Settling In

We moved into our new place on Thursday (Nov 10) and all went smoothly. Our furniture shipment from the States still hasn't arrived, so we are using some loaner government issued furniture in the meantime, or as it's called here, Fred Flinstone furniture. It's actually not all that bad, but all we really have is a bed, a dresser, a dining room table with 2 chairs and a highchair, and a sofa. Josh is still sleeping in his pack-and-play crib and our only source for entertainment is our portable DVD player, which is mostly used as a CD player for us or a Baby Einstein player for Josh.

The good news is that our express shipment from the States is set to arrive at our house tomorrow. The bad news is that it only includes a few blankets, a coffee maker (which Nicki is really excited about), a broom, and a few other small things. I checked with the household goods office and it looks like our main shipment of goods (furniture and other large items) have reached Japan, but they are currently going through customs. I've been told that it could be another week or two before it'll be dropped off at our place.

In the meantime, we're living without a home telephone, cell phones, or a home computer. So if it takes us a while to update the blog, you know why.

Kamakura Again

Over this past weekend, we went back to Kamakura... this time to see the Daibutsu, or "Great Buddha". It really lives up to it's name, too. That thing is huge. What was especially neat about the trip for me anyway was that we had to transfer train lines to get there. It was the first time that we had to buy a transfer ticket without help and we succeeded.



This coming weekend, we're planning a trip to Yokohama to see Chinatown and hopefully the Landmark Tower, which apparently is the tallest building in Japan. If it's a clear day, we'll try to head to the top and see what we can see.

"I Feel Violated"

Nicki wrote a pretty good diary entry the other day about moving into the new place, so I'll let her fill you in about that. But there is one interesting item in the house that I wanted to discuss... our Japanese toilet. We actually have two toilets in the house. The upstairs one is American style, but the downstairs one is Japanese style. There are several different buttons and handles to choose from while performing one's duties. What we've figured out so far is that one knob controls the heat level of the toilet seat - that's a nice feature in our relatively un-insulated house. Every time you sit down, your cheeks meet up with a nice and toasty seat. Not sure yet what a couple of other knobs do yet, but I'm sure we'll figure it out sooner or later. Then, there's the magic handle.

The magic handle controls a hose feature in the toilet bowl that sends a spray of water towards someone's rear end or other nearby anatomy. I was hesitant to try the magic handle, but finally came around and used it. And let me just tell you... it was probably the strangest feeling ever. I was also surprised to learn, as the water sprayed against my unprotected bum with a more-than-moderate pressure, that it's heated water. And if you're not ready for heated, high pressured water against your vulnerable parts, it's a bit of a shock. I nearly jumped off the seat and did a header into the bathroom door. Nicki tried it too, and when it was over she summed it up with a simple, "I feel violated". I couldn't have said it any better myself.