2010-12

Platine Nishishinjuku #1104

Agent commission 50% Off!
No Key Money!

Bed Rooms: 3
Floor Area: 112.5 sqm / 1210.98 sqft
Address:  1-20-7, Nishi-shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
Access: 4 minutes walk to Nishishinjuku Station / Marunouchi Line
5 minutes walk to Tochomae Station / Oedo Line
6 minutes walk to Shinjuku Station / JR Lines, Keio Line, Odakyu Line, Oedo Line
Completion: Apr. 2009
Structure: Steel-reinforced Concrete

Rent: JPY590,000/month
Management Fee: JPY0
Key Money: JPY0
Deposit: 4 month
Parking: Available
Pets: Negotiable

Platine Nishishinjuku is a pet OK apartment, with a fitness room, accessible from Shinjuku station.
On the way from the station, you will see many gigantic buildings of western (西, Nishi) Shinjuku.

There is also a small Shrine, Josenin (常泉院), on the way.
With the newest skyscrapers and the old small buildings, Shinjuku is a never-boring chaos!  Of course there are abundant leisure facilities, such as Karaoke and shopping malls

Garden of Platine Nishishinjuku.

There is a small Inari Shinto Shrine (稲荷神社) in the site, guarding the building.

Entrance.

Chic, dark colored entrance hall.

Room entrance with a walk-in shoes closet.

Bed rooms.
The white carpets with pattern design are cozy and look elegant

Rest room.

Powder room.
Inside the mirrors are cupboards.

Bath room, equipped with dryer.

Kitchen, with 3 induction cookers, and a dish washer.

Living dining room, double-side daylighting.
Surrounded by skyscrapers, just watching the business people come and go is quite amusing :)  Too bad there isn’t a balcony.

物件名：プラティーヌ西新宿
賃料：590,000
敷／礼　：4/0
仲介手数料50%Off！

Thank you for checking Platine Nishishinjuku.
For more apartments nearby, click here!

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/

On New Year’s Day, many people go to see the sunrise.
The sunrise on New Year’s Day is called Hatsu-hinode (初日の出), literally ‘first sunrise’.
In Japan, Hatsu-hinode is thought to be very auspicious, as it is the first dawn in the year.
This custom is actually not very old.  It is said that seeing Hatsu-hinode was spread in the Meiji period (1868-1912), and the origin was the New Year’s ceremony by the Emperor.

There are many spots famous around Japan, for seeing the beautiful Hatsu-hinode.  Some people climb Mt. Fuji and see Hatsu-hinode from the mountaintop.
There are Hatsu-hinode seeing events in Tokyo, and the observation decks of tall buildings such as Roppongi Hills, Sunshine City, and Tokyo Tower, are open early in the morning for this.

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/

La Tour Aobadai #3204

Agent commission 50% Off!
No Key Money!

Bed Rooms: 4
Floor Area: 280.90 sqm / 3023.68 sqft
Address:  28-6-3, Aobadai, Meguro-ku, Tokyo
Access: 8 minutes walk to Ikejiri-ohashi Station / Denentoshi Line
8 minutes walk to Shinsen Station / Inokashira Line
12 minutes walk to Shibuya Station / JR Lines, Ginza Line, Hanzomon Line
Completion: Aug. 2008
Structure: Steel-reinforced Concrete

Rent: JPY1,750,000/month
Management Fee: JPY0
Key Money: JPY0
Deposit: 4 month
Parking: Available
Pets: OK

La Tour Aobadai is near the busy traffic of the capital freeway.
It is not very close to the station, but there is a shuttle bus from La Tour Aobadai to Shibuya station!

Garden and colonnade.
Both will be beautifully lit up in the night.

Entrance.

Room entrance, with 3 shoes closets, one of which is a walk-in.

Walk-in closet on the corridor.

Entrance hall.  The white room and the view from the large windows are beautiful when you enter :)
This space is not counted as a room, but it is wide enough to call it one.

Rest room.

Bed rooms.

Closet on the corridor.

Powder room.
The round wash bin looks like a dish.  It is like a powder room in a chic restaurant

Bath room equipped with a dryer.

Storage room, and utility room.

Master’s bed room.

Powder room and bath room, connected to the master’s bed room.

Living dining room, 72.5 sqm!

Night scene of Shibuya.
The view looking down on the numerous lights is very romantic.

Block kitchen, with 4 induction cookers, and a dish washer.

物件名：ラ・トゥール青葉台
賃料：1,750,000
敷／礼　：4/0
仲介手数料50%Off！

Thank you for checking La Tour Aobadai.
For more apartments nearby, click here!

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/

Very strangely, and typically Japanese at the same time, many Japanese go to a Shinto Shrine on New Year’s day, a few hours (or sometimes minutes) lator from visiting a Temple.  Though Shinto and Buddhism is a different religion, well, few Japanese mind that.

Visiting the Shinto Shrine on New Year’s Day is called Hatsumode (初詣).  This means ‘visiting the Shinto Shrine (詣) for the first time (初)’.
Until the 19th century, it was normal to visit the local Shinto Shrine which proteced the family, called Ujigami (氏神), but nowadays it is normal to visit a famous, powerful Shinto Shrine.  Some Shinto Shrines, for example Meiji Jingu, have millions of visitors over the three days.
During Hatsumode, it is common to wear Kimono, and buy a written oracle called Omikuji (おみくじ).  If your Omikuji predicts bad luck (凶), you can tie it onto a tree on the shrine grounds, in the hope that its prediction will not come true.  Omikuji goes into detail, and tells you how you will do in various areas in your life, such and business and love, for that year.

People will also often buy an amulet called Omamori (お守り).  There are various kinds of them, which gives you good luck in studying, health, love, etc.
Another custom is to make a wish on a wooden plaque, called Ema (絵馬).  Ema are hanged up at the Shrine, where the spirits or gods receive them.  They have various pictures, often of animals on it.  In ancient times people would donate horses to the shrines for good favor, over time this was transferred to a wooden plaque with a picture (絵) of a horse (馬).

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/

La Tour Yoyogiuehara#101

Agent commission 50% Off!
No Key Money!

Bed Rooms: 5
Floor Area: 302.83 sqm / 3259.74 sqft
Address:  1-28-3, Uehara, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Access: 6 minutes walk to Yoyogiuehara Station / Chiyoda Line, Odakyu Line
4 minutes walk to Higashikitazawa Station / Odakyu Line
Completion: Mar. 2003
Structure: Steel-reinforced Concrete

Rent: JPY2,000,000/month
Management Fee: JPY0
Key Money: JPY0
Deposit: 4 month
Parking: Available
Pets: OK

Yoyogiuehara is known as a quiet, posh district.
La Tour Yoyogiuehara is a pet OK apartment in this area.  The concierge is very friendly

Entrance.

Courtyard.

Room entrance.
There are closets for both coats and shoes.

Rest room.

The living room is very wide! (67.62 sqm)

Balcony, connected to the living room, dining room and family room.
Very long and wide, it would be lovely to dine or play with your family and friends.  The balcony faces another apartment, but the trees will be a good blind.

Dining room, and family room.

Kitchen, with 4 cooking stoves, and a dish washer.
The white ovens and refrigirator pulls the whole look of the kitchen together

Utility room.

Walk-in closet on the corridor.

Powder room.

Bath room.

Master’s bed room.
The floors of the bed rooms are carpets, warm and cozy

Powder room and bath room connected to the master’s bed room.

Inside the mirrors of the powder room are cupboards.

Bed rooms.

The last bed room has a balcony.
There are good shade trees here too, as well as the other balcony.

物件名：ラ・トゥール代々木上原
賃料：2,000,000
敷／礼　：4/0
仲介手数料50%Off！

Thank you for checking La Tour Yoyogiuehara.
For more apartments nearby, click here!

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/

Another regular feature of Ohmisoka is watching Kohaku Uta Gassen (紅白歌合戦), a TV program by NHK, starting at 19:30.  Though this custom is getting weaker, especially among younger people, the program is still one of the most popular in Japan.

The title of the program means ’song festival between Red team and White team’.  Popular singers are split into two teams by gender, women in the red team and men in the white, and sing by turn.  After the final singer finished at around 23:30, the audience and a panel of judges cast their votes to decide which team sang better.  The winning team gets a trophy and the winners’ flag.  The program ends at about 23:45.  Programming then switches to coverage of midnight celebrations around the country.

Usually, people either watch these TV programs at home, or visit a temple to ring the bells of New Year’s Eve.
This bell is nothing like the small handbells used in the choirs.  It is the large bell hang up in the site, which you might have seen if you’ve visited a temple.

The bell of New Year’s Eve is called Joya-no-kane (除夜の鐘).  New Year’s Eve is the night of removing from the present year, so it is called Jo (除, remove) Ya (夜, night)-no-Kane (鐘, bell).
The bell will be rang for 108 times.  107 in the going year, and the last one in the coming year.  In Buddhism, 108 is the number of earthly desires.  Ringing the bell has the meaning of relieving people from suffering these desires.

However, listening to Joya-no-kane isn’t the only way to spend the last hours of the passing year nowadays.
Count down events are held in various places in Tokyo, such as Roppongi Hills, and Sunshine City.

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/

Merry Christmas!
…and the next thing to think about is the coming year

In Japanese, New Year’s Eve is called Ohmisoka (大晦日).
Misoka (晦日) means ‘last day of the month’, and New Year’ Eve is the most important month-end, so it is called Oh(大, big)-misoka.

People tend to be very busy on Ohmisoka, because they have much to do to prepare for the new year, and New Year’s Day in particular.
Through cleaning is usually done in spring in the West, as there is a term ’spring cleaning’, but in Japan, it is often done on the last few days of the year.  In Japanese style houses, this cleaning involves changing the paper on Shoji (障子) doors and setting Tatami (畳) mats out to air in the sun.  The purpose doing this in the cold winter is to get ready to welcome in the new year with everything—including people’s minds and bodies—in a fresh, clean state.

After cleaning and all, it is time for supper.
Around 23:00 on Ohmisoka, people often gather at home to have a bowl of Soba.  This Soba eaten in Ohmisoka is called Toshikoshi Soba (年越しそば, year-crossing noodles).  This tradition has the meaning of a wish to be able to live a very long (like Soba) life.

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/

Residia Yoyogikoen #101

Agent commission 50% Off!
No Key Money!

Bed Rooms: 4 +S
Floor Area: 259.68 sqm / 2795.26 sqft
Address:  25-34-5, Yoyogi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Access: 8 minutes walk to Yoyogikoen Station / Chiyoda Line
8 minutes walk to Yoyogihachiman Station / Odakyu Line
Completion: Jul. 1998
Structure: Steel-reinforced Concrete

Rent: JPY1,000,000/month
Management Fee: JPY0
Key Money: JPY0
Deposit: 4 month
Parking: Available
Pets: Not Allowed

Residia Yoyogikoen is an apartment located near Yoyogi park.
Near the station is a railroad crossing, which doesn’t open for a long time during rush hour periods (there is a footbridge, if you don’t mind the stairs).

On the way from the station is Yoyogi Hachiman Shinto Shrine (代々木八幡神社), which opened in 1212.

The woods of Yoyogi Hachiman Shinto Shrine growing out into the road.

Entrance.

Lobby.
Outside the window, a Japanese dry garden, with a stone pagoda is displayed.

Elevator hall.

Room entrance.
The wooden door with gold lines remind me of old prestigious hotels

Entrance.
There is a lot of room, suitable for placing bicycles, baby carriages, outdoor goods, etc.

Rest room.
The wooden door knobs are cute!

Living dining room is very wide, 63.2 sqm!
The dry garden on the ground floor can be seen from this room too

The balcony is very roomy too, and the design of the handrails are nice.

From the balcony, a garden of another apartment can be viewed.  In this garden is some Japanese taste, like a stone pagoda and a pond.

Kitchen, with 4 cooking stoves, and a dish washer.  A microwave oven is attached too.

Family room.
There is a counter window connecting the family room and the kitchen.

Utility room.

Closets on the corridor, one a walk-in.

Service room, with a rest room and shower room.

Prefabricated bath room.
There is a glass cupboard on the right side of the mirrors.

Bed rooms.
The 2nd bed room has a balcony, and outside the window of the 3rd room (facing north) is a garden.

Master’s bed room, with a desk.

Balcony.
A small garden is connected to this balcony.  The view of this very private garden is relaxing

A den connected to the master’s bed room.
The window facing north, the view outside is not very bright, but it maybe a good environment for concentrating.

Walk-in closet and closet in the master’s bed room.

Prefabricated bath room, connected to the master’s bed room.
The design is almost the same with the other bath room, but only, this room has a fogged glass wall to hide the toilet.

物件名：レジディア代々木公園
賃料：1,000,000
敷／礼　：4/0
仲介手数料50%Off！

Thank you for checking Residia Yoyogikoen.
For more apartments nearby, click here!

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/

Jimbocho (神保町) is a district in the Chiyoda ward, known as Tokyo’s center of used-book stores and publishing houses.

Jinbocho is an old town named after a samurai, Nagaharu Jinbo (神保長治), who lived in the area at the end of the 17th century.
After a large fire destroyed most of the area in 1913, a university professor named Shigeo Iwanami (岩波茂雄) opened a bookstore in Jinbocho.  This eventually grew into today’s  Iwatani Shoten (岩波書店), a famous publishing company.
Over time, the area became popular with university students and intellectuals, and many small bookstores.  There are many cheap restaurants, too.

Not only Japanese books, but many foreign books are sold at Jimbocho.  Sometimes, books that were lost in their mother country are found in Jimbocho!

If you are interested in books and pictures, just walking around this town will give you excitement

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/

n-OM1 #401

Agent commission 50% OFF!
Free Rent 1 Month!
No Key Money!

Bed Rooms: 2
Floor Area: 106.03 sqm / 1141.33 sqft
Address:  33-17-4, Minami-aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Access: 8 minutes walk to Omotesando Station / Ginza Line, Chiyoda Line, Hanzomon Line
8 minutes walk to Nogizaka Station / Chiyoda Line
9 minutes walk to Gaienmae Station / Ginza Line
Completion: Oct. 2006
Structure: Steel-reinforced Concrete

Rent: JPY850,000/month
Management Fee: JPY0
Key Money: JPY0
Deposit: 2 month
Parking: Available
Pets: Negotiable

n-OM1 is used as a location of some Japanese films and TV dramas!  If you look carefully, you might find it in your favorite films
The apartment is located near Omotesando, with many luxurious boutiques around, such as Cartier and Chloe.

Nezu Museum (根津美術館), exhibiting Japanese arts, is within 3 minutes walk.
There are also many green space around.  In November, the leaves turning red and yellow are beautiful!

At the entrance of the site is a simple guide map around n-OM1.

Path to the entrance, with young bamboos on the side.

Entrance.
Black tiles are used in both common spaces and some parts of the room, which gives a chic air.

Elevator hall.

Room entrance, with a shoes closet.

Kitchen, with 3 cooking stoves.

Washing machine is placed in the kitchen.

Living dining room.

All over the wall are closets!
The way the air conditioners are placed has style.

The terrace is very wide, about 30 sqm!
When the vine grows, it must form a good shade

Bed room, with a small balcony.

Powder room.

Bath room.
The bath tub is rather long, good for stretching your legs out and relaxing.

Rest room.
The washbowl with inclining sink is very stylish

Stairs.
The steps are a bit steep, and there are no handrails, so be careful not to slip!

Triangular shaped bed room.

2 of the 3 walls are large windows.

The balcony is almost a triangle too.
It is also wide, about 14.6 sqm.

物件名：n-OM1
賃料：850,000
敷／礼　：2/0
仲介手数料50%Off
フリーレント1ヶ月

Thank you for checking n-OM1.
For more apartments nearby, click here!

–
Higherground Co.,Ltd.
2-8-3 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan
TEL:03-6459-2230
MAIL:info@higherground.co.jp
HP:http://www.higherground.co.jp/
TOP PAGE: http://livingtokyo.net/