Japanese apartment shopping (2)

Here are some pictures from an apartment we looked at. . The rooms are smaller than most American rooms but the apartments themselves are very nice.

This particular place lacks a tatami room, which is okay by me. As much as I'd like to have one, the care for tatami mats and shoji screens would just be too expensive and too much work.

One of the largest differences between Japanese homes and American homes is bathing and the layout of the bathroom. In traditional apartments, which is what we have been shown- the bath and shower are separate from the toilet, as this is seen as rather icky. It makes sense to me. Who wants to step out of the bath into toilet dusties?

Next to the tub, which you can't see very well in the photo, is a place to rinse and wash yourself before using the bath. As you can see, there is a drain in the floor. This is so that you can fill the tub nearly to the rim and get in and also so that you can wash before entering. Japanese baths are not for washing but soaking and relaxing. A nice deep tub is a bonus for me since my back is always sore.

The kitchen is much smaller. This one had lots of cabinet storage and a very small convection style oven. The door in the kitchen led to a large wraparound balcony. All in all it was a very pretty place and very well kept. This isn't going to be our apartment. It was too far away from town and in a nice residential area. We wanted something more walking distance.

The place we looked at today was amazing. The girl who showed us the apartment was very nice. It was kind of funny though. There was another girl in the apartment and they oooed and awed over my hair and said I was kawaii. I was so flattered I just kept saying "Oh oh! Thank you thank you so much!" and giggling. We've picked our apartment and pictures will be soon to follow once we move in. I'll give you guys a little teaser though:

In other news, we went to a 100 yen store today and I found what I've been seeking for a very long time. Those of you who know me know all about my obsession with the anime Nana. So of course the first thing I look for at the store is the famous strawberry glasses. Well... I have finally aquired them!!

Squeee! I also got a cute cellphone strap and some cappucino flavored cookies. Just as I had hoped and dreamed, 100 yen stores are the coolest place I've ever been. I plan on visiting one with a good chunk of change once we get our place so that I don't have to buy all the expensive stuff at the exchange.

That's all for now! I'm going to go get start some laundry and go outside and read. It's a beautiful day!