Compared to the Dutch train system they are flawless, since Dutch trains are 25% of the time at least 10 minutes late.

Although some people might be drawn back by the fact the trains are so busy, I would trade it instantly for the punctuality, no one enjoys having trains that arrive randomly, as I've been used to my entire life.

 

Yesterday, I had dinner with my friends at Kikukawa　(きくかわ) restaurant in Kanda area. My Japanese friends said that this restaurant actually serve the best Unagi in Tokyo :)

Kanda station is just one stop from Tokyo station and the restaurant is about 3 minutes walk from Kanda Station.

 

 

Kikukawa has no english menu but it only serve Unagi with rice. Things written on the menu are actually additional side dishes you can order with your Unagi.

 

The prized Unagi :) The best Unagi I have eaten so far!

Really delicious and it cost around ￥3000

 

It is nice to end the day with a cold beer! Especially when Tokyo is so warm

 

 

Namecard, this will help you get to Kikukawa with ease!

 

If you are looking to stay near this wonderful restaurant, you can stay in Sakura House Kanda which is conveniently located near to Kanda Station and all other amenities spots!

Check them out! 

Sakura House Kanda

Hi everyone,
I posted an introductory blog yesterday, so there is no need for introduction now. Third day in Japan already! I`m getting used to the hot and humid weather over here, its quite funny because in The Netherlands we always complain about the weather, but I won`t do that any longer, since I`ve experienced what the weather is like over here.

Finding my way around the city is more difficult. I`ve never been to a country where I just don`t understand any of the signs, I don`t speak French, but if I go to France they at least have the same alphabet as the Dutch do, so I can still find my way around. Luckily Tom and me have our dear friend Rae who set us up for this internship, and helps us whenever we can`t figure things out for ourselves. The internship is great so far, its really aimed at our age group, we are supposed to be online on facebook to chat with someone whenever they contact us. This suits us, since we are young and use these utilities like facebook as well.

Ricard asked us if we wanted to join their Futsal game on the 11th of July. I would really like to join, but my internship finishes friday the 2nd of July already, and then I`m off to Kyoto and Hiroshima, but after that I`ll go back to Tokyo, so I hope I can make it in time for the Futsal game.
    

Jun and I visited to Sakura House Nishihara Guest House a few days ago, and nice guys were welcomed us with warm smile:)

They all work at Shane Language School as a English teacher. We just interviewed two of them. Thank you very much for your great comments!

Sakura House Nishihara: 
http://www.sakura-house.com/english/premise/nishihara.php

Guest houses (Available) in the same area:
http://www.sakura-house.com/english/room_bed_list.php?room_type=2&Area=1

 

If you arrive in Tokyo with heavy luggages, you may want to consider taking the Airport Limousine Bus from Narita Airport to Shinjuku. I took this bus when I arrived in Tokyo and it proved to be a more convenient choice then trains. Boarding berth is just located outside the Airport and the right berth can be found easily since they are all numbered. If you are coming to Sakura House Head Office at Shinjuku, this bus comes directly to Shinjuku station West Exit! The ticket will cost you ￥3000.

 

Direction to Sakura House Head Office  

Firstly, I would like to introduce myself. My name is Nicolaas, I`m 17 years old, I live in Tienhoven which is a small town in exactly the middle of the Netherlands. I`m really excited about the world cup, because I`m all into football, and last night the Dutch team won their game and are up for the quarter finals against Brazil!   

I feel really honoured about the opportunity I got, to follow my internship here at SAKURA-house. Its nice to see all these people with different nationalities working together, and I hope I can give a little bit of input to this company, although I`m only staying here for four days.

The weather is something I have to get used to here in Japan. In the Netherlands we have a sea climate, so when its hot its just hot, but here in Japan when its hot its also very humid. The weather is actually the first thing that striked me as being very different from the Netherlands, but with every step I take here in Japan I see something different. Its a real eye-opener being here, and I`m sure I`ll enjoy my stay here.  

 

To start off a new part of the SAKURA-house staff blog, I would to introduce myself.

My name is Tom, and I am 17 years old. I live in a small town near the capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam. Things I like doing in my spare time are watching football (the world cup has probably never made anyone happier than me) and doing any kind of physical activity outdoors.

I am very excited about my newly started 4-day introductory internship at SAKURA-house, which I hope to learn a lot about Japanese culture, especially in business life, as it is so different from what I am used to, therefore I am very grateful for being given the opportunity to have this experience.

Probably the biggest change I have experienced so far is the weather, the humidity, hot weather is nothing like our usual Dutch sea-climate (cold winters, cool summers), but this is only one of the many differences between the Netherlands and Japan, and I hope to find out all about Japan in my stay here.

 

Hi Everyone!

I am the new intern from Singapore who joined Sakura House yesterday. Before moving to Tokyo, I spent a year in Taipei as an exchange student in National University of Taiwan.

Everyone at Sakura House is really nice to the interns amd I enjoyed my first day here already:)

Right now, I am interning in the same Sales department  as Christine and Inga. So, if you do drop by Sakura House head office, you will definitely see us working hard ;p

 

I live in Hino City which is about 40min on the Chuo Line ( 中央本線, Chūō-honsen) to Shinjuku Station. If I am lucky, I may be able to take the Commuter Rapid train (通勤快速, Tsūkin Kaisoku) which stops at fewer stations and takes around 25mins.

 

 Hino City is a really lovely neighbourhood.　It is quiet and filled with friendly people, just like Sakura house!

　

 

 

The first week of my intership at the Sakura House headquarters is over...time just keeps flying - espacially on the weekends. 

But hey, Christina's and my weekend started good...moved to Omori on Friday night! And the weekend couldn't have ended better for me...Germany won 4:1 against England!!! YEAH! GO GERMANY!

So I had a nice relaxing weekend...with friends I mainly checked out the shopping areas... and we took some puri kura as you can see...

  

 

Here is our live stream camera where my mother likes to spy on me while I'm at work!! She even emailed friends and family to look at me. Oh my, dont' know what I got myself into. : p

 

What was funny is that when I called my mother during my lunch break outside of the office, she says "Oh, I see you! You're brading your hair and you're wearing a blue shirt." ......ummm, "mom, i'm not really in the office right now..."

Well, at least now I know that it's actually hard to see me on the camera so I won't get caught doing something bad. Muahahaha...gotta hide from the camera from now on. : )

But still, this is not mainly for spying on the staff, it's for our customers to check out activities going on in the office. So please feel free to check us out! 

On June 27th, we had a nive party with resindents in Hatchobori, several members of Sakura House and of builders, celebrated the renovation of Hatchobori Guest House.

It was a Buffet style party, and food was from Design Festa Gallery CAFE and

Ikebukuro CAFE.

It was so yummy.

 

 

Before the renovation, the Hatchobori used to be like this.
BEFORE

 

 

 

 

But now,
AFTER

 

 

It is a big change, isn't it?

At the end, we took a ceremonial photograph.

 

 

And Special Guest exchanged his business cards with residents.

 

 

We had a BBQ Party in garden of Kami Itabashi C.