Can Ya Pay Mah Telephone Bills, Can Ya Pay Mah Automo-bills

Oh sweet relief.

September was quite unbearably hot, which meant I used my air conditioner. I thought it would be quite a lot since there were some occasions in which I would leave it on all night. However, I did my green part - which, I do admit, was partially motivated by the fact that I do NOT want to pay an extortionate amount of money for my electric bill. I thought it would be around ichi-man, (10,000yen, or about $80-$100).


The electric meter dude just came by.

I opened my little envelope with much trepidation.

3,614yen.

That is how much I pay on average during the wintertime - thank god. I may have mentioned this before, but they are cutting my stipend by ichi-man next month: boo. Eh, now that Japanese language classes are starting next week, I won't be in my apartment so much, regardless.

In Japan, you can pay your utility bills at the combini (and you can do everything at the combini, I love my local combini and I think one of the people that works there even recognizes me at this point) - you take the big white piece of paper with the amount to the register and they stamp it, scan the barcode and there ya go. No need to go mail a bill and go through all that hassle of trying to remember to buy stamps, as you can also pay the bills at the Post Office ATM machine. That I have not figure out how to do, which in a way, is all the better, since the Post Office is now privatized.