Things I Meant to Mention

Just thought I'd jot down a few small things which might be worth sharing:

1) Yes, I have seen a woman in this city taking her cat out for a walk on a leash.
2) Urban revitalization in small cities is probably next to impossible to accomplish in Japan. I've been told that the city governments can't place a lien on a property on account of unpaid property taxes.
3) The above may explain why the old downtown core of Yonezawa is in decline. Most of the new businesses have set up shop on the main road which runs about 7 blocks north of the old downtown. That's where one will find Book-Off, the Aeon(sic) department store, Yamada Denki, the movie cineplex and other businesses which have set up shop in the last 10 years or so.
4) There is no Starbucks in Yonezawa. There are at least two Mr. Donut shops though.
5) Public transportation in the city is a haphazard affair. There are buses but they tend to run quite infrequently. Walking, cycling or driving are the main methods of getting around here.
6) One can get home ADSL service as long as there is a phone line coming into the premises. You don't need to get home telephone service to get internet service. I actually haven't asked if cable TV companies here offer home internet service. I know my internet provider offers TV service as part of their package. I suspect they offer IP phone service...or at least home phone service.
7) For some odd reason the city won't set up automatic payment of city taxes from one's post office bank account. They'll only set it up to work with an account held with a private bank.
8) I had to purchase an extra pair of training runners to wear at the gym I joined. You're not supposed to wear shoes in the gym which have been worn outdoors.

That's it for now...