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More pics of Kichijoji

I had a few more photos…

Here’s a view from I think the 3rd floor balcony. It’s nice being in an area where the surrounding buildings aren’t terribly high, and you can see some trees around as well as the taller complexes closer in to the rest of Tokyo.

I’ve been in the city for about 2 and a half years now, and the contrast between urban and rural here feels so much more stark than back home, but that could just be me. The most glaring point is that there really almost seems to be no concept of suburbia. Where I’m from in America, I may not have lived in the big city but I lived comfortably and conveniently pretty much right smack in the middle of typical American suburbia. Schools, shopping, everything was within easy reach.

When I first came to Japan, it was to spend some time at an orphanage, literally out in the middle of nowhere. The orphanage seemed like a few cabins surrounded by an endless expanse of rice fields. You could make out a hospital and an elementary school on the horizon, and it was a 40-minute walk to the nearest convenience store and then another 40 to the closest train station. That didn’t seem to matter much as the kids and I were very well taken care of.

Then I came back to take a job in the city, and I missed the green and the immediate friendliness that is born of just being glad to see another person face to face.

I do think that things are changing, and I’ve seen city planning changes in outlying areas that are contributing to the slight blurring of that line. But is it a good thing or a bad thing?

And does it really matter? In the end, I don’t need my Japanese experience to be a total analog to that of my experience back home. Somehow, I’ve been more adaptable than I thought I’d be.

I’m thinking of switching it up and trying out another Oakhouse… they’re super cool about helping you move in to another house. That will be more convenient for work and stuff, probably.

Oakhouse is for living in Tokyo, but have you ever gotten outside the city? Awhile ago, some people living at the Oakhouse I’m in now invited me to go to Nikko with them. It’s up north in Tochigi, sorta in the mountains. It’s a historical area and it’s got plenty of nature, as well as the tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who founded the Shogunate in the 1600s. I don’t know if any of you are interested in that kind of stuff, but who couldn’t use a vacation, right? 😉

There are a few palm trees around, and I meant to take a picture of the bigger one last time I was here, but it was raining and palm trees look so depressing in the rain, fronds sagging under all that weight! They literally look like they’re sighing, haha.

Pretty soon I’m going to go check on another house open soon!

Kichijoji 3 Opening!

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Kichijoji 3 opened on June 1st, so I went down to take a look at how things had changed since I went on that last rainy day, and they were still putting on the finishing touches.

Certainly looks more like a home, doesn’t it?! Love the touch of color on the pillows on the couch. Big TV all ready for the 2011 nationwide change to all-digital broadcasting.

Big community board at the entrance. All the information you could need is right here. Floorplan, contact information, garbage info, and various stuff about the house on the whiteboard. The manager here worked hard on this!

Another view. The weather and sunshine was great that day. You can see the dining table in the back, along with the kitchen with its charming sliding windows. The space feels very open, totally conducive to a big cookout. 🙂

Dinnerware within easy sight and reach, and a stainless steel kitchen. Feels like a restaurant kitchen, and wide enough that you’re not bumping into people as you create your culinary masterpieces.

Washers and dryer in the bathroom sink area. There’s a nice area on the outside patios on each floor if you want to hang-dry your laundry; I’ll show you that later.

This room’s still a little bare, but I liked that it felt so refreshing just standing amidst the whiteness. 🙂

Here’s one of the almost-prepared single rooms. You may be used to larger refrigerators but you’d be surprised at how ample these are for one person.

The bedding and the curtain design contrasting and complimenting that nicely was sort of a happy accident. 🙂

Here’s one of the share-type rooms. Bunk beds are awesome; they were awesome at summer camp and they’re awesome still. 😛

This must have been left over from the last tenant, but I thought it was cute and kind of funny. 1994?! What were you doing in 1994? 🙂

Outside on the 2nd or 3rd floor (I forget) was this little patio area, right by the clothesline. I chilled out here for a little bit and looked out over the houses and trees.

Back to the kitchen — two rice cookers, a regular toaster, a toaster over, and a microwave. All you need for your cooking-on-the-fly needs!

Common PC, with Firefox, VLC, AVG, and a handful of other software that proves that someone who knows what they’re doing set this up. 😉

Hey, old friends! How’ve you been?
If you decide to move in here, I think it’d be nice if you named the faces for me and let me know what you decided to call them. I’ll get you started: the 3rd one from the top on the right side of the right totem is “Erasmus”.

I had a few other pictures, but I’ll put those up in a couple of days, I think. On a fine day, it’s fantastic out in Kichijoji! The walk to and from the station was really relaxing. This place will fill up fast so come check it out!

Oak House Kichijoji 3

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Yesterday I went out to take a look at the new Oak House Kichijoji 3 (吉祥寺), near by Inokashira Park (井の頭公園). The day was a bit drizzly, but I was surprised at how nice rain can be when you’re surrounded by so much greenery.

Once you step out of the station, there’s an entrance to the park off to the right. I didn’t think a walk around the park in the rain would have been prudent, but I’d definitely like to come here on any other day. It almost feels more like a forest than a park. There’s a nice pond and a small temple as well, and I was told that a bohemian menagerie of vendors, musicians, and performers of all calibers makes this place a regular hangout and chill spot, which strikes a sharp contrast with bustling Shinjuku. Imagine how gorgeous it must look in the spring time when the cherry blossoms bloom!

I also learned that at the end of the park lies the Ghibli Museum, designed by beloved anime director Hayao Miyazaki, whose animation Studio Ghibli is responsible for films like Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, and the Oscar-winning Spirited Away. The architecture is also pretty interesting so I can imagine planning an outing with some friends interested in that sort of thing.

All this and I haven’t even got to the house! We walked for awhile through the peaceful, green suburbs and across the street from an elementary school was the house.

Simple exterior.

Plenty of shoe space at the entrance, to give you a feel of how many rooms are actually in here.

One of the hallways. Off to the left will be the living area, which is pretty big.

Finally, into the room…

Collapsible bed, and useful desk/shelf combination.

You don’t have to retreat from the green; bring some inside!

This watering can is a metallic duck. Way more awesome than a regular watering can.

Japanese-style closets are nice and roomy. That’s a clothes hanging rack and shelf in the bottom left there.

You could store things in your chair, too. Store what, you ask? Books, snacks, secret documents?

The kitchen in this shared space looks like a restaurant! I can imagine this would be perfect if you were throwing a little party or just like cooking a whole lot.

Here’s the freshly-painted bathroom area, with several showers off to the right and a private changing room in front of each.

Across the street in front of the elementary school are these cool dudes. Each face had such personality that I felt like naming them all!

This Oak House at Kichijoji 3 opens in the beginning of June, which is right around the corner, so if you’re even slightly interested, get in touch with Oak House right away!