Category: apartment life

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House Party!

I had a house party this weekend, or as we would simply describe it in the States, “A party at my house.” A house party is actually pretty rare in Japan amongst Japanese. Space is a premium and living spaces are often small. When I first lived in Japan in 2004 for a few months, I had a much more representative “mansion” – about 12 tatami in size, or about 216 sq ft. That was fine for a few months, and I felt very Japanese. I’ve posted some old pictures below to get the idea.

Mito, 2004

Mito, 2004

Mito, 2004

Mito, 2004

 

You can imagine though, if you were really living is a place this size, it would quickly become cramped. I had a very limited number of personal items so it wasn’t so crowded.

When I came here in 2008, my apartment allowance was very generous. I knew I wanted a guest room and a home office space, so I started looking at 3 bedrooms. I was lucky to find my place which is on the smaller three bedroom range, but fine for one person. As a matter of fact, I’m a little bit embarrassed that to my Japanese colleagues it is decadent at about 750 sq ft.

However, the space allows me to have a few people over for a party, and that’s what I did this weekend. The idea was to have the Fuji Rock crew come over, but in the end only about half of the Fuji Rockers made it over. However, friends and friends of friends came by and I had about 12 people including me. That was perfectly sized for my place.

Here’s the picture before everyone knew the picture was coming.

House Party!

 

And of course, what is a picture in Japan without a peace sign?

House Party!

 

I did the usual thing, bought too much food and alcohol but nobody left hungry or sober so I did my job well. I was actually the only non-Japanese at the party as well and I find that pretty cool. Somehow I guess I was able to communicate mostly in Japanese and some occasional English words thrown in. After two beers my Japanese really improves (or so I think), and having the party is a great way to practice. Maybe I was actually too busy being the host to communicate very frequently. I was afraid I would end up feeling left out of my own party with people bringing friends who spoke only Japanese but I didn’t. Nothing worse than being lonely at your own party!

Returning to the usual lack of house parties – as I’ve said before restaurants serve the purpose of a social meeting place. Many restaurants have large rooms for groups of people to get together for a night of eating and drinking. Houses are just too crowded to host people and they are very private spaces for family only.

I had big help preparing for the party with Kanamori-san taking me to the grocery store in his car and helping me transport things much easier.

Thanks to all for the help and a good time.

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Thank heaven, again

Once again, I will have a 7/11 on my street. Not just on my street, but only two buildings down from mine.

Another 7/11 on the way

I lamented the loss of a relatively close 7/11 and then rejoiced when I found one a little closer. Well, how can I be happier unless the Lawson in my building was converted to a 7/11?

I’m not sure if the area needs another 7/11 or convenience store, but I guess someone did. Now I have an ATM just down the street. And two Lawson, and a Circle K.  7/11 is really the only place I can get money other than the post office, so it is nice to have one nearby.

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What goes up …

Must come down. That’s right. I used to have a 20 story building across the street from me. This is what the view looked like when I moved in. I had a big white building obscuring the sun from my apartment. You can get a peek-a-boo view below. I mean, why take a picture of the building across the street?

A bit of the building across the street.

A while ago I got a notice that they would be doing work next door. Apparently it is asbestos abatement (lovely). I figured they would just renovate and open the building up again. Scaffolding went up around the entire building. 20+ floors of scaffolding. It went up amazingly quickly as well.

Over time I noticed a larger scoop / backhoe (I have no idea what it is – it looks like the modern machines in “Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel”) pulverizing stuff on the site. Hmmm. The scaffolding also looked like it was getting shorter and shorter. Which made me wonder, “Are they tearing this building down?” Certainly my bike was covered in enough dust to know that something was happening across the street.

The picture below should answer the question. Indeed, they are tearing the building down.

A bit of the building across the street.

This happens quite regularly in Japan. To the point where sometimes you are walking along a street and notice an empty lot. Wait, what was there before? Since I’ve lived here, three or four new 15 – 20 story buildings have been built in my neighborhood and at least two have been torn down.

And now, more scaffolding is going up just down the street. What is next for this building? Is it on the demolition list as well? I don’t know, but there are still people working inside.

A bit of the building across the street.

 

Nagoya Basho

In other news, the Nagoya Basho has started. This is the annual sumo tournament in Nagoya that I went to last year and the year before. I do not have plans to go this year, although I have some opportunities for tickets and might end up going anyway. There is a big controversy this year linking sumo wrestlers to gambling and organized crime. Oops. NHK, the national network, has threatened not to televise the tournament. I didn’t look at TV today so I don’t know if they are getting true to their threats.
 

The Sound of Summer

I still have not heard my first cicada. Last year and the year before I heard them the same weekend as the sumo tournament. My colleague has stated that he’s heard one already, but I haven’t so I won’t claim it. I know it is summer when they cicadas start buzzing in my ears. That, and when it is horribly humid and hot. It is humid and hot now, just not horribly hot. I was in Tokyo all weekend, so maybe that’s why I missed the buzz.
 

Apple Update

I went to get an iPhone4 this weekend. Or, more appropriately, look at one. I found out that since Tomo and I are on the same plan, we can only order one at a time. So we ordered one for him and the wait is 2 MONTHS!?! Say what? I guess we should have signed up earlier. Maybe I’ll get one, maybe I won’t. I guess it depends on how much longer I am in Japan. I should be able to get by with a 3GS.

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Pressing matters

I finally bought an ironing board and iron. Before you say, “What?!? Have you been that wrinkled the whole time you’ve been in Japan” let me point out that almost all my shirts I wear to work are Brooks Brothers Non-Iron shirts. That’s not a plug, that’s not a brag, that’s just a fact. As you may have discovered in previous posts I am very brand loyal. That’s why I still use Tide in Japan. Back to my shirts … yes, I finally bought an iron. My ridiculously bad dryer has a tendency to wrinkle almost everything by tying them in knots. I’ve gotten some of the most amazing coupling of clothing out the dryer. My online review of the National NH-D502 – It sucks! I knew that before yet I bought it. My dryer definitely wrinkles things. I noticed my available wearable shirts started reducing over time, and I was tired of wearing the same shirts, so I admitted that it was time to buy an iron and ironing board. I really don’t like ironing, but it is one of the things you have to do on occasion.

Buying an ironing board presents a series of problems in a major metropolitan area when you don’t have a car. First of all, an ironing board is big. In Japan of course they have miniaturized versions of iron boards. However, I am an American, so I need a BIG and TALL ironing board. After consultation with Tomo, I decided to try Bic Camera because they have everything, Tokyu Hands, and maybe Muji (my favorite brand as you know).

When I went to Bic Camera, I was shocked to see the only ironing board available, a typical American style ironing board, was over $100. I know the yen is really strong now, but even if it was weak it would be one heck of an expensive ironing board. Yikes! I had to ask if they had others. They did, as a matter of fact. One was shaped like a torso, and one was kind of a strangely shaped collapsible board American style. The other American style board was only, ONLY, 5400 yen, or about $55. I said I would think about it. Actually, I said something that I thought was equivalent to, “Let me think about it.” Who knows if the translation was literal.

I went to Tokyu Hands and was confronted by the same torso boards and the exact model I saw at Bic Camera for about $10 more. Since Bic Camera has a big selection of irons too, it seemed clear that I had to head back to Bic Camera. Once back at Bic Camera, I requested the board that I had seen before. That is, I tried to request the board. How do you describe an ironing board that isn’t on display to the salesperson in Japanese? The first round I got a lot of Japanese style tabletop iron boards. I had to get creative in my Japanese … but finally he brought out what I wanted.

Bic Camera offered about 30 different irons. More choice, ranging from $9 to over $130. Clearly the $9 iron was out as was the $130 iron. I prefer cordless irons, I guess because I am left-handed and there always seems to be a complication for lefties with irons although right now I can’t figure out the complication because it seems you could arrange you, the board, and the iron to account for being left-handed. Maybe I’m just such an unskilled iron-er that I can’t deal with the cord (after all, I’ve admitted to hating to iron). How did I make my choice? I chose the best seller! Hey, if everybody likes it, it should be good. I got a Panasonic NI0CL406-H. I guess I know what I will be doing tomorrow.

My iron

Also, when I was at Bic Camera originally scouting the irons, I recalled that I wanted new cables for my DVD to AV set / television set. My current connection is strange – I got some strange interference in the video when I hooked up the video to the TV and the sound to the AV set? Huh? Checking out the original cables they looked poorly insulated so I thought better cables would help. More money. I bumped into colleagues while I was struggling over just what cable to buy. Luckily my DVD player is carried by Bic so I could check it out. It probably took me 45 minutes to choose the cables. Don’t worry, no pictures here. I hope they work.

Back to the ironing board … an ironing board is not something you can just stick in a bag. I was really kind of embarrassed how ugly the board was and thought, “What the heck, I’ll take a taxi home.” It is a little cold out, and the train station is really busy, and I thought it would be better if I just grabbed a taxi. However, the thought that I could spend $2 on the subway of $10 on a taxi made me say, “Screw it, I am PROUD of my ironing board. I have nothing to be ashamed of. I am a strong, confident male with a rather silly looking ironing board.” I made it home incident free. The entire shopping trip was over two hours.

Later in the evening I went out to get a new stocking cap because I don’t like my current cap. After shopping, my current cap seems a lot nicer. I went to Banana Republic and their knit caps were something like $50 to $100. I kid you not. Wow. I bought a coat at BR (30 years everyone!) in the US and it is about $120 more expensive in Japan. Approximately 40% more.

I think when I get lonely or depressed I make myself go out and shop as something to get me out. I need to make sure that I don’t become a spending prairie fire while I am over here. The past month with my trip to the States, the purchase of a new computer, and the vacation at Hoshinoya, I’m feeling a little out of control. Can I single-handedly take two countries out of recession? I don’t know but I sure am trying.

Who knew that buying an iron would result in over 1000 words.

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All lit up

No, not in that way. I finally have more lights for the pad. I bought another Muji aluminum ring light for the guest bedroom. It is bright! (I think my upstairs neighbors must be playing Wii Fit or Tai-bo. I didn’t think anyone else lived here but I guess I’m wrong. A lot of thumping.). Most lights now are fluorescent lights – I’m trying really hard to get warm lights. Still, the warm lights are a little too bright and a little too cool. I mention “color temperature” to colleagues and they look at me as if I’m speaking Japanese.

Today was more of the same. But a good more of the same. The weather was amazing. Is this really rainy season? Relatively low humidity, nice temperatures, and good day for walking. And walking I did. I feel like the walking lady in my hometown, except I’m not eating ketchup out of a McDonald’s ketchup packet. The Lafayette folks will get my reference – all others just trust me. The morning took me to Tokyu Hands, Muji, and Franc Franc. Conveniently located in one building about 10 minutes from my house. Cool.

Tokyu Hands resulted in a new pot (smallest version – cause I’m cooking so much (NOT!)) and two notebooks for work because we’re too cheap over here to get real supplies. At Franc Franc I got some silk flowers and a vase. No real flowers for me at this point, but I needed something to dress up the place. Muji was supposed to result in the fourth placemat that was missing from the other store. But, darn it all, it was missing at this Muji. So I bought a light. I came home and installed the lamp and ate lunch.

I’ve learned not to put off purchases because styles change quickly here and things become unavailable. As a result, the afternoon was planned so that I could go to the third Muji in two days. I timed it poorly from a train point of view, so I decided to walk to Nagoya Station. About a 20 – 30 minute walk. I’m glad I did because I discovered a funky store my colleague told me about. If I ever need to host a party, I know where to get my supplies! I also stopped at an electronics store … I want to hook up my TV and Airport Express to some speakers. I’m having a hard time finding reasonably priced systems that I would consider using. Sigh.

At Muji 3 for the weekend I found one (and one only) of the placemats I wanted. Phew. To celebrate I bought some throw pillows, coffee / tea mugs, and some nice chopsticks. SOMEONE STOP ME!!!!!

From a consumption point of view, I’m still looking at bicycles (around $200), speakers for the living room, and some dining room light. Will I be done then?

The good news is that I played professional photographer tonight and took some photos of my apartment. I used the highest tech equipment and software I have to photograph my apartment. Aperture and Photoshop help color correct, and the original images are high resolution RAW images. But in the end, it is low res web stuff, so why bother?

I’m pretty excited about how the pictures turned out. I think you get a good idea of the space. Remember that this is with a wide angle lens (28 mm on a 35 mm format camera) so it looks like I have more space than I do.

Here’s looking out of my bedroom towards the living room / dining room with the kitchen in the back. I can literally move walls which I did to get this picture.

My living room with some furnishing, looking to the dining room

Here’s from the hallway looking at the dining room towards the living room. Fancy, huh? Actually pretty cold but I like it!

A view of the dining room

And here’s my office / sauna. I think I need another computer or two. Not enough power getting consumed.

A high view of the office

And finally my bedroom. Check out the space between my bed and the wall. See why I didn’t bother with a dresser? If you have any questions, let me know.

A close view of my bedroom

Last Monday night I had a bit of an Ugly American episode. It turns out that I paid 18880 yen (about $180) for a monthly train pass to the wrong final destination. I thought it was right, but we take this little spur train that we never pay for and so I thought that the main train station was adequate for my pass. Turns out it isn’t. So I had to turn in my old pass and they deducted a TON from it, and then they reissued at full price (and a few more days) plus extra for the spur train distance. Say what? I just wanted to pay the difference for the new station but it doesn’t work that way. I told them I thought they had poor customer service. I should have kept my mouth shut but I was frustrated. I went on a long walk after.

Monday I get my alien registration card and try to open a bank account. Wish me luck!