Thursday we are moving!

I'm writing double today because these are the last couple of days that I know for a fact I will indeed have internet access. On Thursday, we'll be out of the hotel and into our apartment! It's exciting, but scary because we still don't have everything we need. We got the bill today for the apartment set up expenses and it's pretty horrid. It was exactly what I expected though, about $4,000 US, which includes the rent for the rest of this month and next. Yeah, it sucks, but this is Japan and that's the way it works. We have to decide how much we can afford to pay and how much to take as a loan from the company. That means I have to determine how much I owe people for used furnishings, how much I need for a fridge and washer, which have yet to be purchased, and how much money I need to live on for the next couple of months. It's all overwhelming, but I guess we'll figure it out.

The pictures above are of our home for the past month, the hotel. The poster shows the instructions for how to work the toilet since in includes a bidet and shower. It shows you how to heat the water before you push the spray button and how to control the flow of water. Many toilets like this have heated seats as well, but this one doesn't. Our hotel has been nice, but it was so tiny for two people to live in with all our stuff for a month. I will miss the free breakfast, but I will be happy to cook my own food.

The lower, bottom-most picture is of the outside of our new apartment building. Markian and I walked down there to make sure we knew where it was and to get a description of the building for deliveries. Only 2 more days!