Home Sweet Japanese-Style House

Japanese internet has wrecked havoc with my ability to click the right links on websites. All the links are now simply questionmarks because they changed to Japanese and my computer does not support Japanese font (not that I would be able to read it if it weren't questionmarks). Nevertheless, I'm attempting to post pictures of my new domicile.

I have a sweet set-up here in Taiwa-cho. The board of education put me up in a Japanese-style house. And it's positively huge by Japanese standards. Which means that when we decide to have gatherings with other JETs from the surrounding inaka, we can party at my house and everyone can crash here (like we did this past weekend).

Traditional style rooms are floored with tatami mats. Room sizes are measured in the number of tatami that can lay in the room. Typical sizes are 6-tatami or 8-tatami. I have both a 6 tatami and an 8 tatami room. I also have another room that's my bedroom and what is possibly the largest kitchen in all of Japan.



A view of my house from the street.


















The front door. Welcome.




In Japanese homes, we take off our shoes.















My six tatami room. Notice the sliding doors with the paper screens.














The largest kitchen in all of Japan. However, it has less counter space than the tiny kitchen in my apartment in Bloomington. The fridge isn't even as high as my shoulder. But I have an oven, which is not common in Japan. Also, the kitchen table has a gas line running to it and a burner in the middle so I can make yakitori at the table.









My 8 tatami room. Notice my housplant, courtesy of the cell phone company, is still alive. All my windows are actually sliding doors.











Here's my bedroom. I have a Western mattress, but it's hard as a rock. I have a bunch of spare futons and I'm considering sleeping on one of them instead. I have tons of storage space in the bedroom and it's the only room in the house with an airconditioning unit.











I suppose this would be the bathroom. Here is a sink and a washing machine.





Off this room is the actual shower/bath room. It has a deep tub and a showerhead. Its very spacious for taking showers. I still haven't taken a bath, but I found some bathsalt, labeled "it's nice."




















Finally, down the hall and around a corner from the bathroom is the toilet. Notice there is a small faucet above the tank. When you flush the toilet, water pours from the faucet and you can wash your hands. I keep a bar of soap on the windowsill. It's kind of awkard to lean over the toilet to wash my hands, but it works.




Since my house is huge, I have plenty of room for anyone wanting to visit. I even have spare futons. So anyone reading this is invited. Also, the big house means I'm going to freeze to death in the winter, but with temps in the 90s right now, that's not a big concern.