Fresh Roots

 

Andrea surveys the view from our balcony

The train ride from Nagoya to Okazaki was full of excitement but also trepidation. As we drew closer to our final destination, we reflected on how much we had risked for an uncertain outcome.

After quitting our jobs, saying farewell to our families and friends, and crossing an ocean with all our earthly belongings, we still didn't know for certain whether there was actually anything waiting for us at the other end.

All we knew for sure was that we had paid our tuition and 6 months of rent, and that a driver from the language institute was supposed to pick us up in Okazaki when we arrived at the station.

Was there really an apartment? Would this driver be there when we arrived, or had we risked nearly everything only to fall prey to an elaborate scam?

Neither of us are accustomed to this level of risk. It was utterly terrifying.... but also immensely thrilling.

Waiting in Okazaki Station for our Driver

Thankfully, somebody did eventually arrive and, after a short drive in a micro van, they dropped us off at a small apartment building in a tidy residential district. Ok... so far, so good.

With two sets of keys now in hand, we stood at the threshold of our future. Literally.

We held our breath as we unlocked the front door to our new apartment. Would it be a musty, stinky old hovel with mice poop and cockroaches?

Immediately after opening the front door we were met by a wonderful aroma, like the smell of a warm hay field on a summer afternoon. It was the tatami mats in our spacious bedroom and office. This traditional Japanese flooring is made from woven soft rush and it gives off a gentle, natural scent. 

A closeup of our tatami flooring

Between the bedroom and office, a kitchen stocked with brand new appliances awaited us. The late afternoon sun poured in through the glass doors of a South-facing balcony by our kitchen sink. We opened the sliding doors to let in a cool, fresh breeze. Besides the occasional chattering of some crows, the neighbourhood was nearly silent.

The view from our South balcony

The bright, surprisingly-spacious kitchen

From our other balcony (on the North side), we looked down to find a small, organized garden bristling with bonsai trees. 

The view from our North-Facing Balcony

As we explored our new home and the sun began to set, a hilarious coincidence occurred to us. From our bedroom window, our nearest 7-Eleven happens to be within direct line of sight.

For those of you who are uninitiated Japanophiles, know that this is convenient. Preposterously convenient. Japanese convenience stores are similar to North American convenience stores only in name, and roughly in appearance. 

Whereas your typical Circle K in Ontario is pretty much a last resort, replete with staggeringly overpriced groceries and 3-day-old pogo sticks, the Japanese 7-Eleven is a blessed oasis by comparison. 

Cheap, relatively healthy and fresh food can be snatched up 24/7, 365 from these beacons of convenience. Rice balls stuffed with meats and veggies, rolled omelets, various salads and sandwiches, curry bowls and much more. They have various juices, milks, coffees and teas (hot or cold), just to mention a few things. Real food.

A variety of daily necessities are available too. Garbage bags, nail clippers, cotton swabs, stationary... etc.

Not to mention the other nifty services they offer, such as the ability to pay bills or mail parcels.

All of which is reasonably priced. A 7-Eleven breakfast of an omelet, rice ball, orange juice and a banana will set you back about $6 CAD.  

The 7-Eleven in our backyard. The beacon is lit.

The inside of a Japanese convenience store. Check out the selection. This aisle is all premade food.

Far from our worst fears, the apartment is amazing. Though it may be a bit small, we have all the room that we need. 

Our office

Our bedroom. Chairs as side tables for now.

The toilet / shower and bath / washing machine area

We particularly love the shower/bath room. It's of a typical design here, where the bathtub and shower area are all together in one waterproof space. Once your inside and close the door, everything can get wet. There is also a digital thermostat for the shower and bathwater, so you can set the water temperature with precision, and it will always be the same.

The bath also has an autofill function, so you can pre-program a water temperature and volume then just press the "start button" to draw a hot bath. The tub is very deep too, so you can fully submerge yourself rather than just kind of floating like a dumpling on the surface.

As a North American, you don't realize how much mental space you take up in the shower/bath...

-Preventing water from getting on the drywall, or the floor outside the shower,

-Trying not to slip on the smooth, curved, soapy bathtub surface and smack your head on something,

-Trying not to slip and die lifting your legs up to get out of the shower,

-Tinkering with the hot/cold water setting to get it right each time,

-Making sure the tub doesn't overflow when you're drawing a bath, or

-Doing combat with the shower curtain to keep it away from you, and keep the water inside.
...until you've tried a modern Japanese bathroom, which has none of these problems.

It makes for a much more pleasant and relaxing experience.

Andrea sorting some groceries

However chuffed we may be with the 7-Eleven proximity, we certainly don't need to buy our groceries there. There are several grocery stores within a 5-minute walk, where the food selection and pricing is even better.

Feast your eyes on some of our recent dinner purchases, and their astounding affordability:

A 10-piece set of fresh sushi for $5.50 CAD. The quality is better than most sushi restaurants in Ontario.

Inari sushi and maki rolls. $3.30 CAD.

One of the many little things we love about Japan is grocery portions. In Ontario, if you want to buy a loaf of bread and you don't happen to have a fancy hipster bakery in your neighbourhood, your only option is to buy a huge loaf of bread.

Just looking for a few slices for breakfast or some grilled cheese? Too bad, you get 50. I guess you're eating sandwiches all week, freezing the 45 slices you don't need right now, or throwing it out.

Here, you can get the megaloaf if you wan't, but you can also buy a package of 4 slices... you know... for the two sandwiches you feel like having right now without making a huge commitment. 

For example, see the photo of the cookies above. The sleeve of cookies (they're gone now) was portioned into little sections of 5 cookies. You can open the package, have a few, and the rest stay locked away nice and fresh.

This is pretty common for lots of grocery items. It reduces a lot of waste, and keeps things fresh. Once again, the motivating factor appears to be what makes sense and is better for the customer rather than whatever pushes more product out the door the fastest. 

Besides reveling in our newfound world of affordability and convenience, we've been wearing our thinking caps quite often.

Given that many things work differently here and we don't speak the language (yet), many an hour has been earmarked for... say... figuring out how to use the washing machine. 

Might as well be in hieroglyphics, but we figured it out.

Aside from reverse-engineering our appliances, we've been hard at work deciphering the garbage system. Due to strict environmental policies and a culture of hyper-cleanliness, trash is sorted into 11 categories (see photo below), with various pickup days from different locations within the neighbourhood. Specific garbage bags are also required for each type.

At first it sounds absurdly complicated, but after a few study sessions and a little guidance from the neighbours, we've worked it out. Though it's a bit tricky, it's nice to know that the garbage is actually being sorted and managed diligently.

Buying all of our daily necessities has been fun. It's amazing how many little trickets and shnibblies you need to run a home. Like everything else here, the quality and pricing of items has been significantly better than in Ontario.

Not to mention the variety... good lord, the variety of everything! If you go to Canadian Tire to buy a scrubby brush for your bathroom, you'll find maybe 3 or 4 options. Most of them bad, and expensive. 

Here, you'll find yourself in an isle of scrubby brushes with every possible configuration, handle shape, colour, bristle density etc...

Buying our shower seat. Yep, here, you sit while you shower. Trust us, it's great.

Evan biking back to the apartment with mattress pads strapped to his back. Andrea calls this "sherping".

Andrea hanging laundry on the South balcony. It feels very fancy saying "South" balcony.

Having our first dinner in the apartment... from... you guessed it, 7-Eleven!

We still have a lot of settling in to do getting furniture and storage solutions etc. so we can stop living out of our suitcases, but we absolutely love the apartment. 

We've only been here for a few days but it already feels very much like home.

There's so much more to share but that will have to wait until the next post!

We are well, and every day feels full and exciting.

More soon.
A&E