Welcome to my Crib ;)

All right, so here is the long-awaited post! Now you get to see where I be living at!!!

Yamaguchi is located on the western-most tip of Honshu, the main island of Japan. You see that little island off the east coast of Yamaguchi? The one that looks like a goldfish? That's Suo-oshima island...my island home :) I live on the base of the "tail" of the goldfish. The island is connected to mainland Yamaguchi by a land-bridge (thank goodness! I get super seasick!) It's about a 30 min drive from my house to the bridge. I usually drive to Yanai city, which is another 10-15 min drive west towards Tokuyama. Just up past Iwakuni, more up north, is Hiroshima...so I'm actually pretty close!

Suo-oshima is a merger of 4 towns (Oshima, Kuka, Tachibana, and Towa) as of October 2004. I live in Towa! There are a lot of old people on the island...lots. But they are all really friendly. When I go running, they will acknowledge me by bowing and yell out "Gambatte!" which means "Do your best!". So cute :) As of 2008 there was an estimated 20,163 people living on the island. Towa, where I live, used to hold the Guiness Book of World Records title for most old people living together. Yeah, my town sure knows how to party!!! :)

The island is known for its production of oranges and sashimi. It also has a bunch of cool stuff including a Jamaican restaurant, hand gliding center, Hawaii Visitors Center (lots of people immigrated from Suo-oshima to Hawaii to work in the sugarcane fields), Ryuzaki onsen, and good camping grounds and beaches. Haven't gotten to explore all of it yet, but I am definitely going to try out that hand gliding! There are 2 supermarkets (that close at 7pm I think...), 3 7-11s (the closest one to me is a 10 min drive!), and 1 little store for shopping (it's really small!). 

Me and Erin at the Jamaican 'rhasta'raunt! (The jerk chicken was excellent)

So now, onto the crib...

My apartment is pretty nice, thanks to the countless female JETs who preceded me. I was happy to find lots of blankets, towels, soap, toilet paper, pads, etc. in the closet. I was also provided a printer, TV, washing machine, iron, hair dryer, and heater, and nabe table (!!!) which was excellent. I only pay $150 per month for rent, so that's not too shabby either! I'm on the 2nd floor which is great because I hear there are a lot of centipedes on the ground floor! EEK! I also have a BED! Some of the other JETs that have let me crash don't have beds, they have to sleep on the tatami floors. I'm still looking for a super soft comforter and pillow (Japanese pillows are made of ROCKS I tell you!) but I have a couple more months before it starts getting super cold.

So yeah, take a look at my place...hope you enjoy!

This is my living room! Notice the new speakers on my desk? Hehe, yeah, that was a gift from me to me :)

My bedroom...yup, my stuffed animals are there too! A spider lives in the closet by the mirror there on the right, but we have an agreement: If he stays in the closet, then he gets to eat all the bugs and I won't kill him.

This is my mini hallway. Once you enter the apartment, take a left, and this is what you will see! The shower is straight ahead, while the toilet room is on the right, as well as the sink room. Why are they separate anyway?

Oh yeah, TOP CHEF baby! So no oven, but I do have a mini toaster-type thing sitting on top of my microwave on the right side of the picture. Tiny fridge (which I accidentally unplugged one night and had to buy everything all over again!), gas stove, sink...yup, this is where I make my masterpieces!

And this is my toilet room. It's one of those super cool Japanese toilets! There's a little electronic box above the toilet paper that controls it. It can spray your butt with water, blow dry it, massage it, and of course...flush the toilet, all at the touch of a button! I love technology :)

Can't forget the Japanese-style bathtub. It's tiny, but at least there's hot water!

And lastly, onto the wheels...

This is Koji, my 1997 Suzuki Alto. He may be old...and not too fast...but he's super small and cute. The muffler light goes on and off occasionally and the CD deck is always on repeat and only plays when it wants to, but the AC works and I get to wear one of those cool JDM driver stickers :P Yeah, I top off at 80 km/h...sweet? I know ;) I got him for $1100 and had to pay an extra $700 for insurance (2x year). Gas up here is around $6.36 per gallon. We'll save my driving adventures for another post!

This is Koji. I named him after this really cute little boy from English camp. Koji was smaller than all the other boys there, but he was one of the coolest and had a big heart. Good comparison eh?

Yeah, I'm all JDM out...I know ;)

This place may seem small and in the middle of no where, but the sunsets are to die for. I love to just drive towards the setting sun on my way to Yanai and admire the beautiful scenery and beautiful people of Suo-oshima. I am happy with my placement here! :)