Life in Russia

Life in Russia
ロシアでの生活

Quality of Life in Russia　2014

The Russian Federation has made progress over the last decade in improving the quality of life of
its citizens, despite lower than average scores in some topics on the Better Life Index. Money, while
it cannot buy happiness, is an important means to achieving higher living standards. In Russia,
the average household net-adjusted disposable income per capita is 17,230 USD a year, less than
the OECD average of 23,938 USD a year. However, there is a considerable gap between the richest
and poorest - the top 20% of the population earns six times as much as the bottom 20%.

Better-Life-index

1.Housing condition and spendings 　　　　　 3.3　vs 　4.9
2.Household income and financial wealth　　 1.2　vs　 5.6
3.Earnings, job security and unemployment　 6.8　 vs 　7.9
4.Quality of social support network 　　　　　5.8 　vs 　7.9
5.Education　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　6.2　 vs 　7.8
6.Quality of environment　　　　　　　　　　 4.3 　vs 　6.9
7.How healthy you are 　　　　　　　　　　　0.6 　vs 　5.0
8.How happy you are 　　　　　　　　　　　　2.7 　vs 　4.1
9.Murder and assault rates　　　　　　　　　6.5 　vs　 10.0
10.How much you pay, how much you play　 7.9 　 vs 　5.2
11.Your involvement in domocracy　　　　　 2.1　 vs 　3.9

Russia vs Japan

Russian people are enjoying their lives more than that of Japanese in the base of relative income
standard. In 2013, the net ODA amounted of Russian Federation reached to USD 610 million,
representing an increase of 26% in real terms over 2012.

Cheerful children in a cafe: This picture was taken in the New-City of Moscow, by Dr. Junhaku Miyamoto, in July 2014.

The Central Core is a complex in the International Business Center in Moscow City. It consists of
two main sections of the above and under floor section. In the underground section of the building,
there are three subway stations. The complex is planned to connect to the two International Airports
of Vnukovo and Sheremetyevo, with a high-speed train.

The Central Core, a shopping centre of the New City

A toilet is large and clean. High-quality shop is in the New City.

Sony store in Moscow and first-food shop in the shopping centre

Food court in the shopping centre

A bootblack: The board shows its price.

A supermarket in the New City

Pizza Hat in downtown Saint Petersburg: It is delicious and economic.

The main street of Saint Petersburg, Nevskiy Prospect

(L) Nevskiy Prospect
(R) Gostiny Dvor Department store on the Nevskiy Prospect street is the largest in Saint Petersburg.
During the world war Ⅱ, the city was attacked by Nazi Germany and destroyed extensively.
It is currently under renovation.

Dancing performance at the Lighthouse on Vasilievsky Island of St.Petersburg

A horseback riding on a street of Saint Petersburg: This could be a part of a special private tour for teens.

(L) A new condominium was building in a suburb of Saint Petersburg.
(R) Residential complex home in Sokolniski near the metro station of Moscow

(L) Soviet-era apartment buildings in Saint Petersburg
(R) A condominium near the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow

A common apartment house in the city of Moscow, around Smolenskaya station

A high-class condominium and its entrance, on Kutuzovsky street, Moscow

Condominium buildings on Konyushkovskaya street, Moscow
　
A high-rose and low-rise dwelling and a private house in the area faced the Finland Bay off Saint Petersburg.
A private house in Russia is not common, except in a countryside or a rural district.

Prior to the dissolution of the Soviet Union, nearly all the housing stock of urban areas was owned by
the state. Indeed, private property was prohibited in urban areas, and in rural areas, the size of an
individual home was strictly limited. High-rise apartment buildings are designed with a very unpreten-
tious architecture. Local authorities were responsible for renting arrangements, and in company,
the management of state enterprises was given this responsibility. Rental payments were kept
extremely low and, in most cases, were not enough to pay maintenance costs. Deterioration of housing
was rapid and vandalism widespread. In addition, many apartments were shared by tenants, with
joint-access kitchens and bathrooms, and the space of the average apartment in Russia was about
one-third to one-half the size of those found in western Europe.
Reference: Encyclopedia Britannica April 14, 2014

A cat seen in a residential area of Moscow

The styles of young Russian women are well proportioned.

Why are Russian women so good looking?
Yahoo Answers

(L) There is a rental-cycle station in the city.
(R) A bus stop near the Kuntsevskaya metro station

A pay toilet on a street of Moscow: A blue outhouse, usually three or more combined, is the most widespread type
of the Moscow public restrooms.

As Metro stations outside the city center are far apart in comparison to other cities, up to four kilometres,
a bus network radiates from each station to the residential zones.

We often see a stretch limousine in the city of Moscow and Saint Petersburg.
It may be used as a private car or for a honeymoon.

Almost all cars run at about 80 km/h.
However, a sped limit in town is 60 km/h.

There is often congestion of roads in the morning and evening time in Moscow.
If you avoid these time zones, you can go to the destination quickly.

(L) An ambulance car of Saint Petersburg (R) A car parking violation at an intersection corner

A safe belt-line sign and danger belt-line sign on the edge of pedestrian crossing and pedestrian walk at Saint Petersburg

Gas station in a suburb of Moscow

Gas station in a suburb of Moscow and a payment window
The money receiving port is firmly guarded by an iron grill.

Russia had the second cheapest gasoline out of all the countries of the European Union and
the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Although there are some differences by store, the price is 32.12 rubles ( 0.90 US dollars ) a liter
for gasoline 92, and 35.02 rubles ( 0.98 US dollars ) for gasoline 95, in Moscow.
In Saint Peterburg, it was 30.90 and 34.20, respectively.

Polite and Helpful Russian

Most of Russian people are very kind. They are always helpful to find the building or metro station.
I tried to go. On one occasion, a middle-aged man guided me, after one word 'follow me', in
walking together for even10 minutes or more, using a short-cut to the metro station. When we
arrived the station, he asked me ' Are you Japanese' - 'yes' and ' спасибо', after that and shock
hands with me, and without entering into the station building and walked away.

Another elderly man suggested I got off at the next station by mistake in gestures and took me
back tothe station. He told a station staff that fact and let him to open the ticket gate, so as not
to store the charge in ticket. He guided me to an escalator down to a platform, and again in
gestures to stay here for the next train, holding my shoulder. He then left for a train running to
opposite direction. I soon found the nest station was the right one.

When I walked around here and there at the same area to try to find the hotel and asked a
business man a direction, a man put the switch a mobile phone on, and search the location of
that hotel. Afterwards, he showed me the map and direction appeared in the screen of a mobile
phne. I soon found that hotel.

Everyone kindly showed the direction in Moscow city. When I asked a road cleaner, he did not
understand English at all, but taught me the direction quite willingly. To communicate in Russian
language is not always necessary, they show it by a gesture.

The underground transportation system is Moscow carries a lot of people. In the rush hours in
morning and evening, the train is very crowed with hundreds of commuters. When I was
standing in a train, a young lady quickly yielded her seat for me. It was absolutely unexpected
thing, then; voice did not appear at once, and I could not say 'thank you' to her. Now, I regret
not saying ' спасибо'.

　Moscow, the capital of Russia

Russia
Russia 2008-2012 Moscow Moscow 2014 Smoking ban in Russia Russian Smokers
Moscow Kremlin Church, museum and theatre of Moscow Moscow metro Moscow hotels
Russian life High-speed train, Sapsan Saint Petersburg Winter Palace Peterhof Palace
Catherine Palace Saint Petersburg metro Saint Petersburg hotels Pickpocket
Russia-Finland border

ロシアでの生活
2014年7月撮影　2014年8月執筆　医学博士　宮本順伯
★This Web site is link-free.
This information was provided by the Smokefree Hotel and Travel.
The photographs were taken in July, and article was written in August 2014,
by Junhaku Miyamoto, M.D., PhD.
Copyright(C) 2014 Junhaku Miyamoto, All rights reserved.