Everything is finally fixed in my house (ie the floor was repaired in 3 rooms and the moldy wallpaper was replaced) so it finally feels like I can show everyone where I live now. This is not the best place I’ve ever lived, but it is the most traditionally Japanese place I could get that is also close to my school. So I’m getting a full Japanese experience when it comes to housing.
First of all, I live in the bottom apartment of a house. The house is 2 stories and an old grandma lives above me right now. The house is very old…..VERY OLD, and all the foreign English teachers who worked at my school have always lived there. When there were 2 English teachers at my school one would live in the bottom apartment and the other would live in the top (which actually would have been pretty cool…..unless you lived under someone who brought lady/gentlemen friends over constantly ).
Honestly, I wish the grandma and I had changed apartments. She has to climb up multiple stairs every day (but she’s like in her 80’s) and I have to deal with being on the first floor which is not something I particularly like, but que sera.
(My real house....and bike)
But onwards, my house has the layout of 2DK, which means 2 rooms and a kitchen with a dining area (and of course a bathroom). When you enter my house the first thing you see is a small closet area that has my washing machine hidden away. Then if you go through the front door and look to the left you will see my shower, sink, and bathroom all separate in that ‘U’ shaped hallway. This is a nice change from Korea which has all 3 (sink, toilet, sower) together, since everything gets wet when you take a shower. This way 3 people can use the shower, sink, and toilet at the same time. The sink vanity section is a bit old and doesn’t have a lot of space so I keep some supplies in my room as well. The toilet in the bathroom is the funniest toilet I have ever seen! It has a sink faucet on top of the toilet that fills the water when the toilet is flushed. It made me think I could wash my hands right there….until I was like……mmmm nope!
From the entrance if you look to the right you will see my kitchen and “dining” area. There is a 2 burner stove, some counter space, a large metal sink, and some storage space. There is also a small table and chair for dining, but I use that area for my microwave and toaster. I eat on a table in my bedroom. Also there is a fridge, but it is mini (dorm) sized. So it’s hard to store food for a long time with the tight space. The kitchen usually gets very hot and sunny in the evening, but it is the only room with a window at the front of the house. So I always keep the window open for circulation.
If you continue past the kitchen you will enter the ‘living room’ which is actually my bedroom. This room is the only room with an AC unit, so although the traditional bedroom is a different room, this is where I sleep. This room has a large window and sliding door to get to the back of the house. It was very bright before I modified the windows to make the room darker. Right now I’m sleeping on a couch/futon, but I might get an actual bed soon because this one is making my back and shoulders sore in the morning. If you’re silently asking why I don’t have a proper bed, the reason leads me to the last room in my house.
It’s a traditional Japanese style room meaning it has a tatami mat floor. Tatami is straw that it made into a mat and used as flooring (instead of wood or tile) in many Japanese houses. Traditionally the tatami mat room is the bed room, because Japanese people sleep on the tatami mats with a futon.
A futon is a cotton mattress (pillow and comforter) that they place on the tatami to sleep. The cotton mattress is just cotton though, no springs or frame.
Every night they make up their futon bed and every morning the fold up everything (even the mattress) and put it away in the cupboard. At night you sweat a lot and this can make the mattress and tatami floor damp. So putting away the bedding allows the tatami floor to air and dry out during the day. If you don’t properly take care of your cotton futon or tatami mats, they can mold and ruin. So there can be a lot of work involved in sleeping in a traditional style Japanese room. This (and the lack of AC in that room) helped me make the decision to sleep in ‘living room’ of my house.
Along with the tatami mats and futon bed, my house also only has sliding doors. There is a door for each room and almost all of them are traditional Japanese style. The house is also all wallpapered in a textured cream colour which is also the traditional Japanese style. While not everything is new and modern, my house still feels quite homey because of the cream walls and wooden furniture and floors.
My neighborhood is also really nice, lots of older people living around me that are happy to help if I need help during garbage days. My area is definitely a more rural but suburban area, so only the necessities that are close by, and if you want more shopping you need to go into the next town.
To get a better idea of where I’ll be spending my time for the next year, please check out the picture tour post it shows my house!
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