My apartment

---

This is my apartment. I live in a four story building with two apartments on each floor. It is common in Japan for buildings to be "themed"....I live in a "teacher's building". The English teacher I work with at Inhoku Junior High School lives on the first floor, and the first grade teacher from Habu Elementary that I visit once a month lives across the hall from me.

Try to imagine this floor plan...

When you walk in the front door, the kitchen is straight ahead. As you can see, there's not a whole lot to it. A fridge, a shelf, a few cupboards and a gas stove.

The front door area is also very simple. The concrete floor is as far as any shoe is allowed to go....Japanese rules (I'm serious!). And you can sort of see my beast of a phone. For those of you who call, that's where I'm standing when we chat! Apparently the phone's a fax machine as well, but I haven't figured that out yet.

To the left of the door is my kitchen table with one chair, that I have turned into my desk. Furniture is very sparse in my apartment...I have only two places to sit, apart from the floor!

Through the door by the desk, is the first tatami mat room. Both of my rooms have tatami mat flooring...Japanese straw mats. This room has a chair, table and bookshelf. Wahoo. It is joined to my bedroom area....there are sliding doors that seperate the rooms, but I always leave them open.

My bedroom is quite different from a western styled bedroom, as you can see! There is my lovely television that I have yet to watch...hopefully my Japanese will advance at some point this year, so I can tune into some shows! Next to it, is my "bed". I have two futon mats that I fold and unfold every morning and night. I add a blanket, pillow and teddy bear, and voila, my sleeping arrangements.

My bathroom, shower room and laundry machine are to the right of my front door. I've included a picture of my shower. It's really just a blue box, with a hose attached to it! I have to light the gas ignition if I want a hot shower. The weather has been warm enough so far for me to tough out the cold water. My washing machine puts all my clothes into a giant knot....I don't know why, by apparently all Japanese washing machines do. My drying system consists of a pole on my balcony, where I hang everything up! I can't wait until winter, when my wet clothes will freeze!

And that folks is my new aparto!

---

Photos

My bedroom
That's my T.V. that I can't watch because it's only Japanese chanels...and that's my bed (futon) that's all folded up. I'm actually getting used to sleeping on the floor, and putting my bed away everyday!

The shower room
This is my "lovely" shower. I have to light the gas to get hot water!

The "sitting" room
This is where I'm supposed to entertain guests...but it makes it difficult with only one chair!

The doors
These are the sliding doors that seperate my two tatami mat rooms (straw floors)...the sitting room and the bedroom

The balcony
Complete with my bed airing out in the sun, and my laundry out to dry. I'm on the third floor.

What a view!
This is a view of Habu town and surrounding Seto Inland Sea islands, from a hilltop lookout in Innoshima.

Comments

[Deanna]

Thinking of JET 06!!
Your blog is interesting, can't wait to see how the year unfolds!! I'm interested in doing JET next year, we'll see!! Your place is tiny but cute!

[Roothie]

Sparse it is!
Yes, your apt. is far from the clutter we have so much of here! Guess that's we don't bother taking our shoes off at the door...we might never find them again!!! But things are at least neat and tidy and nothing clutters your mind but the tasks at hand...maybe that's why the Japanese people are so focused on their work!? Enjoying the pics!

[Alexandra Sorin]

hey heather, wow you apartment looks pretty awesome. those look like hot plates? love cooking on those as we did in italy. the view is beautiful. Look forward to reading on