My abode, IN JAPAN!
Let's kick it off with an overview of my apartment. I drew the floor plan myself because I have no scanner.
Now to get an idea for scale, imagine that the entire thing can fit in the living room/kitchen
of my old apartment. The size of the bed should tip you off too -- that's a twin, btw.
Panorama of the main room, from the X on the above map. As you can see, most of my crap is still in suitcases or all over the desk.
Another picture of my bed, from the window in natural morning lighting. I like how the bed
is high up and has a railing! Like a loft, or a tree fort. Makes me feel like a kid again.
The first morning after getting here, I opened my window and decided to take pictures of the view. No sooner had I snapped one photo though, when I heard the sound of a curtain being yanked shut and realized that the people across from me had taken exception to being photographed with their blinds open. Now they'll probably go tell everyone that the new gaijin is a peeping tom. *sigh*
This apartment complex doesn't have private patios, but each back window does have a rack for drying clothes -- observe the rack & pole in the photo on the right. Also observe that my rack didn't come with a pole. >:(
Check it out~! I would have loved this place as a kid -- that under-bed storage area would have made the BEST SECRET BASE EVER. Those steps also lift up to make more storage, although I think I'm going to be boring and keep socks in them. >_> This place has no dresser drawers.
Like unto Gwendal from Kyou Kara Maou, I have a weakness for cute things. I saw this pillow and I wanted it, not least because it's long and I get back aches if I sleep without a body pillow. Tomoko was like "pigs...?", rather bewildered by my enthusiam. (Monokuro means monochrome, by the way, nothing deep or meaningful. Boo is a play on buta, which is Japanese for 'pig.' See my toes?? Tomoko gave me slippers and toilet paper as a housewarming present!)
Can you read that?? It says LEAVES OF LUCKY. AWESOME.
Zoom in on my bookshelf -- I like the current composition immensely. From the left: FABULOUS magazine, the gay one I bought in Shinjuku, Ghosts of Blood and Innocence by Storm Constantine, The Last Green Tree by Jim Grimsley, Cagebird by Karin Lowachee, six -- count 'em, SIX! -- books by Kano Miyamoto, and then some other crap for work. And yeah, nearly more candy than books, but those are for gifts and I don't get to eat them. I don't get to eat all of them anyway; ignore the toffee one that's missing. >_>
Another picture from that first morning, before I'd figured out the heater and I was layered up and still cold. As you can see, I rolled directly out of bed, picked up my phone, and started taking photos. The gel stick-on stars came from the hundred yen store in Asakusa, when I decided I should buy things that would add a festive touch to my apartment. I'm anticipating culture shock depression to hit in a month or two, at which point it would probably be good for me to have upbeat, happy surroundings rather than dark, classy surroundings. Or maybe I'll hit my culture shock and decide that I loathe gel stars and monochrome pigs and leaves of lucky. *shrug*
KITCHEN!
Directly to the left there is a mini-fridge and microwave that didn't fit in the picture, and above that a cupboard. That is the extent of my kitchen. The ice tray came with the fridge and was the only thing in the whole apartment that was dirty. The dish soap is grapefruit scented, I got it at the hundred-yen store. :D
Tomoko was also rather confused by my apparent schizophrenia in interior design. I proudly showed off the dishware that I had bought at the hundred yen store before leaving Tokyo, two different matching sets. This was the first one, which she declared suteki -- 'classy,' and very traditionally Japanese.
This was the second set, complete with a pink bunny chopstick holder. When Shelley comes to visit in May these will be for her use, and for her to take with her as omiyage.
In a little closet by itself; see the sink over the bowl? It runs automatically when you flush, very clever.
Here's the funny shower room. Observe that the shower head is not over the bathtub -- that's because there's a drain directly in the floor. That entire room is for bathing! Just close that sliding door and go wild, splashing water everywhere! It does leave me with something of a dilemma though, as far as where I should put my toiletries. There are three sinks in my apartment -- this one, the one over the toilet, and the one in the kitchen. This is the only one with a mirror (I put stars on it too), but anything in that room is guaranteed to get soaked. Flat iron? BAD IDEA. Also, there's no counter space. No wonder plastic stick-on baskets were all the rage at the hundred yen stores... but I don't know if they have the tensile strength to hold heavy bottles of shampoo and whatnot.
And did I mention that for some reason I have no hot water?
THE END!!