my japanese crib

i am making this post because a) people have requested i do so, b) i was bored on a tuesday afternoon, and c) my apartment is darn cute. housing in japan is somewhat smaller in scale than say...some anthills in africa, but with that said, i am in no way suffering. after all, i am living alone in what could be an apartment for a family of four here (japanese people are generally smaller and neater people--i spill way more at lunch than my elementary school students.)

so let's start the tour with my bathroom. yes, that is not a camera trick, you are really viewing a "winnie the pooh" toilet mat and "hello kitty" toilet paper cover in my bathroom. and no, i didn't choose this cutsy decor myself. they were here when i moved in--thus, a gift from my landlord's wife. you see, these kind of things are everywhere in japan. anything that can possible fit any kind of cutsy character or pokemon on it simply does. and the great thing about it is that even adults love this stuff and don it on their apparel, key chains, you name it. sad to say, but i'll probably never embrace that part of japanese culture--except for that which is evident in my lovely bathroom.

onto my kitchen/dining room/living room--yes, three in one. it does the trick and i am rather pleased at my abilities of really cleaning the place up. i have to admit that i did put out that bowl of mikans (mandarin oranges) out on the table special. most of the furniture was also donated by my landlord and his wife. they are very nice people and love foreigners for some reason. notice the tv in the corner? it doesn't work, just decoration. clever, no?




and then there's the tatami room (my bedroom). it is my favorite place because it has a plush and comfy futon, a kotatsu (a table that heats up--one of my favorite things in general about living in japan), my computer, and a nice big window. and the walls are painted my favorite color: green, which really adds to the serenity of the space.


so i live really close to the takasaki industrial high school. so close that my balcony overlooks their tennis courts. every morning and evening i hear the whack, smack of the boys tennis team. i don't mind it at all now--in fact, i'm not sure what i would do if it wasn't there. it really makes me want to play tennis badly though. here the boys are now!

and this photo pretty much sums up how the wooden ceiling and my beloved electric heater/air conditioner are situated. my feet nicely highlight the exact location of the heater in the corner of the room.

well, i hope you have enjoyed the tour of mi casa. and if any of you ever come here, it could become tu casa--after all mi casa es su casa. p.s. i am still much better at spanish than japanese.