New Living Situation!
Aug. 23rd, 2012 05:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jessicainjapanI said earlier that I would update about my apartment, and because I really want to procrastinate on prep work for school and writing various speeches, here's the apartment pictures! Under a helpful cut.
I got really lucky with a really large place! The only problem is that the AC is located in one room and I have to get creative with spreading the cool air around by strategically place the fan in doorways. You can also see my balcony (and my laundry -- oops!) in this photo.
More of my nicely furnished sitting room. I should probably get a little bit more seating, but I'm slightly claustrophobic and love having it sparse and open like this. (Haha, I know. Claustrophobic in Japan? What was I thinking?)
My bed is really, really firm. It's almost like a box spring mattress or something. I actually have the winter comforter on it even though it's a bajillion degrees outside. In the morning I still get cold even with the AC off. I may be in trouble come winter...
Here you can see the gigantic storage space that is my closet. I'm actually planning to put something like a couch in the bottom for a reading nook! Oh, and there's my finger. How'd I manage that one?
My kitchen is super cute and easy to cook in. One thing I'd recommend is getting little footies for your chairs if you have this kind of floor. In the summer the chairs tend to stick to the floor like they're glued down.
You can see the footies here! Along with a little more of the kitchen cooking area. No stove, you'll notice. The microwave can function as one... but more on that when I've mastered operating it.
Entryway. Take your shoes off before you enter someone's home. The usual. Oh, and I have a mailbox! Two, actually. I've got a metal one outside with the rest of my building. This one is just more secure, but sometimes I forget to check it.
My washer! You usually don't get a dryer since they use a lot of power and the sun does a perfectly acceptable job. I say that, but I haven't mastered getting my clothes to do just right yet. XD
The toilet has a sink on top! You can wash your hands in it no problem. It's just another compact, energy saving thing that's kind of normal around Japan.
Me being vain. I'm lucky to have a second "real" sink. My fellow ALT doesn't have one, which begs the question: Where to commence with teeth brushing? He uses the kitchen sink, which is really awkward. But it's normal to brush your teeth at school, so... maybe it's not awkward in Japan.
Finally, here is my wash room! In Japan, you get clean first, get in the bath second. The bath has features to keep the water at the same temperature for as long as you want to stay in there. It's fantastic after a long day of work or on a lazy day.
Maybe next time I'll try to muddle my way through explanations of some of the crazy electronics found in my apartment!
I got really lucky with a really large place! The only problem is that the AC is located in one room and I have to get creative with spreading the cool air around by strategically place the fan in doorways. You can also see my balcony (and my laundry -- oops!) in this photo.
More of my nicely furnished sitting room. I should probably get a little bit more seating, but I'm slightly claustrophobic and love having it sparse and open like this. (Haha, I know. Claustrophobic in Japan? What was I thinking?)
My bed is really, really firm. It's almost like a box spring mattress or something. I actually have the winter comforter on it even though it's a bajillion degrees outside. In the morning I still get cold even with the AC off. I may be in trouble come winter...
Here you can see the gigantic storage space that is my closet. I'm actually planning to put something like a couch in the bottom for a reading nook! Oh, and there's my finger. How'd I manage that one?
My kitchen is super cute and easy to cook in. One thing I'd recommend is getting little footies for your chairs if you have this kind of floor. In the summer the chairs tend to stick to the floor like they're glued down.
You can see the footies here! Along with a little more of the kitchen cooking area. No stove, you'll notice. The microwave can function as one... but more on that when I've mastered operating it.
Entryway. Take your shoes off before you enter someone's home. The usual. Oh, and I have a mailbox! Two, actually. I've got a metal one outside with the rest of my building. This one is just more secure, but sometimes I forget to check it.
My washer! You usually don't get a dryer since they use a lot of power and the sun does a perfectly acceptable job. I say that, but I haven't mastered getting my clothes to do just right yet. XD
The toilet has a sink on top! You can wash your hands in it no problem. It's just another compact, energy saving thing that's kind of normal around Japan.
Me being vain. I'm lucky to have a second "real" sink. My fellow ALT doesn't have one, which begs the question: Where to commence with teeth brushing? He uses the kitchen sink, which is really awkward. But it's normal to brush your teeth at school, so... maybe it's not awkward in Japan.
Finally, here is my wash room! In Japan, you get clean first, get in the bath second. The bath has features to keep the water at the same temperature for as long as you want to stay in there. It's fantastic after a long day of work or on a lazy day.
Maybe next time I'll try to muddle my way through explanations of some of the crazy electronics found in my apartment!
