So after knowing I had to basically move out of my shared apartment in Ikebukuro I decided to get things under way by looking at a private apartment in Itabashi which belonged to the same agency as my colleague was with. Luckily the place was spacious enough (29m squared), included a double bed, TV, washing machine, microwave and fridge and didn’t need any key money or agency fees which are so common in Tokyo.

For all its faults though, the old place did have a good bathroom and toilet whereas the new one has a unit bath (all-in-one) which is a bit cramped but I’ll get used to that I’m sure. Reading while on the toilet may be a thing of the past now!

Obviously there was no space to have any guests other than my girlfriend at my old place but now I can have the luxury of inviting friends around to hang out which is not a typical Japanese activity due to the size of their rabbit-hutch homes! So far Richard & Mizuki, Ethan, Gideon and of course my girlfriend have all been round to take a peak at my new lodgings.

Over the course of a couple of weeks I moved all my stuff in and I’m talking here of nearly 10 trips of varying loads. To think that I came to Japan with just one backpack a few years ago! Of course I could get rid of most of it fairly easy but in this ‘credit crunch’ era I thought I’d just take every single thing to be safe.

I’ve always been one to settle in straight away and this was no exception. Actually, its been quite refreshing to be in new surroundings which I am getting to be more familiar with each time I go running and get lost in the neighbourhood including some green spaces which just don’t exist in Ikebukuro. Although I’m a bit further away from my school in Shibuya I am nearer to my other three schools and also to my girlfriend.