It’s small, but it works.

There’s a six mat living space, a narrow galley kitchen, and a small bathroom. It’s probably about 200 square feet total. I can’t complain, really; if I’m going to be in Japan, I might as well live as the Japanese do.

I’m a few blocks away from Makuhari-Hongo station, in what appears to be a standard working class neighborhood. There’s an assortment of shops near the station, and a conbini on practically every corner. An expressway actually runs right by my building, but thanks to a fairly elaborate sound wall, there’s little noise.

The office is actually a few miles away in Makuhari New City, which is serviced by the JR Keiyo line. Makuhari-Hongo, however, is on the JR Sobu line, so I have to travel to and from the office via bus. I haven’t had much trouble navigating the transportation network thus far; as goofy as it may sound, I learned a lot from watching anime. When I took the train into Tokyo for the first time yesterday, I breezed through the station without trouble.

Anyway, I’ve spent the morning sorting my trash (unfortunately, I haven’t figured out the pick-up schedule yet), cleaning and organizing the apartment, and resting my aching feet. According to my taxi mate from last night, there’s a matsuri (summer festival) in Ichikawa this weekend, so I might check that out tonight if I feel bored. I’m not entirely sure where it’s located, but I suppose I could just ride to Ichikawa station, look for young girls dressed in yukata, and follow them from there.