Chiba Days #2 - My Humble Abode

Hello everyone and welcome back to Tiro Finale for another chapter in Chiba Days. Recently, I moved into my new apartment in the city of Matsudo. Having settled in, I figured it would be a good opportunity to give a little tour of the quaint little apartment as I did back when I was in Tokyo. 

When talking about accommodation in Japan, space is perhaps the last phrase many would come to associated with the living spaces. If you have ever visited Japan before, Tokyo especially, you would have realized just how small the hotel rooms are. Apartments and houses are no different as real estate comes at a massive premium in Japan.  

Despite that, I was pleasantly surprised when I first moved into my new apartment in Chiba. Being further away from town, real estate prices are not only much cheaper but, living spaces are larger too. Compared to my previous apartment in Tokyo, this one was approximately 50% larger yet, cost 50% less too. 

With most apartments in Japan, they usually come fully furnished. This includes your basic amenities such as a washing machine, stove and the kitchen sink. Make no mistake, space is still at a premium and it is not unusual to find your washing machine located out in the open. 

The extra space means my apartment actually has both a toilet, bathroom and a sink. This makes it suitable for two to live in. The bathroom itself has a traditional Japanese bath, an essential for every household. 

Another essential of every Japanese household is a smoke detector. With natural disasters and a history of massive fires, the Japanese take their fire prevention and detection very seriously. 

Moving on from the kitchen and bathroom area, is the living space. This area is separated by a sliding door which serves as a partition of sorts. 

You may shut the door to keep fumes from the kitchen or outdoor noises out. This is especially important if you live in an apartment which is close to the main road. 

Behind these doors are large cupboards and storage areas. I initially found these cupboards to be far too large thus, consuming up much of the apartment's space. But, long-term residents may find the ample storage space useful. The cupboard on the left is used for general storage while, the one on the right is for clothes with a cloth rack built in. 

As with most smaller apartments in Japan, the living room and bedroom are one of the same. People used to much larger houses may find this aspect rather unpleasant but, there is a certain charm to the whole compact nature of everything. 

It is as if everything is always within an arm's reach and you never have to go too far to get what you need. The apartment also came with a TV but, as you can see, its size is more of that a monitor than a television. 

Having the corner unit grants one additional benefit. That is, a massive amount of windows. Almost every wall surrounding the outside of the building has windows on it which allows a great amount of natural light to enter. 

With the curtains shut, a lot less light enters the room which makes it suitable for not being rudely awakened when the sun rises. 

Initially apprehensive about living in Chiba, much of my per-conceived impressions of the place has taken a 180 degree turn after having moved in. With this as a place to call home for the next three months, things are certainly looking up.

With that, we come to the close of this quick tour. Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!