#vivalanihon

JAPAN Progress Report:  Apartment search, CHECK!

八月末から私が住む完備の１K <3…and it's literally a single room... 

I can't believe it myself, but I signed the lease~ So beginning August 24th, this modest and cozy Tokyo studio will be my safe haven until...well, until I find  a reason to come back to the US...交通の便利がいいし、家賃も安いし、日当たりが最高で、I don't think I could have found a better place~ It's conveniently (yet, unexpectedly) located in downtown Tokyo and is about a 40-minute train ride away from Yokohama. The rent, well, is affordable...let's just leave it at that...and best of all, the surrounding neighborhood has a park, restaurants, a convenience store, a market, and a train station all within a 10-minute walk. *THUMBS UP!*

What's more, the apartment itself comes with everything I could possibly need (hence, '完備' fully equipped). There's a bed/ futon/ bedding/ pillows, pots/ pans/ utensils/ dishes, a rice cooker (IMPORTANT!), a washing machine AND drying rack, internet, air conditioner/ heater, a vacuum cleaner, towels..you name it, it's got it! 

With this, I guess, that's one less worry I have for my upcoming adventure .......... who am I kidding..? Finalizing this one thing generated, like, 10 other new things to worry about ...... *sigh* =_= 

It's official~!

On March 28th, I was officially accepted to study at the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies in Yokohama, Japan! It's a 10-month (2-semester) intensive program and hopefully by graduation I'll be fluent in reading AND writing!...not likely, but a girl can dream, can't she? :) Realistically, though, I'm hoping to place at least N2 on the JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test). I can do that....right?

However, now that things are official, これから本当の勝負だ (here comes the real challenge). I've already found the perfect apartment! It's a modest one-studio about 10 minutes away from Roppongi Station in Tokyo, which is about a 40~50-minute train ride to my school at Minatomirai Station in Kanagawa. I'm not gonna tell you how much the rent is...but it's worth it, especially since it's one of the most expensive neighborhoods of Tokyo (...not intentional -_-). But hopefully that'll be 'home' until 2015 August 15, when I depart Yokohama on the 88th Peace Boat voyage! If things go as planned, I'll be in Japan until the Summer of 2016~~~~