FW-11

* * * * * * * * F R U G A L W A T C H * * * * * * * *
A weekly roundup of how to be frugal in the world's most
expensive country to live (unless you read this!), written
and compiled by Wendy J. Imura.

Regular edition, Sunday, June 6, 2004 Issue No. 011

+++ INDEX

- What's new
- Frugal news
- Frugal tips
- Credits

SIGN UP FOR FREE!: Send a blank email to
join-frugal_watch@lyris.lincmedia.co.jp

========================= EA Event ====================================
Entrepreneur Association of Tokyo's One Year Anniversary - June Seminar

Join the June 9th Panel Discussion to celebrate EA-Tokyo's One Year
Anniversary! Don稚 miss this great opportunity to hear: Tim Williams,
Founder and Chairman of ValueCommerce; Caroline Pover, President and
Founder of Alexandra Press, Being A Broad, and Go Girls; and Lance Lee,
President of IGC (Japan) Ltd, and the former President of the Amercian
Chamber of Commerce in Japan. The theme for the discussion will be,
"Creating Value for Customers and for Owners. What does it mean to
Create Value?・Please register early to reserve your seat.

Date/Time: Wednesday, June 9th at 7:00 pm City Club of Tokyo -
Maple Room (Canadian Embassy Complex)
Language: English http://www.ea-tokyo.com Email: info@ea-tokyo.com

========================================================================

+++ WHAT'S NEW

Dear Frugal Readers,

Greetings, frugal friends! Summer is definitely here. The days are getting
longer, the nights hotter, and the Tokyo "heat island effect" is gearing
up for another season of blistering heat, with little or no escape.

Never heard of the "heat island" effect? Well, it simply describes the
fact that city temperatures tend to be much warmer than the land around
them, often (according to the New York Times) 10 degrees warmer. An August
2002 article quotes Takehiro Mikami, a professor fo climatology at Tokyo
Metropolitan University, as saying that "Tokyo temperatures have increased
five times as fast as global warming.

The most dramatic summer temperature increases have been seen between the
hours of 12AM and 5 AM, when the average number of "tropical nights" (with
temperatures at night over 25C) during summer has risen from zero to five
100 years ago, to 30 to 40. By one estimate, the number of "tropical
nights" is likely to increase to 50 or 60.

Anyone living in the city can tell you that the summer months can be
unbearble at times. However, a very unique and frugal idea to combat this
heating is taking shape: roof gardens. Roof gardens clean air and lower
rooftop temperatures and also contribute to lower air conditioning and
cooling costs.

The Tokyo City Government recently implemented a law requiring all new
medium size buildings to devote at least 20 percent of their roofs to a
roof garden, and many prestigious buildings now feature roof gardens.

Visiting these gardens can be a fun, frugal and educational activity. One
of the largest roof gardens that can be visited for free is the one built
atop of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport Building No.
3. Open to the public every Friday from 2pm-4pm by appointment (call the
Ryokuchi Kankyo Suishin Shitsu at 03-5253-8420), the 500m2 garden features
ample explanation (in Japanese) of some of the methods and materials used.

It's a unique oasis in the middle of Kasumigaseki, Japan's civil servant
headquarters.

More costly options include a tour of Roppongi Hills's elaborate rooftop
garden (available in English, from Y1,500-2,500) included in the full
complex tour, and the small but lovely rooftop garden featured as part
of the Asakura Choso Museum in Nezu, Sendagi (also features an amazing
tour of this one of a kind scultpor's studio and traditional Japanese
house). For information on the Asakura Choso Museum, see:

http://www.economist.com/cities/displayobject.cfm?obj_id=490088&city_id=TK.

As the temperature rises, these hidden oases of Tokyo are sure to be a
cool and comfortable retreat from the heat.

Happy savings, everyone!
Wendy J. Imura

========================= ICA Event ===================================
ICA June 17 Event - Special Double Header

PRESENTER: Greg Ascolese Principal, ABeam Consulting
TOPIC: Case Studies and Approaches for Implementing Customer
Analytics.
PRESENTER: Jenny Sutton Partner, ABeam Consulting
TOPIC: Extending the Life of Legacy Systems

RSVP required, complete event details at http://www.icajapan.jp/
Date: Thursday, June 17
Time: 6:30 Doors open, sit down dinner included
Cost: 3,000 yen (members), 5,500 yen (non-members), Open to
all Foreign Correspondents' Club
http://www.fccj.or.jp/static/aboutus/map.php

========================================================================

+++ FRUGAL NEWS

-> Looking for a place online to sell or give away your gently-used
possessions? Why not join these two e-mail lists, exclusively for use
in Japan.

The first is "Freecycle Japan." "Freecycling" is a combination of the
words 'free' and 'recycle,' and the Freecycle Japan list provides a place
where members can list items of any sort they are seeking or wish to give
away, barter, or exchange. There are only two conditions: 1) that the
items be free, and 2) that the item be shippable within or to Japan.

Ideas could include clothing, CDs, books, furniture -- anything is
possible. After the initial listing, all transactions take place between
individuals offlist.

To subscribe, send an email to: freecyclejapan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

The second list is: "TellandSell Japan." Tell and Sell, Japan is for
foreign women living in Japan who want to sell, buy, trade or give away
new or gently used merchandise and other personal items such as:

-Brand new items ordered from overseas, but the size/style/color was wrong
-Quality clothes for special occasions you have worn only once or twice,
a formal dress, suit, etc.
-Maternity clothes, or outgrown babies' or children's clothes
-Unwanted gift items, unused cosmetics, etc.

So ladies, this is the ideal time to start clearing out your closets!
TELL everyone what you have, then SELL it!
To subscribe, send an email to: TellandSellJapan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
(Sorry, women only!)

Enjoy!

===================== WIN A FREE TICKET! ==============================
Economist Conferences'
FOURTH INTERNATIONAL JAPAN AUTOMOTIVE ROUNDTABLE
Which road now?
July 14th 2004, Tokyo
http://www2.economistconferences.com/doc/ap/jpauto04/i.htm

This is an exclusive opportunity for you to gain fresh insights into the
thinking of Japan's leading auto industry executives via serious debate,
audience interaction and networking.

Special offer exclusive for J@pan Inc readers!
Please register at:
http://www1.economistconferences.com/doc/asia/japaninc/japaninc.htm

=======================================================================
================= Entrepreneur's Handbook Seminar =====================
Terrie Lloyd, founder of over 12 start-up companies in Japan will be
giving a English-language seminar and Q&A on starting up a company in
Japan. This is an ideal opportunity to find out what is involved, and to
ask specific questions that are not normally answered in business books.

Time/date: 10:30am, June 26th, 2004
Place: 7-8-1 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107
Price: 15,000 yen prepaid, 20,000 at the door
Included: Lunchbox, refreshments, handouts

Bookings: maria@japaninc.com, in English or Japanese.

========================================================================

+++ FRUGAL TIPS
Frugal Beverage Tips
(Taken from the June Frugal Tips Update of FrugalJapan.com)

*Buy drinks in 2-liter bottles and then decant it into smaller bottles.
[V#379]

You can add some water to an open bottle of juice from time to time,
and no one will notice. It would be better for everyone's tummy to
drink it 50:50 anyway.
[WJ#803]

When you rinse out PET bottles, rather than pouring the water down the
drain, use it to water your indoor plants
[FU#957]

Always carry drinks with you to avoid buying out of desperation.
Freeze one PET bottle completely, and freeze another one half way.
Add water or tea to the half frozen one and drink that one first.
You will have something cold to drink almost all day long.
[DN#518]

When eating out, ordering drinks along with a meal is a very good way
to add an additional 1,000 to 2,000 yen to your bill. This goes for
alcoholic as well as non-alcoholic drinks.
[WJ#494]

========================== Tennis Lessons ==============================
FREE tennis lessons at Hilton Tokyo Hotel, Shinjuku! Want to play tennis
but don't know how to find a court in Tokyo? JINJI TENNIS CENTER provides
the ideal tennis environment for foreigners living in and around Tokyo.
For info on tournaments, specials For Kids, tennis equipment, et cetera.

click "English" for details.
http://WWW.JINJITENNIS.COM

========================================================================
>>>>-------------<< ADVERTISEMENT >>------------------<

Interested in all-things-frugal in Japan - in real time?
Join the Frugal Japan e-list at YahooGroups for Japan's
only "all-frugal, all-the-time" network of like-minded
folk. Send a blank email to
frugaljapan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to subscribe.

>>>>---------------------------------------------------<

>>>>---------------------------------------------------<

END
+++ ABOUT US

STAFF
Written by: Wendy J. Imura (frugalwatch@japaninc.com)
Edited by: JI

SIGN UP: Send a blank email to
join-frugal_watch@lyris.lincmedia.co.jp

FEEDBACK
Send letters (Feedback, Inquiries & Information) to the
editor at frugal-editors@japaninc.com

ADVERTISING INFORMATION
For more information on advertising in this newsletter:
ads@japaninc.com

Copyright 2004 Japan Inc. Communications Inc.

_____________J@pan Inc is worth every penny!__________
Don't forget you can get deeper analysis on Japan's
Emerging New Economy from the monthly edition of J@pan
Inc. 1-year subscription JPY5,600(Japan). It's so cost
effective you can even get your company to pay for it!
Go to: www.japaninc.net/mag/subs.html for details.
=======================================================