Japan Simple Life

I'm going to be in Japan from the last week of December through the first week of January. My girlfriend will be working the whole of my first week...

I'm going to be in Japan for all of Golden Week. My girlfriend and I will be spending 2 days/1 night in Chichibu, and I'm sure she has some other...

Any ideas what the thing circled in the pic is used for?

So, what happens when a new apartment building (six units @ around 50 million yen each) is 30cm too close to the boundary?
Looks like they are going...