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My little Nishi Azabu apaato

ima (living room)
another view
(with my printer intruding on the right)
In this little living room , I find it more comfy to sit on pillows on the floor at my little table than to sit on the not-very-deep couch. I eat meals at this little table and entertain guests there as well. It was very cosy and snug with three of us sitting here when I had my neighbors over for dinner.
daidokoro (kitchen)

The hot water for the kitchen comes from this little gas heater above the sink. When I wash dishes, I push the little button (sometimes it needs to be primed a few times!) and finally hot water comes out of the gooseneck tap.

Typical of a lot of japanese apartments, there is no oven. Just a small, two-burner gas range. The kettle gives an idea of the scale here. There is just enough room in front of this little sink and range area to turn around and face the small refridgerator and microwave/toaster oven.

 
furoba/benjo (bathroom/toilet)
(I suppose I was being polite when I cropped the toilet!)

My little bathroom has a small tub, a sink, a toilet, and a washing machine where the shower should be. (I just shower in the tub.) Bathrooms (furoba) in traditional Japanese houses didn't have toilets in them. The toilet was installed in a separate room. But modern apartments seem to have them together. The word "benjo" is not considered a polite term. You're expected to use "tearai" (hand-washing place) or "toire" (a "borrowed" word for toilet) in polite company.
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updated 11/18/08 4:07 PM