Getting There...

Living in Japan, I think, is going to be drastically different than just visiting! I am thrilled about my apartment and having a space of my own. Right now a lot of my predecessor's things are in it, but I think it will soon become mine. Sooner than later, because I move in in a few days!

My apartment is called K-Haitsu (pronounced K-Heights) about 15 minutes north of downtown Takasaki. We got lost getting there because none of the roads have names, just numbers, and this area is very densely lined with houses and apartment buildings.

When you walk in the house, there is a bathroom on your right, with a sink, a washing machine (no dryer), and a separate room with a shower and bathtub. Next there is a separate room with the toilet, then the kitchen at the end of the hall. There are two big rooms on the other side of the kitchen, which you see in the picture. The first room has a window and a little table; the second room (the tatami mat room) is where I will sleep at night, after I buy myself a futon and some covers. There is one air conditioner in the tatami mat room, and if I close the doors I should be okay. In the winter I hear that I only heat the tatami room as well, so cooking and showering should be fun!

This city reminds me of any other city, except that I can't read any of the signs and the traffic is the opposite of what I'm used to (they drive on the left side of the road, like in England). Since I live so far out in the suburbs, I might have to get a car myself, but thinking about driving in Japan is scary!

I need to take more pictures of the streets so you can see how similar the layout is to a lot of U.S. cities. Of course it has a very different feel, but there are stores that are similar to U.S. stores (I went to a sorta/kinda Bed Bath and Beyond today) and the streets are lined with restaurants and stores much like Wendover Avenue in Greensboro.