Accommodations

What you see is pretty much what you get with this one, with the exception of a small area to the right of the door, which houses a sink. At first I thought there was no way I could be comfortable in such a small room.

But I've already found that there's plenty of room for me and my belongings (if only because I packed fairly lightly). I don't know yet if overnight guests are allowed, but I do believe there's even room enough for a futon on the floor next to my bed. The wall to the left is all built-ins, with both open and closed storage, a small desk, and a space for the small fridge/freezer. There's storage under the bed as well. I may have to send for more things from home to fill all the empty space!

The sliding glass doors on the far wall open onto a small balcony that faces the driveway of the house. I also have a private toilet (which has a sink on the back...WTF), and remote control air conditioning. Speaking of which...

This little thing amazes and frustrates me. It's a small switchplate just inside the door, right next to the main light switch. Those are my keys; the key to this is the same key I use to lock my door when I leave for the day.

I'm probably being a spoiled, wasteful American, but when I come in from a hot day, I like my room to be nice and cool. But since the lights and air conditioning in my room require my key to be in this position, I'm stuck coming home to a hot, stuffy room. Or I could leave the air on and risk having my food, clothes, and cash stolen. True, the crime rate in Japan is very low, but I'm living with a bunch of non-Japanese, and I'd rather be safe (if sticky) than sorry. And I suppose it's the green thing to do.