We have been in Japan for almost one week and have had a lot of fun exploring the local area of Yokosuka and eating all sorts of delicious and sometimes not so delicious food. Probably the most fun we have had is house hunting, and the good news is we have picked one!
A little Japan geography first:
There are 4 large islands that comprise Japan. Kyushu, Shikoku, Honshu and Hokkaido. We are located in Central Honshu, nestled in Tokyo Bay about 1 hour south and west from Tokyo (purple arrow). Central Honshu (the area between Tokyo and Kyoto) is the most densely populated area of Japan and includes Yokosuka (our area), as well as Tokyo and Yokohoma which I believe are the countries top 2 populated cities, making that particular area the most densely populated metropolitan area in the world (most people per square foot).
Our house is in the city of Zushi, a beach town located on Zushi Bay in the Sea of Japan. Anyone who knows me will know how fitting it is that we are living in a beach town, and the best part is, the beach is only a 25 minute walk away! We were very fortunate to find a very new, Westernized home with large rooms. More to come in a future blog about the nuances and differences of Japanese housing and furnishings, because you cannot fully explain the wonder of a Japanese toilet without seeing pictures. :) Our house is also within walking distance of 2 different train lines, which will make travel to other parts of the island very easy.
We had such a good time house hunting, and saw some amazing homes. Probably the one that was toughest to pass up had an entire rooftop patio and adjoining smaller bedrooms to each of the larger ones that could be used as a dressing/closet on suite. However, this one was not close to public transit, which made it much less desirable. We also saw one with master bedroom floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the ocean, however the distance to Yokosuka was too much of a commute and the rest of house didn't fit our needs.
We are also in the process of buying a car here, although we are still in negotiations since we don't have our license's yet, so I won't say too much in this post.
So far, everything has been a great experience and the Japanese people that we have met are just extremely nice and welcoming. The amount of respect they have towards others in their community and the amount of responsibility they place upon themselves to live up to the highest standards is amazing, and really something to learn from. For example, we were set to meet our real estate agent at 4pm, and at 3:59pm we got a call from her, notifying us that she would be 2 minutes late, apologizing profusely and asking us not to leave.
This week we are in a mandatory training/orientation class, as well as taking drivers training. I will have much more to say in future posts about the housing and most importantly, the FOOD experiences we have had here. :)
Until then, Sore Dewa!
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