One thing I've been particularly anxious about is seeing my apartment for the first time once I get there. It will be where I sleep, eat, recollect and well... Live, after all! So far, I haven't seen any pictures of the inside but I do know my exact address which has allowed me to get a few pictures of *what I believe to be* the outside of it via google earth (PS you can click the pictures to enlarge)ヽ(〃v〃)ﾉ~
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| front view |
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| left side street view |
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| right side street view |
Look at those big green mountains ♡ ‿ ♡ Haha! But, luckily, I do have more information than just that.
First of all, there is actually a diagram of a sample apartment in the JET GIH (General Information Handbook) that's somewhat helpful, although very basic.
Beyond that, I don't know much about what the place actually looks like. I have gotten in touch with my predecessor though! Her name is Nasim and she's from London. I requested some pictures of the apartment but I think she may be too busy, which is okay since I'll be there in a month. She did inform me that I will have what is described in the GIH as a 4K room layout which includes: a narrow kitchen, a shower room, a toilet, a big living room, 2 bedrooms and then an extra room for storage!! So that's a stroke of luck, I have an extra bedroom plus another room to use however I'd like. The second stroke of luck is that I will actually have heating/air conditioning units in the living room and both bedrooms!!! It's such a pleasant surprise since Nasim added, "this is quite rare in Japan, so you are very lucky!"
First of all, there is actually a diagram of a sample apartment in the JET GIH (General Information Handbook) that's somewhat helpful, although very basic.
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| "A typical 1K [1 room + a small kitchen] room layout: The living/dining room may be of any size. In modern apartments, an open room layout is quite popular, with the total floor space often being 10 or 12 tatami mats in size." |
Beyond that, I don't know much about what the place actually looks like. I have gotten in touch with my predecessor though! Her name is Nasim and she's from London. I requested some pictures of the apartment but I think she may be too busy, which is okay since I'll be there in a month. She did inform me that I will have what is described in the GIH as a 4K room layout which includes: a narrow kitchen, a shower room, a toilet, a big living room, 2 bedrooms and then an extra room for storage!! So that's a stroke of luck, I have an extra bedroom plus another room to use however I'd like. The second stroke of luck is that I will actually have heating/air conditioning units in the living room and both bedrooms!!! It's such a pleasant surprise since Nasim added, "this is quite rare in Japan, so you are very lucky!"
My predecessor has given me some great information about my apartment and so has my BOE ALT Coordinator, Hitomi. Hitomi is the first of my coworkers at the Yawatahama BOE (Board of Education) that I've corresponded with and she seems very pleasant and has been really helpful. Of course I liked her immediately, since she has the same name as a character on my favorite video game-- Dead or Alive. Nerd alert (〃ω〃)!
So, until I meet Hitomi, that's how she appears in my mind (even though the character is a German teenager). Another fun fact: the name Hitomi means "pupil of the eye." Anyway! Hitomi is the one who sent me my Terms and Conditions and Notice of Appointment that basically outlines everything I'm agreeing to by living and teaching in Yawatahama through JET. In those documents, it is said that the Yawatahama BOE has actually supplied quite a bit of the furniture in my apartment! Now that's just amazing to me. Most of the time, on JET, all of the furniture in your apartment belongs to your predecessor and you have to buy what you want of it from them. Then when you're getting ready to leave, you sell it to your incoming replacement and that's the cycle. Worst case scenario, the predecessor doesn't offer to sell you anything and you walk into an empty apartment with bare lightbulbs and all. I was prepared to have to spend a large chunk of money on furniture but it seems like that won't be an issue at all! Nasim, the sweet sweet girl that she is, said that she owns some of the furniture too but that they're as good as mine. So far, I've been told it includes:
- table
- chairs
- sofa
- single bed with built-in speakers
- another bed
- bedding
- refrigerator
- stove
- washing machine
- TV
- bike
- kitchen supplies
Essentially, I'll be walking into a larger than average, fully-furnished, heated and air-conditioned apartment that even comes with a TV and a bike. Nasim mentioned that it's "nice and big, albeit a little old" but that's the best downside I've ever heard of... Especially since Japanese people and their customs foster such care and preservation of such things. Furthermore, this is in a teachers housing complex so the rent is pretty cheap-- only about $180 a month! Plus, it's RIGHT on the coast and only a short bike ride from the BOE and a couple of my schools (to see my apartment's geographic location, check my placement post).
I'm pretty much on cloud nine with all of this info but I keep having little thoughts like "How many windows are there? Am I on the first floor? Is the table a kotatsu? Is there a balcony?" These things don't really matter but they're a sign of how excited I am. I can't wait to see the place (and take pictures so you can see it too) !!
I'm pretty much on cloud nine with all of this info but I keep having little thoughts like "How many windows are there? Am I on the first floor? Is the table a kotatsu? Is there a balcony?" These things don't really matter but they're a sign of how excited I am. I can't wait to see the place (and take pictures so you can see it too) !!
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