![\"A](\"http:\/\/www.triplefstudio.com\/yokoso\/images\/bldg_demo1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nMust come down. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right. I used to have a 20 story building across the street from me. This is what the view looked like when I moved in. I had a big white building obscuring the sun from my apartment. You can get a peek-a-boo view below. I mean, why take a picture of the building across the street?<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A while ago I got a notice that they would be doing work next door. Apparently it is asbestos abatement (lovely). I figured they would just renovate and open the building up again. Scaffolding went up around the entire building. 20+ floors of scaffolding. It went up amazingly quickly as well.<\/p>\n
Over time I noticed a larger scoop \/ backhoe (I have no idea what it is \u00e2\u20ac\u201c it looks like the modern machines in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel<\/a>\u00e2\u20ac\u009d) pulverizing stuff on the site. Hmmm. The scaffolding also looked like it was getting shorter and shorter. Which made me wonder, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Are they tearing this building down?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d Certainly my bike was covered in enough dust to know that something was happening across the street.<\/p>\n The picture below should answer the question. Indeed, they are tearing the building down.<\/p>\n This happens quite regularly in Japan. To the point where sometimes you are walking along a street and notice an empty lot. Wait, what was there before? Since I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve lived here, three or four new 15 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c 20 story buildings have been built in my neighborhood and at least two have been torn down.<\/p>\n And now, more scaffolding is going up just down the street. What is next for this building? Is it on the demolition list as well? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, but there are still people working inside.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Nagoya Basho<\/strong><\/p>\n In other news, the Nagoya Basho has started. This is the annual sumo tournament in Nagoya that I went to last year<\/a> and the year before<\/a>. I do not have plans to go this year, although I have some opportunities for tickets and might end up going anyway. There is a big controversy this year<\/a> linking sumo wrestlers to gambling and organized crime. Oops. NHK, the national network, has threatened not to televise the tournament. I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t look at TV today so I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if they are getting true to their threats. The Sound of Summer<\/strong><\/p>\n I still have not heard my first cicada. Last year<\/a> and the year before<\/a> I heard them the same weekend as the sumo tournament. My colleague has stated that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s heard one already, but I haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t so I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t claim it. I know it is summer when they cicadas start buzzing in my ears. That, and when it is horribly humid and hot. It is humid and hot now, just not horribly hot. I was in Tokyo all weekend, so maybe that’s why I missed the buzz. Apple Update<\/strong><\/p>\n I went to get an iPhone4 this weekend. Or, more appropriately, look at one. I found out that since Tomo and I are on the same plan, we can only order one at a time. So we ordered one for him and the wait is 2 MONTHS!?! Say what? I guess we should have signed up earlier. Maybe I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll get one, maybe I won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t. I guess it depends on how much longer I am in Japan. I should be able to get by with a 3GS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Must come down. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s right. I used to have a 20 story building across the street from me. This is what the view looked like when I moved in. I had a big white building obscuring the sun from my apartment. You can get a peek-a-boo view below. I mean, why take a picture of … <\/p>\n![\"A](\"http:\/\/www.triplefstudio.com\/yokoso\/images\/bldg_demo2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"A](\"http:\/\/www.triplefstudio.com\/yokoso\/images\/bldg_demo3.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n
\n <\/p>\n