Room 1017

It’s about time I gave you all a tour of my pad during my spell in Japan – no tatami mats and that, but it beats Dinwiddy House (and maybe even Whitfield Street), so pity about the location. That’s not to say Mukaijima doesn’t have its charms, but its proximity to central Kyoto (or lack of) needs no reminding.

Being on the 10th floor (Japanese style that is, as 1F = Ground Floor) offers great views from outside my front door and from my balcony. Mostly buildings and roads, but the wonderful surrounding mountains (with a temple perched at the top of one in the distance) and the vast expanse of sky above can create some dramatic imagery, from pink-orange sunsets streaking across the firmament, to billowing rain-leaden clouds, trickling down the hillside like a frozen avalanche.


My room is not quite as eye-catching, still rather bare-looking as I haven’t found a place that sells posters yet (but then again, nowhere seems to stock Blu Tac or an equivalent adhesive). But as I’m on the corner with only one neighbour, it’s a bit bigger than the average room (well, Baptiste’s at least). And now, thanks to my mobile phone camera, you can take a virtual look around (not as interesting as that may sound).

There’s an entry hall with shoe rack (for shoes), and then the kitchen is on the left. It’s pretty basic stuff (singular hot-plate, sink, glass cupboard to display all your food), but it does the job. Alongside it is my fridge/freezer and toaster/microwave. Yes, it is a bizarre mix and not to be confused with a toaster/oven (lest you use aluminium foil) – but it toasts pretty good toast and heats up plasticated slop, though it doesn’t say its wattage, so guesswork is the chef’s best friend at casa del Rory.


Along the same wall is a table and chair, a couple of bins and then my big bookshelf unit, which holds stacks of books, making my tawdry collection look somewhat embarrassing (even more so when it consists mainly of textbooks and comic books). Still, there’s certainly room for expansion. My laptop resides on my desk, which again has more storage space, with big filing-cabinet style draws.

At the moment, all I’m using for bedding is a sheet and a pillow (purchased), though the futon rental company gave me enough bedding to comfortably sleep three. Plus, there’s even more storage under the bed. And that’s before we get to the massive wardrobe – though the rail isn’t high enough to stop shirts dragging along the shelf. Design flaw or are my clothes too big? You decide.

My balcony has space for hanging up clothes to dry, a dirty brush, anti-crow/suicide netting and the other end of the air-conditioner. In a week or so, I have to pay to use the aircon until April, but I cannot imagine I’d need it during that time, and if it’s sweltering in February, I’ll get a fan. When I asked how they’d know if I was using it during the pay-period, they said they come up to the room and flick a switch to disable it…just a switch, eh?

Finally, my little shower room. It’s compact, but useable, decked out in funky beige with a lavatory (sadly not an electric heated one), basin and a hot and powerful shower/bath. A shame then that there’s a bit of funny smell when the water’s running (just as the water from the kitchen sink tap starts off a lovely yellow – it soon clears up, but it isn’t really drinkable).

Well, that’s about it for the brief tour. Not very exciting, but why not watch it in motion？ Thanks to mobile phone technology, I took two minutes of footage of my room for everyone to see. You’ll have to excuse the quality of footage, nauseating whip-pans and inane commentary, but it’ll give you an idea of my room as if viewed by a short-sighted pocket robot. Enjoy!



Be sure to check out Baptiste's blog as well (link on the right). He has a brand new camera and links to better pics!