No, I’m exaggerating. My apartment is very reasonably sized for what I’m paying (about $600 a month) and is fine for one person. In total it is 7.5 mats-mats being a tatami mat, a traditional floor covering, which are 90×180cm (or about 1.62 square meters) in size each-or around 120 square feet total. At least this is what they told me before I moved in. I think its probably larger than that, because the main room itself seems like a 10×12ft room, with the bathroom and kitchen area combined probably another 10×12ft room. The shower/tub room is really big and I was pleasantly surprised to find that I can actually take a shower while standing up!

When I moved in, the place was absolutely filthy. My first weekend here I spent hours scrubbing the floors to get them clean. I had to buy sheets, pillows, hangers, towels, chopsticks, pots and pans, dishes, and on and on and on. And then there was the problem with my balcony. The night I moved in it was pouring rain outside. This wouldn’t normally be a problem except the rain was flooding my balcony to the point that I couldn’t even open the door. Turns out there is an emergency hatch on the roof above my balcony, and the water was just flooding down from every edge of it. In the following days it also started to flood when it wasn’t raining, so my only theory is that whoever lives above me is running their washing machine and its draining down onto my balcony. I’ve already informed my landlord about it in email, twice, so hopefully that gets resolved soon! He (the landlord) does seem rather responsive and did bring me a pillow, blanket, and a set of plates and a pan to use.

Anyway, any issues this apartment have are essentially negated by the fact that its a 20 second walk to the nearest train station, and is only 3 stops away on the same subway line as the consulate. Total commute time: ~13 minutes.

Onward to photos:

The bedroom/main room as viewed from the doorway to the kitchen area:

Looking back towards the entrance to the main room you can see my bed on one side, fridge with microwave on top and door to balcony on the other:

Looking towards my doorway, and a picture of my minuscule kitchen. When I clean dishes I have to put a towel onto the floor and rest them there, because there is no counter space at all. Cooking food is pretty difficult too in such a confined space. It pretty much sucks:

Opposite the kitchen is this door. Hmm, where does it lead? Well to the bathroom of course! Its separated into three rooms. In the main area is the sink and vanity. There are doors on the left and right sides:

On the left side is the toilet. Thats all thats in there, just a toilet all by its lonesome. On the right is this folding door…

…which leads to the combo shower and bathtub room. See what you’re supposed to do is shower yourself off while sitting on a little stool, then stepping into your bathtub which is full of hot water. Except baths really aren’t my thing especially when its hot and humid outside all day. Oh well, at least I have a lot of space: