Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days of the week for Costco and for the roads leading into the Yawatashi store. Traffic can be backed up at times from Costco all the way back to Route 1. All other roads leading into Costco are almost at equal levels throughout the day, but mostly around midday. Later in the evening traffic gets better as most shoppers get their purchasing done earlier in the day before dinner time.

Can you believe there is a sign like this being displayed in a store in Osaka, the second largest city in Japan where millions of people live? Believe it! It’s something that happens all the time, maybe not so foul, but the misuse of English is prevalent in all facets of literary use throughout Japan.

In this day and age, when computers and electronic dictionaries are something most have access to, you’d think those wishing to use English would get it correct. That, however, is not the outcome, no matter what their approach. They still get it wrong; so much it has become a sort of cult for foreigners!

Foreigners living, working and/or traveling in Japan cannot go a day without seeing some sort of English faux pas. Many foreigners make it a mission to seek out bad English. Once they find it, they post their findings to the web. Many blogs and websites around the world have been created by native English speakers to display strangely written English on T-shirts, signs, billboards or other forms of English print. It’s amazing how much there is out there! It’s even funnier when you take into consideration the huge number of foreigners that now live in Japan who can provide Japanese with English support if they were ever given the chance.

Most of the grammar mistakes come from people who think they have a good enough grasp of the language to do it on their own. Some might consider them idiots while others might consider them genius, if you taken into consideration the amount of exposure they get from foreigners posting their mistakes. Just look at how much exposure the store in Shinsaibashi is getting as their sale campaign is being splashed across the web on Facebook and websites like this one.

Another reason people in Japan make grammar mistakes, aside from the fact they don’t hire out foreigners to edit their works, is they take words straight from their dictionaries and use them thinking that because their dictionary said it means what they want to say in Japanese that it can be used in English just the same way. Unfortunately, this does not apply to all or most words the English language. Just look at the different words in a Thesaurus and you’ll see how words may be similar in meaning, but are used in different ways at different times. And some words, if used in conjunction with other words, may take on a whole different meaning.

Japanese people would do well to hire out foreigners to edit their English, especially since so many of them now live in the country and work in the English industry. But then again, they might not get as much exposure if their English stopped being funny!

Years ago, ATMs used to closed from before January 1st and wouldn’t be available for use until around the 4th or 5th. If you needed money, you had to get it out of the bank before then, otherwise you’d be without money for almost a whole week. Nowadays, ATMs are open 24 hours at convenient stores, and some are open at other locations. But banks are generally still closed during the New Year holiday period.

Another place that closes down on the 1st is gas stations. If you wish to get gas on January 1st, good luck. You can find some on major highways, but ones in local townships are generally closed for at least on day.

Anyone traveling to Japan during the New Year holiday period should remember this and make sure to have enough cash available because stores, even large ones, sometimes don’t take credit cards. If you don’t have cash, you’re stuck, especially at restaurants!

Yawata City, which lies just along the northeastern border of Osaka prefecture, is host to one of the latest Costco stores to be opened in Japan. Tons of people will be flocking to the store today to get a glimpse of the latest addition to the Costco Japan family.

Roads leading into the Yawata Costco will most likely be jammed with cars as members and visitors head to the store to shop on Opening Day.

Locals have been anticipating this day for a long time and have hopefully prepared themselves for the traffic that will now be something they have to deal with on a daily basis. Granted, it might not be as bad as it most likely will be today, but nonetheless, from now on, anyone living near Costco Yawata will have a lot more traffic.

Locals, like myself, will most likely walk or ride their bicycles to beat the traffic. Anyone going by train will have to take a bus or taxi in order to get to the store since JR Matsuiyamate station is not a close walk away. But even though the store is not a short walk away, today, anyone going by train might want to consider walking. It might be actually faster!

I’m heading there by bicycle now…

Costco Yawata will open December 9th!

If you are not a member yet, get your membership now before the doors open at a 1000 yen discount. Go to the store to sign up.

View Kyoto Costco Yawata in a larger map

Well, get ready because we may have found out the day it will open!

Locals in the Yawata Costco area have heard, either from a little bird or from those who work or will work at Costco there that the new store will open on Dec 8th, in time for Christmas and right after something else in the area happens on the 7th. Whether this is fact or not still remains to be seen. But this is what we’ve been hearing and it would be smart on Costco’s part to open before Christmas.

By the way, if anyone reading this article is not a member yet, now is the time to get a membership. If you go to the Yawata store and buy your membership, the annual fee is around 1000 yen cheaper right now before doors open.

At first Costco was supposed to open in spring of this year. Later, they pushed it to autumn. Late in autumn, they changed the sign in front of the store reading it would open in winter.

For whatever reason they chose to push the date back, anyone close to Kyoto that knows about Costco is frustrated that they keep pushing the dates back, but we anxiously await the opening of the Kyoto store.

Hurry up Kyoto Costco! Open up!

Residents living just across the street from the unfinished store have been complaining to other residents about hearing loud construction noises, banging and clanging, late at night. My guess is probably because Costco headquarters is flexing their corporate muscles to make the opening date.

Local residents have mixed feelings about the store opening up in their neighborhood. Many feel that traffic will become worse than it already is. However, those who like shopping at Costco, look forward to shopping closer to home than having to drive 1 1/2 hours away to Costco in Amagasaki, Hyogo.

Those of us eager to shop at Costco closer to home will have to wait a little while longer till the ribbon has been cut and the doors officially swing open. About a month and a half to go. I can already smell the pizza and hotdogs!

Costco has picked out a nice sized piece of land, however the roads leading to this property may cause traffic congestion.

Residents are excited about the new store opening in their neighborhood because many already shop at the Amagasaki store an hour and a half away. However, most people on the east end of Yawatashi are are worried that traffic may worsen. Residents already experience bad traffic conditions on a daily basis as people go back and forth to work on a two-lane city road. In order to curb further traffic problems, Kyoto will have to create a new route into the area and/or widen current roads.

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