More crime in Saitama... sure you want to go Crispy?

[cstaylor]

Bandits rob Saitama restaurant, patrons of 1.1 mil. yen

Five bandits broke into a restaurant and made away with the take and dinners' possessions worth 1.1 million yen Monday night after binding all those inside, police said.

Sounds like a wonderful place to homestay.

[Crispy]

My plane tickets are sitting here on the table, my tuition is paid, my classes are selected, I just talked to my host mother on the phone, I'M FUCKING GOING TO SAITAMA, DAMN IT!!

Besides, a high crime area in Japan has a similar crime rate to a small rural town in the middle of Ohio in this country, right?

[cstaylor]

Besides, a high crime area in Japan has a similar crime rate to a small rural town in the middle of Ohio in this country, right?

Well, Saitama must be the Chicago of Japan then...

[GomiGirl]

My plane tickets are sitting here on the table, my tuition is paid, my classes are selected, I just talked to my host mother on the phone, I'M FUCKING GOING TO SAITAMA, DAMN IT!!

Hey Crispy - you will have no worries - when do you arrive? Hope you have a fantastic time. Just stay connected and let us all know when you arrive. Also if things are what you expected.

[cstaylor]

Oh, c'mon, Crispy knows I'm razzing him (I hope). He shouldn't have any trouble at all...

[cstaylor]

C'mon Guest, show yourself!

[cstaylor]

Brazen bandits pull off daylight robbery in Yokohama

Armed bandits held up a Shonan Shinkin Bank armored car here Wednesday, shooting two security guards before making off with about 10 million yen in cash, police said

Doesn't sound very smalltown to me, especially in a country where owning firearms is very difficult to do legally.

[GomiGirl]

Yokohama - that's your 'hood isn't it CS?

[cstaylor]

Sure is... Kanagawa cops are a notoriously undisciplined rabble, so it's no surprise that crimes like this can occur in their juridiction. Hopefully our new mayor can do something about it.

[Crispy]

I leave on the 27th, less than a week!!!1

I'll try to keep in touch, but I am pretty sure the only internet access I will have will be at school, and the lab is only open 9-5 (that surprised me). I guess I could hit up a netcafe, beats me if there are any and Kawagoe. Also, I don't know what the internet capabilities of keitai fones over there are like, do any of them have any facility to have devices like laptops access the internet through them? Like, just have an ethernet port on the side or something? Or am I way off...

[cstaylor]

Get Air-H... much easier... do they have coverage in Saitama?

[GomiGirl]

I guess I could hit up a netcafe, beats me if there are any and Kawagoe. Also, I don't know what the internet capabilities of keitai fones over there are like, do any of them have any facility to have devices like laptops access the internet through them? Like, just have an ethernet port on the side or something? Or am I way off...

Net Cafe's are everywhere - many pachinko parlors have internet terminals in them somewhere and sometimes they are free!! However, you have to put up with the smoke, the tinny music and the deafening sound of metal balls.

Phones are the best in the world here - bilingual, huge colour screens, email, cameras, internet access - the works. Study up on i-mode, J-sky and EZ-web so you know which one you want. Doesn't this board have i-mode facility???

For a laptop get an Air-H card as CS suggested. Or look at b-mobile. (These are PC cards for true mobiling) You can have prepaid unlimited internet access for your laptop.

[GomiGirl]

Also the huge number of cafes, coffee shops, fast food places that have wireless LAN for use by their customers.

OK I am a geek - my secret is out!!

[tokyojoe]

Also the huge number of cafes, coffee shops, fast food places that have wireless LAN for use by their customers.

OK I am a geek - my secret is out!!

Aren`t these still in the test phase? I remember hearing Tully`s was going to do that? You could just try `wardriving` with a wifi card. Or is it `warcafe-ing`? A friend of mine found a Starbucks which was next to an NTT building. Seems someone at NTT didn`t set the network properly and created a hotspot.