where the magic happens

One of the number one topics that people from home are curious about is my apartment in Japan.  Is it tiny?  Is there a bed?  Does the toilet have one thousand buttons??  

So, finally, after around three weeks of living here... please enjoy the official tour of my apartment.

Entryway from the outdoor hallway.  Had to use my shoe as the doorstop for a good, bright photo!

Shoe closet, appropriately placed just inside the door.  It's forbidden to wear shoes beyond the small linoleum foyer.  :)

After you walk in, this small hallway to the left holds my own personal washing machine.  I was so excited when I found out that I had this.  Using it is another story, but it's really nice to have.

To the left is the toilet room.  Sadly, no fancy buttons.  Most public (I say most... maybe just most that I've encountered?) toilets are pretty sophisticated and have at least ten buttons that do things we in the States could only dream of.  Fake running water sound?  Check.  Heated seat?  Check.  Automatic seat opener and closer?  Check and check.  There's more but maybe I'll have to dedicate an entire future post to the subject of the Japanese toilet.

To the right is the shower room.  As you can maybe tell, the shower sprayer is just connected to the wall above the sink area.  So you step into the room, close the sealed door and turn the dial on the sink to redirect the water flow from the faucet to the shower sprayer.  Pretty fun.  

My shoes are sitting on the edge of the tub because they had gotten soaked the day before while I was walking home in the rain.  The shower room fan is also really sophisticated as it has about five settings.  The only two I've figured out are for a basic exhaust fan function and a hot air blower that dries clothes after washing laundry.

Continuing down the hall from the front door, my kitchen is to the left.  A few cabinets, small microwave and fridge, two-burner stove and sink.

Groceries.

And more groceries.

Eggs.  Everyday.  

Frozen edamame.

Where the magic happens.

Love the cuteness of Japan.  Even all the way down to the dish scrubbers.

Going past the kitchen, my bedroom/living room/dining room is straight ahead.

Tried to stitch those three photos together in a panarama.  But it was too hard for me to figure out quickly.  Next time.

My bed is on a raised wooden platform.  Basically a pad underneath with a down comforter and pillow. My sheets were currently hanging up in the bathroom to dry but I think the bare comforters are so pretty.

Stairs leading up to the bed aka bedside table.

Cabinet above the TV with some gifts for colleagues that I brought from home.

Since I don't really have any photos to put on the walls, I tried to use my accessories as a kind of artwork.

Basically my catch-all table.  I don't normally sit at the table because I like to eat meals while I'm sitting on the floor.  But it's nice to have the table to hold all my electronic stuff, makeup, pretty much anything that I use on a day to day basis.

Double closet.  Plenty of space for my twenty items of clothing.

I normally always keep my balcony sliding door opened for breeze and street sound.  

Not such a great view so normally the sheers are drawn.

Industrial looking with a neighborhood behind.

Bus schedule.  Used often.

Sneaky storage under the bed platform.

And of course notes from friends that make me smile.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my precious little apartment!  I don't have many belongings so honestly the size is perfect.  Not too crowded, just enough space for me to spread out and relax.  I don't spend a ton of time at home during the week but it's so nice to come home to the quiet after long days of being surrounded by sound that I don't quite understand :)