My room. You can see that, at the moment, I have no bed. When I noticed this, I was worried I had misunderstood and would have to buy my own futon, but there was a mix-up, and I should be getting a new mattress today or tomorrow.
The room itself is pleasant, with a balcony, tatami floor, and a pretty wood ceiling that looks as if it might be made of bamboo.
Another view of the room, showing the Japanese-style doors. The left door leads to the kitchen, while the right two open on a closet. In the foreground is a "floor-chair," you might call it--more suited to the traditional Japanese custom of sitting on the floor.
You can sit on the floor because they aren't as dirty as Western floors can be, due to the well-known habit of leaving your shoes at the door, in the genkan shown here. The door at the far end of the hall leads to my room. In between is the kitchen.
The kitchen table, with the assorted foods I used to make breakfast, a healthy portion of miso soup with shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and tofu.
A couple of miscellaneous photos:
Apparently, Adachi is where Basho started his trip to the north of Japan, recorded in his most famous work, The Narrow Road to Interior. Perhaps I'll follow him some day, though more likely by bike than foot.
A nice custom—sure, it's not compressed air, but, then again, you don't have to pay for it, either. The can holding the pump says "Please feel free to use this."
I am missing my bike very much. A good ride would, I think, really help with this jet-lag. The bike path nearby really is a stroke of luck, and I look forward to riding it one of these days.
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