Konnichiwa, bitches!

Hey ya'll. First just wanted to bring it to your attention that I added photos of my hotel room in Tokyo to the post before last.

Now I'll get to describing my beautiful new home in Murakami City, Japan. My first few days here have been nothing short of awesome. The people I work with are all so kind and wonderful. I've been told by many JETs that I have inherited one of the best BOEs (board of education) in all of Niigata, which I now know to be true. The first day I was here, Ms. Takenouchi and Ms. Iyobe drove me from Niigata station to the Kamihayashi government building (where the BOE is located) to introduce me to everyone who works there. Ms. Takenouchi is and English teacher and the Vice Principal at one of the JHSs I'll be working at (she speaks excellent English) and Ms. Iyobe is my supervisor (she speaks no English). That afternoon and the following day, they also took me out to a fantastic sushi lunch, took me shopping at a store equivalent to a small version of Wal-mart, took me grocery shopping, helped me apply for my alien registration card, and open a bank account. When I got to my apartment, I found a brand new futon, sheet set, towels and rice cooker waiting for me. I don't have the time or space here to fully convey how incredibly kind and giving these people have been to me. But I feel so very blessed. I'll post pictures of them at some point soon.

So now onto my apartment. Its a small place, just a kitchen, bathroom, bedroom and sitting room, but it's more than enough space for me. All of these pictures are pre-decorating, so the place still looks pretty bare. Hopefully I'll get my packages from my family sometime this week and can begin making the space my own. I'll post more pics after I get it all set up.

Let's start with the outside:


Now, the kitchen. This is the first room you walk into when entering the apartment. That window looks out to the front.

Closer view of the stove, etc.:

Fridge and storage. The entrance to the apartment is to the left.

View of bathroom door from the entrance.

Bathroom. Thats my washer to the left. No dryer :-(

Turning left, you find the shower/tub room.

Here's the deep tub:

Turning right, you find the toilet room:

View of the other side of the kitchen. The door on the left goes to the sitting room, the one on the right to my bedroom.

My bedroom. Thats my futon on the tatami-mat floor.

Sitting room, complete with tiny leather couches, coffee table, and TV. The doors go to the balcony.

And finally, the view from my balcony, looking right.


That's about all for the apartment. Like I said, tiny, but more than enough space for little ol' Hannah. Next time I'll post my photos from around town. Until then, sayonara!