So here it is...my apartment, or "mai apa-to" in Japanese. You could also say "Watashi no apa-to", but the Japanese, obsessed with not only English words but shortening everything, use phrases like "mai apa-to" or "mai kaa" instead of their own Japanese method. My room is on the far bottom right, #101.
Yes, that's my laundry hanging there. In Japan, it's unheard of for daigakusei (college students) to have their own dryer. I don't know the exact percentage, but most people living around us in regular homes also air dry their clothes. The first time I tried to dry my shirts, in being the atama ga ii gakusei (smart student, literally "good head student") that I am, I completely blanked on using the hangers, and instead just hung the shirts over the bar. Needless to say, they were wrinkled and still a little damp.
You use a hanger like this one for socks and undergarments. At first it seemed kind of weird for everyone to be able to see your boxers, but you get over it. We're not in 3rd grade, tee-heeing about seeing (back then) "Alex's" tightie whities.
Standing apa-to no mae (in front of the apartment), here's a picture of our road. On either side are regular houses, with a "pasta and antiques" restaurant/store at the very end.
The little walkway from the main area to the doors. Hidari (left) is a little garden where some cats like to lounge lazily in the planters (~totemo kawaii~) (~very cute~).
Here's the back (or front?) of the apartment. My room is the first one on the left. Since I'm on the corner I get an extra window in my living room, bathroom, and kitchen. Kinda cool. I got the first room since it's apparently a shuukan (custom) of Tsurubu (Tsuru Bunka Daigaku shortened...see, I told you the Japanese love random shortenings!) for the biggest ryuugakusei to live there. I'm the protector of the rest of them. Ore ha mamoru! (I will protect!)
A slightly blurry shot of the scene right outside my door. There's a place where everyone parks their jitensha (bikes). In front of my apartment is also our main meeting spot for when we leave at 9:00 AM every weekday for class (speaking of which, I still have to study for my season / temperature kanji quiz tomorrow...ganbatte dattebayo....)
Aaaaaand, here's my apartment, view from right when I enter the door! Sugeee! (Note: "Sugoi" is the actual word for "fantastic!". Suge is the masculine informal form) Shita hidari (bottom left) is the door to my washroom (sink + washer). Ue hidari (top left), where the trashcan and blue mat are visible, is my kitchenette. Straight ahead is the entrance to the living room. Ue migi (top right) is a little window thing that closes off access to the little loft and storage space. Naka migi (middle right, and note to Doug and other nihongo wo hanaseru hitos out there, I doubt I'd actually say "naka migi", but I'm just breaking it down into basic words for the layman to learn :D) is my toilet room (a closet-sized room with a toilet in it). Saigo (last), uta migi is my shower room, which includes a shower head and a bathtub.
Here's the view from the entrance between the kitchenette and the living room. See the metal bar right above the door, hanging lower than most other pieces in the house, framing the door way? Yeah. I hate that piece of metal. It's sole purpose is to thwart groggy, tired ryuugakusei by leaping out when they try to exit and hitting them on the forehead....almost every....single...time...itain (ouch...)
Straight ahead is the storage device used for mail. Ue migi, you can see a very tall, thin door that's used for kasa (umbrellas) and other random items (tatoeba (for example), mushiyoke (bug spray)). And yes, you can see how much my shoes stick out from the little divots that they're allowed :P
Here's my sink / toiletry storage unit. It's pretty efficient at it's job. I still need to get another light bulb for the other side, though. Note: Apparently the Japanese aren't big fans of deodorant, though I might be wrong. One of the hokano ryuugakusei ha tried to buy deodorant, demo mitsukenakatta (but it couldn't be found). Instead, he found and bought some Axe body spray. I gotta hold onto my Mitchum for as long as I can!
My chiisai sentakuki (little washing machine). Compared to American washing machines, it's fairly week, and sometimes I get random residue left on my clothes. But, it does it's job, and that's all I can really ask of the little guy.
Comparison shot of the space alloted between the two.
Here's a picture of my shower room. In Japan, you're supposed to first clean yourself off with a shower, then, when all nice and kirei (clean), atatakai ofuro ni haitte yukkuri (enter the warm bathtub and rest). However, to me, a shower is nice enough, and just soaking myself is a waste of time, unless I plan for it in advance. Actually, a warm bath coupled with Kanji flashcards sounds pretty good right about now...
A wider view of the shower room. At least there's a high holder for the shower nozzle.
I have about a fists' length lax space between the top of my head and the ceiling.
John (and no, not my otaku ryuugakusei tomodachi). Comes coupled with a bidet (weee!) and a faucet built into the water tank that turns on when you flush it. At first use I was scared because I didn't know how to turn it off...didn't realize it was automatic, I seriously thought 5 minutes into entering my new apartment and I was going to drown it.
My little kitchenette. ~Kawaii!~ It's very useful. Not a lot of counter-space, unfortunately (thought I acredit that to the fact that it's Japan, not that I'm a messy college student ^_<). My "IH" stovetop (whatever that stands for) is unfortunately busted, I think...the light will keep flashing when I press it, then it turns off. Doug, tasuketekudasai! It comes with a fully functional sink (no disposal though, I think at some point I'm going to have to manually empty it....but I'll deal with that once whatever's festering in there climbs out and threatens me in my sleep). I have a small reizouko (fridge), a microwave, rice cooker, oven, and a decent amount of cupboard space, all of which I'll go into further detail when I make a post on Japanese cuisine and my own personal diet (sneak peek: I'm losing weight, and not even trying!)
Behind my sink lies these mysterious wooden...folding....thingies...(dunno what they're called...). But, what could lie behind these magical folding wooden windows? The answer when we return....
...and we're back! Tada (and no, not free, nihongo wo hanaseru hito (people who understand Japanese), I'm keeping this stuff ^_< /inside joke). Immediately accessible on top from the kitchen are paper and cloth towels, as well as one of my mammoth suitcases that currently doubles as my dirty laundry holder (for sweaty, drenched clothes I have a small laundry bin that I bought, stored away in the washing room).
Uta, I have a decent sized storage area. Here I store my water heater (since currently I rarely use it), my swiffer (sp?), extra blankets / pillows, and random other crap. But, wait, that grayish plastic bag in the bottom left corner looks special...what could be inside of it? Sorry, but seeing as how that's a present for a very important girl to me back home, in case she's reading this, I can't reveal it. でも、日本語を読めれば, そのふくろの中は本当にきれいな浴衣ができます。俺は最初の米国の彼女にクリスマスでその浴衣をあげるつもりです。いいお土産ね？後でひみつところで写真 をはります。
Laundry nimotsu (baggage) to (pronounced "toe", imi ha (meaning is) "and") towels, ii (good) smelling spray stuff, and some random other things.
Here's a good view of the main room, taken from the walkway into the kitchenette. Hidari is my bed, an extra chair, and a stand which I use to store my textbooks, mezamashidokei (alarm clock), and denwa (telephone). Migi, I have my desk space, my table with my TV and Nintendo Wii, and some more space which'll be visible in the next picture. Straight ahead is my big window that I use to access my little porch for laundry (you can see it back in the first and second picture).
Here's a better view of the right-hand side of the main room. I use the space next to the TV to hold my trash bags. Japanese trash is a lot more complicated than American's trash. I'll get to explaining that in a future post (probably the next one, a lot shorter and smaller than this one ^_<). Note that the table that the TV is on is actually a special heating table which you can put your legs underneath and have it toast them when winter rolls around. Unfortunately, my room didn't come with a TV stand like most of the other ones did, so I'm forced to use my only table, which means I eat at random places each meal. I'm planning on investing in one soon, though - it'll be useful for the person next year. Buying useful things and leaving them here for the next ryuugakusei seems to be a common practice for the Tsuru Daigaku ryuugakusei.
Aaaaaand, here's my apartment, view from right when I enter the door! Sugeee! (Note: "Sugoi" is the actual word for "fantastic!". Suge is the masculine informal form) Shita hidari (bottom left) is the door to my washroom (sink + washer). Ue hidari (top left), where the trashcan and blue mat are visible, is my kitchenette. Straight ahead is the entrance to the living room. Ue migi (top right) is a little window thing that closes off access to the little loft and storage space. Naka migi (middle right, and note to Doug and other nihongo wo hanaseru hitos out there, I doubt I'd actually say "naka migi", but I'm just breaking it down into basic words for the layman to learn :D) is my toilet room (a closet-sized room with a toilet in it). Saigo (last), uta migi is my shower room, which includes a shower head and a bathtub.
Here's the view from the entrance between the kitchenette and the living room. See the metal bar right above the door, hanging lower than most other pieces in the house, framing the door way? Yeah. I hate that piece of metal. It's sole purpose is to thwart groggy, tired ryuugakusei by leaping out when they try to exit and hitting them on the forehead....almost every....single...time...itain (ouch...)
Straight ahead is the storage device used for mail. Ue migi, you can see a very tall, thin door that's used for kasa (umbrellas) and other random items (tatoeba (for example), mushiyoke (bug spray)). And yes, you can see how much my shoes stick out from the little divots that they're allowed :P
Here's my sink / toiletry storage unit. It's pretty efficient at it's job. I still need to get another light bulb for the other side, though. Note: Apparently the Japanese aren't big fans of deodorant, though I might be wrong. One of the hokano ryuugakusei ha tried to buy deodorant, demo mitsukenakatta (but it couldn't be found). Instead, he found and bought some Axe body spray. I gotta hold onto my Mitchum for as long as I can!
My chiisai sentakuki (little washing machine). Compared to American washing machines, it's fairly week, and sometimes I get random residue left on my clothes. But, it does it's job, and that's all I can really ask of the little guy.
Comparison shot of the space alloted between the two.
Here's a picture of my shower room. In Japan, you're supposed to first clean yourself off with a shower, then, when all nice and kirei (clean), atatakai ofuro ni haitte yukkuri (enter the warm bathtub and rest). However, to me, a shower is nice enough, and just soaking myself is a waste of time, unless I plan for it in advance. Actually, a warm bath coupled with Kanji flashcards sounds pretty good right about now...
A wider view of the shower room. At least there's a high holder for the shower nozzle.
I have about a fists' length lax space between the top of my head and the ceiling.
John (and no, not my otaku ryuugakusei tomodachi). Comes coupled with a bidet (weee!) and a faucet built into the water tank that turns on when you flush it. At first use I was scared because I didn't know how to turn it off...didn't realize it was automatic, I seriously thought 5 minutes into entering my new apartment and I was going to drown it.
My little kitchenette. ~Kawaii!~ It's very useful. Not a lot of counter-space, unfortunately (thought I acredit that to the fact that it's Japan, not that I'm a messy college student ^_<). My "IH" stovetop (whatever that stands for) is unfortunately busted, I think...the light will keep flashing when I press it, then it turns off. Doug, tasuketekudasai! It comes with a fully functional sink (no disposal though, I think at some point I'm going to have to manually empty it....but I'll deal with that once whatever's festering in there climbs out and threatens me in my sleep). I have a small reizouko (fridge), a microwave, rice cooker, oven, and a decent amount of cupboard space, all of which I'll go into further detail when I make a post on Japanese cuisine and my own personal diet (sneak peek: I'm losing weight, and not even trying!)
Behind my sink lies these mysterious wooden...folding....thingies...(dunno what they're called...). But, what could lie behind these magical folding wooden windows? The answer when we return....
...and we're back! Tada (and no, not free, nihongo wo hanaseru hito (people who understand Japanese), I'm keeping this stuff ^_< /inside joke). Immediately accessible on top from the kitchen are paper and cloth towels, as well as one of my mammoth suitcases that currently doubles as my dirty laundry holder (for sweaty, drenched clothes I have a small laundry bin that I bought, stored away in the washing room).
Uta, I have a decent sized storage area. Here I store my water heater (since currently I rarely use it), my swiffer (sp?), extra blankets / pillows, and random other crap. But, wait, that grayish plastic bag in the bottom left corner looks special...what could be inside of it? Sorry, but seeing as how that's a present for a very important girl to me back home, in case she's reading this, I can't reveal it. でも、日本語を読めれば, そのふくろの中は本当にきれいな浴衣ができます。俺は最初の米国の彼女にクリスマスでその浴衣をあげるつもりです。いいお土産ね？後でひみつところで写真 をはります。
Laundry nimotsu (baggage) to (pronounced "toe", imi ha (meaning is) "and") towels, ii (good) smelling spray stuff, and some random other things.
Here's a good view of the main room, taken from the walkway into the kitchenette. Hidari is my bed, an extra chair, and a stand which I use to store my textbooks, mezamashidokei (alarm clock), and denwa (telephone). Migi, I have my desk space, my table with my TV and Nintendo Wii, and some more space which'll be visible in the next picture. Straight ahead is my big window that I use to access my little porch for laundry (you can see it back in the first and second picture).
Here's a better view of the right-hand side of the main room. I use the space next to the TV to hold my trash bags. Japanese trash is a lot more complicated than American's trash. I'll get to explaining that in a future post (probably the next one, a lot shorter and smaller than this one ^_<). Note that the table that the TV is on is actually a special heating table which you can put your legs underneath and have it toast them when winter rolls around. Unfortunately, my room didn't come with a TV stand like most of the other ones did, so I'm forced to use my only table, which means I eat at random places each meal. I'm planning on investing in one soon, though - it'll be useful for the person next year. Buying useful things and leaving them here for the next ryuugakusei seems to be a common practice for the Tsuru Daigaku ryuugakusei.
Here's a shot from me standing right next to my pseudo-night stand. You can see the sliding door that blocks off the room, as well as my small closet on the bottom left hand side of the screen, and my storage space in the top left. And, obviously, to the bottom right is my bed. Speaking of my bed...
Here's a good picture to show the length. It basically has 4 parts: first, the wooden part (I'll take a picture of it later), which I've already managed to snap in two different places, that can fold up for easier storage. That supplies the sturdiness. Next is my thin but comfy mattress. Third is a bed sheet I put over the mattress to avoid sullying it with my sleep sweat. Finally, I have a very comfortable comforter. Never having really slept with a comforter, I'm now a strong believer in them. They're like the opposite of a thermos, keeping you warm when you're cold and cool when you're warm. Also, they're very fun to hug. Though, I think when I return back home, I'll go back to my Caucasian roots and take charge of my regular blanket brigade, despite being much more of a hassle to keep neat and clean. You'll notice my Disney's Lilo & Stitch's Stitch nuigurumi (stuffed animal) that I brought with me on my pillow. That reminds me of who I truly am deep down inside. Hontou ni tokubetsuna monoda (obviously very special). Having a side apartment, it's nice to have the big window next to my bed for extra lighting and for a natural alarm clock that doesn't show the entire world my living quarters.
Here's my workspace. A quick rundown: You'll see my laptop (with iTunes open) in the center of my desk (thankfully my legs feet decently underneath the desk, which is more than I can say for my kyoushitsu (classroom). I have two speakers that my neighboring ryuugakusei graciously donated to me since the set that came with my room were dead on my arrival. I've got my keyboard and mouse comfortably fit onto the desk. On top of my left speaker is my atarashii keitai (new cellphone), which I'll make a quick post about tomorrow. On top of the right speaker is a new, much-needed battery-operated pencil sharpener. Behind that is a lamp that was left here. To my right I've got a very handy storage unit, which I use to hold my school supplies, flash cards, electronic devices, Nintendo Wii videogames, and misc items. Above my laptop you'll see one of my most valuable possessions, a drawing of Batman done for me by a very special girl back home. Top left, I have the first two months' schedule hatteru (posted). Next to it is the kanji for squirrel, or "risu", done by my tutor (gamanshita, haha). Above it is a ninja star, or "shuriken", made by some people in the basketball circle (like a mini-club, I'll make a post on those later as well) for me out of paper. It's surprisingly sturdy. I must learn how to make it so I'll have an endless supply to chuck at the kids back at UCLA's elementary school. That and so I can trick them into being good so that I'd teach them how to make it...pfft, yeah right...Saigo, on top of my handy-dandy storage unit I have my denshijisho (electronic dictionary, extremely useful), nimotsu (is that the right counter, for bundled items?) kyoukasho (textbooks), and the remote control to my air cooler.
Here you can more clearly see the top storage area where I keep my pants, shorts, laundry, and miscellaneous items. It's supposed to be a cubby in the wall for you to sleep in. However, my tutor said it gets really hot during the summer, so it's best to sleep on the ground. Also, my apartment didn't come with a mini couch like most of the other ones did, so I wouldn't have any place comfortable to sit if I moved my bed up there. Moreover, I wouldn't have my special natural alarm clock next to me, nor would I have easy access to find the time via my tetsukuri mezarashidokei (hand-made alarm clock...though Doug, I might have messed up on the reading of tsukuri, though I know it's te + tsukuru kanji). Anyways, I'm still debating whether or not to move my bed up there. I'll probably try it once winter rolls around. I'll keep you updated if I do anything different :)
And, for the final post of the night, my little closet. I keep all my shirts, my UCLA omiyage (UCLA presents for the important Japanese friends I make), and my socks, underwear, and misc clothes in the smaller storage container.
Well, that pretty much sums up my apartment. Thanks for bearing with me through it! Hope you listened to "Lifetime Respect" a few times while reading this!
Now, it's 3 AM...gotta get some sleep before class tomorrow...ja! Oyasumi! (Good-night!)
Now, it's 3 AM...gotta get some sleep before class tomorrow...ja! Oyasumi! (Good-night!)
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