This shot was taken from just outside the front door. To the right is the door to the phone-booth-sized "unit bath." To the left is the fridge, microwave, toaster oven, sink and single-burner electric stove. Perfect for a bachelorette accustomed to eating instant or eating out. (Great Chinese food across the street!)

As an upscale "gaijin house," Bay Avenue made for interesting neighbors and the occasional college-like atmosphere. The first year, a colony of Korean students moved in downstairs and gathered for communal cooking sessions. The smells of garlic and simmering meat would fill the whole building. There was the occasional loud party, where you'd be encouraged to join them instead of complaining about the noise. And on one occasion, I bailed out one poor soul whose roommate had locked him out.

The living area, taken from the upstairs loft. The washing machine was located on the balcony outside the sliding doors.

I also made friends with my Japanese neighbors: the family that owned the liquor store next door, and the family who owned the Chinese restaurant across the street. The liquor store owners fed and cared for an entire colony of shop cats, one or two of which I helped them adopt--I enjoyed that since I missed having a pet.

At this point I decided I didn't like old-fashioned Japanese washing machines, which for some weird reason are still popular. The old-fashioned kind has two tubs: a wash tub and a spin tub. To do laundry, you close the drain on the main tub, add soap, turn on the faucet that lets in cold water via a regular garden hose (no hot water), add clothes and turn a timer that spins the agitator. When the machine buzzes, you let the water out, take the clothes out of the wash tub, cram them in the spin tub, shut the lid, and set the spin for a few minutes. Repeat cycle three times. Since my washer was outside on the balcony, I hated doing laundry in the winter--elbow deep in ice-cold water and clothes. The machine also ate underwear, so after the first year, I started hauling my washables to a coin laundry and using the automatic machines there.

Bay Avenue 102, Chiba

The upstairs loft was big enough for a single futon and a bookshelf. It also had a closet for extra storage, a window, vent fan and air conditioner. You got to the loft via a steel ladder bolted to the wall that led down to the front door area.

Rent: 100,000 to 120,000 yen per month, no deposit. Utilities not included.

Pros: Convenient to food shopping, friendly neighbors, lots of windows, especially the great big bay window in the living room. Air conditioner in the loft. Brand new furniture and appliances, including the greatest of winter luxuries: a futon drier. It was fun tossing stuff from the loft to the main floor below.

Cons: Far from the train station (30 minutes on foot, 15 by bicycle, no decent parking), hideous train commute along the Tozai Line, lousy bus schedule. The bay window had a prime view of the interior of the neighbor's house. The address was always confused with the other Bay Avenue building (Deliveries to my apartment, Bay Avenue 102, #201 went to Bay Avenue #101, #202). Impossible to shower in the bathroom without hitting a wall. Rent kept edging up. The steel ladder to the loft was a little tricky--fortunately, I only fell down it twice.