hOmE swEEt hOmE

This is it....tada!

My kitchen, complete with a dining table!

My living room and "formal" dining table--er, Japanese style!

My tatami bedroom...very not-so plush futon.


i moved into my house last nite! it was quite the process as all electric devices were in japanese and the appliances aren`t exactly user-friendly! Others members of the Board of Education were on hand to translate explicit directions on EVERYTHING! (ie- using the microwave, washing machine, setting up my futon properly, operating the gas stove and kerosene heaters and on getting the water heater going...) Before you roll your eyes in disbelief of my lack of domestication...operating some of these appliances (which date back to when my grandma graduated from college!) would be difficult for even the experienced kitchen-guru! learning it all for the FIRST time is tricky, but learning it through SUPER BROKEN JAPANESE\ENGLISH is the true test!

Overall, the house is very nice. I didn't put pics on here of the spare room, but visitors are always welcome! (hint hint) The whole house has hard wood floors and separate rooms for the shower/bath tub, laundry room and toilet(no pics, you all know the drill). My bedroom is HUGE, I'm actually considering purchasing some additional furniture for it...er, wait- you aren't supposed to put anything else in the room, as it should be a quiet space for meditating and centering yourself. I am, however, considering splurging on a *real bed* as this futon routine (taking it down, unfolding it, remaking it, using it etc) is going to get very old, very quickly! The entire house has hard wood floors--which adds a nice home-y touch! There are no dryers in Japan, so every morning I drag my laundry out to the clothes line. The house is more than liveable--I really lucked out! Oh, and the view of the ocean from my porch is AWESOME!