Description of a very basic house in JapanI have been wanting to put down my thoughts about my Japanese residence for a long time. I realize such descriptions and insights, into what I would call my main environment in Shikaoi, can be helpful in understanding what my day to day life is like and also, more broadly, Japanese culture. (All pictures in this post can be expanded by clicking on them.)
The house is small - so when I mention that it has two bedrooms, what pops into your head must not be a two-bedroom house in Alberta nor even a two-bedroom apartment. In this respect you must think smaller. To obsificate the subject more; while the house is small, most people look at it as a palace (or a crime) for me to live in it alone. The main factor for creating such small-scale residential architecture is directly linked to Japan's high population density. I actually live in public housing, managed by the town. Referring to the image below, you can see my house is surrounded (to the back) with about twenty-four similar houses. You can see the neighboring houses with my house in the middle. Not the perfect shot, sorry about the snow. The only difference between houses in the area are slight changes in design and lot placement to take advantage of south-facing exposures. It's second nature in Japanese architecture to take advantage of solar power; it is striking for me to notice it everywhere, though its functional uses are quite subtle. You can see many other public housing complexes in Shikaoi. The large-scale implementation of public housing may be striking to some, but we must remember that Japan has taken a different route through history to arrive at a point with modern pressures and values quite different from Canada's.
I guess I will begin at the beginning - the entrance. It comes, of course, with the obligatory one step up - customary to all Japanese architecture. There is also a door to the right when you enter that leads to a small storage room. Nothing fancy, just for keeping shoves and brooms and such inside. I like the use of wood in the front entrance so I have tried to accentuate in the image. Up the step and to the right is the toilet. Yep, just a small room with the toilet. It does, I should add, contain one of the best inventions ever; the heated toilet seat. People laugh (or shutter), but this really is modern civilization at its highest and if you doubt me you obviously haven't ever tried one.
To continue, opposite the toilet door is the door into what on the realtor pamphlet clearly stated as a "Great Room." Reality is far more grim; the rooms holds just about everything not included in the bedrooms and bathroom. Since a shot giving the an impression of entire room is doubtlessly impossible, I have instead chosen to pick my favor thing in the room and focus on it. So while the sofa is nice and the T.V. is... loud?... I will admit to loving my heater most. It's a gas heater - a novelty for an Albertan - and it warms me in the cold mornings and I love it.
Also, off the south side of the house, is a large glassed-in room (the Pure Malt center can be seen through it in the image). It can be used for anything – a telescope, modeling, high tea - but I use it for drying clothes and this, in reality, correlates most closely to it's actual purpose (as exemplified by all my neighbors).
Next, opposite the large windows leading to the solarium, is my "kitchen wall" or "wall kitchen" - I'm at a loss as to which word to use to describe it.
There are some details seen in my kitchen that all North American kitchens lack. All cabinets in my kitchen have hard latches on them to keep them tightly closed in larger-sized earthquakes. This keeps the contents inside and off the floor. Also, if a bigger one hits, there are also quick turn off valves for the water and propane that need to be shut off. If a The Big One hits, I will have far bigger concerns than broken dishes. If you look closely on the right side of the image, you will see a door. This leads to my washing machine and o-furo (or shower room). More people have asked about what my washing machine looks like so I have included an image of it. It’s tiny, bordering on cute, isn’t it? I have grown to enjoy the Japanese custom of showering at night. I believe this practice stems from two factors: the Japan’s strong abhorrence for anything dirty - why would you want to get into a nice clean bed after working in a dirty environment all day? And secondly, because it gets so humid here in the summer, if you shower at night you can feel clean before going to bed and sleep well. There may be further health benefits which have escaped me (but I'm sure they're excellent reasons; just very subtle). My washing machine is pretty average. Others I’ve seen look like they came straight out of a NASA lab. In some examples they have somehow managed to cram a drier into the same washing machine.
I would like to clarify that while some have driers, and others like myself none, the preferred method, because of the high price of electricity, has stayed with the natural use of a gentle breeze or a sun room. Still, it gets a bit trying to plan days in advance if you need to wash something you want wear because things take forty-eight hours to dry in the humidity. I dream of electric driers now.
Lastly, for good measure, my bedroom. Clean isn't it? I like it, because it's where I sleep after playing hard all day long. It's deathly quiet. But is there ever any downside to living in a quiet environment? (Unless, I suppose, you count among your hobbies making a lot noise.) It’s quite different than downtown Calgary with the constant sirens and helicopters around Memorial Drive. My bedroom, not surprisingly, is directly off the living-room/kitchen combo. The second bedroom is just to the right of mine if you are facing the doors; it is nearer the kitchen-wall (by a few steps). Lately, I have been using the second bedroom as the headquarters for my little recycling program. (This is due to Shikaoi’s rigorous, strict and large-scale recycling program. Don’t worry about not understanding; mandatory large-scale recycling is coming to a North American city near you soon. It was hormourous (and a complete farce) when I learned the details of the recycling program in Japanese. But that’s another post.) Thus the second bedroom is mostly used as storage at the moment but it can be quickly cleaned and converted again for guests.
Well, that’s the end of the post. There’s lost more I could say but most likely I am the only one who would find it interesting. I hope you have found it insightful and have enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. I have tried to only focus on the generalities but if there is something specific you are still curious about please leave a comment or email me and I will get back to you.
Last night, as I walked to the Usui's, I found the streets nearly deserted. It's amazing how similar the effect of New Years and Christmas are. I believe that really is the best analogy. (Except perhaps that New Year's holidays lasts days instead of a single day.) Even now, almost every shop in town is closed. The nearest open grocery store is in Otofuke. I had foreseen this and had stocked up on Friday, except forgetting the absolutely necessary staple: rice. Alas, I will not be home for many meals over the next couple of days anyways. To the left is an image of the absolute feast that was prepared for us, it includes many Japanese delicacies. Just before midnight we ate soba, which is part of a long tradition in Japan. 
