my new home could not be any more different than my last. so long, cushy 21st-century boston studio apartment. hello backwoods built-long-before-i-was-born japanese house. thats not to say this place is awful; its just going to take an awful lot of adjustment for me to feel at home here.
my neighborhood looks pretty awesome. i am ridiculously close to the greenest mountains i've ever seen in my whole life. the streets and houses next to me look as quaint as can be. it seriously feels like nothing in this town has changed in the last few hundred years. here's a video of what my neighborhood looks like:
my new house has definitely not been easy to get used to. my toilet, for example, is a non-flush toilet. this means that when you open the lid, instead of seeing a little pool of water just waiting to wash everything you might put in it down the drain, you see a hole. just a stupid hole. ugh. my shower is another source of conflict for me. i have to go outside my house to get to the shower. though the only things i have to worry about right now is getting my feet dirty and avoiding the spiders, this will be a big pain when winter comes. i am not looking forward to walking outside in the frigid cold just to soap myself down.
i suppose my house is fairly typical, if not maybe a bit bigger, than a normal rural japanese home. i'll be sleeping on the floor, on top of a futon (布団). to be clear, a japanese futon is a glorified comforter; it should not be confused with an american-style futon where a chair or couch folds out into a bed. lets see here.. every room is separated by traditional-looking sliding doors. ive got a room decked out in tatami (たたみ) mats. theres a lowered section in front of the front door where guests and i take off our shoes before entering the rest of the house. theres no central AC or central heating. its pretty rough in the summer so far, but im sure itll get much worse when the weather drops this winter.
im still living out of my suitcases. i have yet to make this place feel like its actually MY home.
my neighborhood looks pretty awesome. i am ridiculously close to the greenest mountains i've ever seen in my whole life. the streets and houses next to me look as quaint as can be. it seriously feels like nothing in this town has changed in the last few hundred years. here's a video of what my neighborhood looks like:
my new house has definitely not been easy to get used to. my toilet, for example, is a non-flush toilet. this means that when you open the lid, instead of seeing a little pool of water just waiting to wash everything you might put in it down the drain, you see a hole. just a stupid hole. ugh. my shower is another source of conflict for me. i have to go outside my house to get to the shower. though the only things i have to worry about right now is getting my feet dirty and avoiding the spiders, this will be a big pain when winter comes. i am not looking forward to walking outside in the frigid cold just to soap myself down.
i suppose my house is fairly typical, if not maybe a bit bigger, than a normal rural japanese home. i'll be sleeping on the floor, on top of a futon (布団). to be clear, a japanese futon is a glorified comforter; it should not be confused with an american-style futon where a chair or couch folds out into a bed. lets see here.. every room is separated by traditional-looking sliding doors. ive got a room decked out in tatami (たたみ) mats. theres a lowered section in front of the front door where guests and i take off our shoes before entering the rest of the house. theres no central AC or central heating. its pretty rough in the summer so far, but im sure itll get much worse when the weather drops this winter.
im still living out of my suitcases. i have yet to make this place feel like its actually MY home.
Saturday, August 07, 2010 |
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Hi Nick! Mike and I (Karin) just watched your videos. Very cool. Mike is jealous of your fancy video camera. Neither of us is jealous that you live right next to an elementary school and a pool. We hope you're enjoying your new life! Post your address (if you haven't already- we haven't browsed your blog THAT much yet) so that we can send a letter sometime! Take care. -Karin
your prayers have been answered: http://hitwithjapanesestick.blogspot.com/2010/08/my-new-address.html
Correction. You'll b e waking up to the SIGHT of elementary school kids swimming in a pool. Lucky.
- t flops
gross?