If it Isn't a Heated Toilet Seat...

…then it’s the squat toilet.

I hate those things. So awkward! I am a girl. I envy the guys.

No Japanese lesson for now. Need to backtrack.

After much broo-haha and a bit of confusion, I finally got to the guest house. I saw why my landlady wanted to meet me at the conbini and direct the driver – there is no road in front of the house. No paved road at least. There are old, somewhat uneven stone stairs. I looked at those stairs in such dread – I hate stairs. And I have pretty shoes. So much for that.

Paid my deposit and my first month’s rent. I don’t have a picture of my room yet but here is a description:

It’s HUGE. For 6 tatami mats, it’s great. It’s bigger than my little sister’s room back home. I have the garden room, so it opens up on two sides to the garden. There is a little walkway right outside the shoji screens, so I can hang my laundry there. (Note – need to get some form of laundry rack – I don't want my housemates to see my laundry.) It came with a low table, small bookshelf and small dresser, so yes! I don’t need to buy a desk. What I did need to get was those plastic drawer containers, as I have no closet. Here is a picture of my room from the house’s website (until I finish decorating, this is all you get):



I sleep on the floor with a futon. For some strange reason, my back has been bothering me since before I left; given that sleeping on the floor is purported to be a good thing, this futon thing isn't as bad as I thought.

Finally met up with Deena! So good to see her and it’s really freaky in a way how we are meeting up in a different country 6000 miles away from home. So we went to this little coffee shop that had a lunch special, and with my halting katakana, we were able to order the teriyaki burger lunch special and a chocolate ice cream parfait. I HATE katakana, but now my appreciation for it is increasing, as I can read all of the stuff that’s in katakana, but not kanji. As for the kanji, its coming back – and so is my speaking ability. I am surviving. I can ask people for help. I can order lunch. I can get my Alien Registration Card – and use the correct term for it.

After lunch, Deena and I went to the Sakyo Ward office. Met up with Ingram and a girl from Spain named Judith and got the AR card process rolling (until it’s ready, I have to carry my passport, since it has the temporary AR form in it) and health insurance. Have to pay a premium of about $18 a month.

After, we went to Kyodai to register. Here is the great thing now:

1) I have a library card. I thought I would have to apply for it, but they got it for me already.
2) My ID doesn’t say kenkyuusei! WOO-HOO! This means I can get my student discount on the cell phone (50% off the bill!) since my visa says college student on it. Fulbrighters have had problems getting the student discount because their ID’s say kenkyuusei. Judith said that others who came to Kyoto on the Monbusho in April said they got their cell phones with the discount using that ID. Yes!

After Kyodai, Deena and I left Ingram because I wanted to go to Muji and Seria, a 100-yen shop. I couldn’t find Muji at first, so we went to Takashimaya to ask. I like Takashimaya for three reasons: 1-the information counter ladies were really nice and helpful, 2-I can exchange currency there at a good rate and commission free (so if you visit me, only take enough yen to get you through the first day, I’ll take you to Takashimaya for the rest) and 3-they have cute tote bags for 500 yen. However, I hate Takashimaya as well. Why?

They have those damn Asian squat toilets.

At the coffee shop, I needed to go to the bathroom. It was a squat toilet. The public bathroom was a squat toilet. I’ll bet the toilet at the Sakyo Ward office was a squat toilet as well. Thank god the toilets at the house are new, clean and not squat.

However, the toilet at Takashimaya isn’t that bad. It’s clean. The bathroom is nice. And there is a pole on the wall to help keep your balance. Live and learn. And then try not to fall into the toilet.

So with the help of the Takishimaya ladies, Deena and I found Muji. But first, we went to Seria.

Seria is great. It's a 100-yen shop. Rather, everything is 105 yen since there is tax. But it’s great. I got RITZ CRACKERS for a buck! I got English breakfast tea, green tea, a teapot, slippers, small bulletin board, letter tray and some storage boxes for my school supplies, and thumbtacks and a bunch of other little goodies. They have school supplies there too so I will be going there for notebooks and stuff. You can’t say no when its just a dollar!

Afterwards, we went to Muji. A bit on the expensive side, but it’s nice and has the clear plastic stackable drawers that I wanted for about 1400 yen, and I got the big ones. Need to get two more of those, and a smaller one. I have no closets so everything (even my jackets) go in the drawers. Pretty much because I want my room to be kept neat. I was able to get one of the guys at Muji to help me get my futon stuff – so that’s another indicator that my Japanese is pretty decent.

Took a bus back from the Shijo-Kawaramachi shopping area, which is an awesome place. I saw a bowling alley. Don't care much for pachinko – what is the point of that anyway? Deena and I were tired and hot. You would not believe the humidity in OCTOBER. You try carrying a futon mattress, two plastic drawers and a bag full of 100 yen stuff a very long way.

Since it was so humid and we were so tired, we actually found a Starbucks. No Venti! Just short, tall and grande. Fine by me. Venti seems to be too much anyways. No air conditioners though, seemed that the whole city decided to be humid yesterday. Even in the buildings.

On our way back, we dropped by the Family Mart conbini to get a few things to eat. I always keep forgetting to put the money to pay for things in the tray; I always give the money directly to the person. Practically collapsed when we got to my house, but I needed to unpack and start putting everything away.