Serge the Concierge

Station to Station, Must See Tokyo all Mapped out by Tokyo Metro

Sometimes your visit to a city or a country is very short and you don't want to waste your time finding your way around.

If Tokyo is part of your travel plans, Tokyo Metro does the legwork for you.

The Tokyo subway system offers 6 Sightseeing Plans, each with around 10 attractions, station to station all mapped out.

Option Number 1 is Must See Tokyo (below):

 

Each attraction comes with a short description and a photo as well as the line you must take and the corresponding stop and travel time to the next sight.

Here's what comes up for Tokyo Tower for example:

"At 333 meters tall, the steel structure of Tokyo Tower has spectacular views from its observation deck, 150 meters above the city below. The tower features several other attractions, including an aquarium. more

Hibiya Line (H) 3 mins."

I also learned from today's expedition that Tokyo Tower (opened in 1958) is 13m taller at 333m than the Eiffel Tower.

Traveling with the crowds for Tokyo Thursdays # 96

Previously on Tokyo Thursdays:
Young Person's Guide to Tanabata, Star Festival at Japan Society, NY, July 12

Is Vagabond Life the Answer to No Vacation Nation Conundrum?

Ask anyone you know why they don't take what I call a real vacation (2 weeks or more) and the answer will probably I do not have the money or I do not have the time (my job does not allow me to) or both.

Call them Nomads or Vagabonds, a number of people in the US and around the globe are exploring ways to blend work and life with their wanderlust.

Type 'Vagabonding' in your search box and you will find Rolf Potts who defines it as "taking time off from your normal life — from six weeks, to four months, to two years — to discover and experience the world".

Since he already was a travel writer, he might not be the best example. Greg Rogers of Vagabonding Life who describes his 'program' as  'Escaping corporate America and traveling around the world on the cheap!' is a more to the point illustration.

Another benefit of Vagabonding highlighted by Nomadic Matt is that as time is not of the essence you have a better chance to travel green.

Pat of Digital Vagabonding calls it 'Life off the leash'.

Which leads me to another category Digital Nomads some of which might be blending life, work and travel while other digital nomads are just workaholics jumping from one project to the other, not really explorers.

I would definitely put In the life, work, travel blending Soul Travelers 3 (parents in their 50's, child 5) who with the arrival of Summer left their Andalusian base for a European Roadtrip.

Work, life and money on the go for Monday Work Etiquette # 97

Previously on Monday Work Etiquette:
In No Vacation Nation, She Wants 6 Weeks Summer Vacation, These Americans Settle for 3

When will TD Banknorth and Commerce Bank Marriage be Fully Consumed?

A man walks into a bank, this happens to be and ex-Commerce Bank branch and his nearby TD Banknorth branch was transferred there.

Problem is the computers of Commerce and TD Banknorth don't talk to each other in what is now TD Bank.

Even though the 2 entities have been together the computer systems are not integrated yet.

Man is told that his cash deposit since it is a Saturday an a holiday weekend would not be credited until the following Wednesday.

Sounds crazy, doesn't it?

It's 'America's most convenient bank' except when it comes to computer integration hiccups.

So when will TD Banknorth and Commerce Bank marriage be fully consumed?

Related: Can't Login into Your Comcast Account Equals 45 Minutes of Frustration

And from the Wall Street Journal: Ten Ways Banks Take Your Money

Take a Break or Be Broken, Ready for Right to Vacation Act? No Vacation Nation No 2

Even though I have been following Seattle enlightened man John de Graff of Take Back Your Time Day fame for a while, I completely forgot his related campaign for a Right 2 Vacation act as I was writing about our need for vacations and lack of it in the US.

In March 2008, he shared his thoughts on the topic for Experience Life Magazine with powerful pointers such as Take a Break or Be Broken, More than Fond Memories and A Month of Sundays under the banner of health and wellness.

Funny coincidence as I noted in my previous No Vacation Nation piece that vacations should be included in Health Benefits.

Under Take a Break — or Be Broken , John de Graff quotes the author of Work to Live (Perigree, 2003), Joe Robinson, a former Los Angeles Times outdoor writer who is now a life-balance trainer  stating that:

“Men reduce their risk of a heart attack by 30 percent and women by 50,” he adds, citing data from the ongoing Framingham Heart Study and a State University of New York at Oswego study. “There seems to be no positive effect when you just take a day off here and there. It may help you de-stress a little mentally, but it doesn’t reduce your risk of heart failure. You need a block of time to do that.”

 

Many of us know from personal experience that it often takes a week to decompress and another week to get meaningful rest at a snail pace (hence the illustration above, a 'grapesnail' from Wikipedia)

As Slow Planet puts it "Slow is not about doing everything at a snail's pace; it's about working, playing and living better by doing everything at the right speed."

Have a relaxing moment (or two) if not a relaxing day!

Related: In No Vacation Nation, She Wants 6 Weeks Summer Vacation, These Americans Settle for 3

No Idea Where you're Going, How Can you Get Anywhere (Hugh Grant)?

I can't say that seed companies are on the top of my list as far as my business interests are yet reading Chasing a bigger yield (FT, June 15) an interview given by Hugh Grant, not the actor, the head of Monsanto, to Hal Weitzman, something stuck with me.

“If you’ve no idea where you’re going, how can you get anywhere?” Mr. Grant offers and being a realist  recognizes “When you define a target, you’ve got at least a 50 per cent chance of hitting it”.

If you don't get started you will never get there, whatever that there-anywhere is.

Following different threads, call it 'meandering with a purpose' might by a way to go about it.

If you don't try, you will never know if it might have worked.

Not a contrarian view but a different approach is offered by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval in The Small Revolution (Change This, May 6, 2009).

Taking tiger mountain by strategy (Brian Eno borrowing) for Monday Work Etiquette # 94

Previously: Offering Something Based on a True Story, Unique Experiences

This Summer, Make your Moving Experience a Green One

For many people, at least those with school age kids, summer is the time when changing homes, cities, states, countries happen.
Back in April 2007, I mentioned Earth Friendly Moving now renamed Rent a Green Box which provides part of California with a solution to the cardboard box waste (see video below).

They work in their area with Go Green Moving whose vehicles are powered by bio-diesel.

Ariel Schwartz In Eco-Friendly Moving Companies Rapidly Gaining Customers (Green Biz, January 2009) mentions Brooklyn's Movers Not Shakers and Santa Barbara's Movegreen.

I did find as well Green Van Lines in Texas.

Emily B. Hager took a look at some of these companies and services in Moving Day Without All the Waste (NY Times, January 2009).

On Earth Day 2008, Moishe's , a New York area Moving and Storage company announced it was going green.
The company also shares practical tips on their Moving Guide if you go local. Going abroad, check their  Expat Central whose most recent story is Moving to Mexico (May 26, 2009).

I was pleasantly surprised to see Henkel share some best Green practices on Making Your Move with planning, recycling and waste prevention advice.

Planting seeds of green for Green Day # 78

Previously: Stalled Growth for Organic Foods: Soil Association Report and Whole Foods Numbers

Flex Your Mind and Your Muscles, Get Inspired as I did at Storm King

One of my best decisions in a while was to drive on Sunday to Storm King, a sculpture park in Mountainville, New York (Hudson Valley).

The last leg to get there on Route 32 took us through a detour in the countryside due to the local Memorial Day Parade.
Once we reached Storm King there was ample parking.
The attendants were relaxed and friendly.
Towards the end of our tour, I heard one of them describe his first impressions of Storm King as a golf course where aliens had landed.
The aliens would be giant sculptures of course.
All types of materials are put to use from plastic, to metal to grass as in the Maya Lin installation.
Tires find a second life.
You climb a hill and stand in awe of the view.

This is one of these rare places where you can flex your mind and your muscles.

Playtime for Monday Work Etiquette # 91

Can't Login into Your Comcast Account Equals 45 Minutes of Frustration

We take it for granted that paying your utility or cable bill or whatever fits that category beats standing in line to do the same.
Yesterday I was trying to do just that with my Comcast account when I kept hitting the 'incorrect' login speed bump.
I thought that using the 'Chat Help' would be faster than talking to a human (please hold on for the next operator, your call is important to us).
Why I could not get my 'username' back and have a chance to reset my password, not sure?
They issued me a new, very long 'username'.
Problem is afterward I could not check and pay my bill.
They did indicate in the 'chat' process that changing your login might have some adverse effects yet the 'link page' provided failed to be clear and specific as to what the drawbacks would be.
In frustration, I gave up and ended up sending my wife to the 'Comcast' office where she waited and stood in line.
Life's little annoyances.
Keep it simple.

Should A Year of Internet Service Cost as Much as your Latest Computer?

I woke up yesterday to find out that my main and most recent computer would not go beyond turning on and a 'no video signal' message.
It is a factory refurbished HP that I spent about $450 on (no monitor).
Worked fine until then.
These computer hiccups got me thinking of how much I spent in a year on my Comcast internet service and that it pretty much equals the cost of my latest computer.
Should it be so?

Trimming the Fat...Cutting the Clutter...Making Choices...Saying No

In the past week, my writing has been sparse to non existent in the last couple of days.

Is it because my birthday was approaching (May 3) and it made me thoughtful.

One thing for sure is as another year in the cycle of life approached, I could not help but think about things I would do differently, maybe better.

The ongoing recession could be beneficial in forcing us to make choices.

The expression 'trimming the fat' often equates 'cutting jobs' in business parlance.

Why not cut the clutter?

Less accounts, less bills, more text messaging if your plan gives you unlimited use and less voice minutes.

Less spending and less hours worked, more time for reflection.

Learning to say no!

Monday Work Etiquette # 88

Previously: Rise Up and Stand for Something...Like Authentic Wines from Jura?