Our P-Home

FINALLY,

We have found a home that I like--for the second time; and unlike the first house I picked this one was truly up for rental. I say I, 'cause the Unfortunates would have us living in anything that had four walls,a roof, toilet, closests to play hide and seek in, and was off base. I am a bit more discriminating and required it to be no longer than 20 min drive from base, 20min walk max to a train station, newer than 18yr old (mold allergy of the crazy Unfortunate one), and willing to take dogs.

Now I call it the P-Home because it is our perspective home and we are in the paperwork process of getting it. Since we do not have the 1,181,500 yen to move in, we have to apply for the Navy's OHA which assists you in coming up with the dough. At the contract signing, we need Y230,000 rent, Y241,500 agent fee, Y460,000 security deposit (Y230,000 security, Y230,000 dog deposit), Y230,000 landlord fee and Y20,000 for insurance. We have to pay out of pocket for the dog deposit, but that was expected.

The home is in Yoshii (yoshi-ee) in the Mabori Kaigon area. The area is well off from the looks of it and every home in in a 5 block radius is younger than 13yr... weird, but cool considering most homes here are 25yr and beyond.
It is 1296 square feet inside and 10yr old. The down stairs is smaller than I was looking for, but the tatami room, with paper shoji screens is right off the living room and can be used as an extension to the living room. The kitchen has a Japanese style stove so I can't bake my cakes, biscuts, cornbread, cookies... I am aready in mourning. The up stairs has great views, not of the ocean--can't have everything. The master bedroom has a real--and I mean real walk in closet complete with window. Upstairs has two more bedroom and a storage room that has a window in it too that could double as a small spare room for guests. The stairs are not claustrophobic like other homes we have seen.
Down stairs has two more storage closests along with a large bathroom and a tub that is Japanese-western style (Japanese tubs are large enough to submerge yourself up to your shoulders or neck. You just cannot stretch out.) that still includes the water circulation of Japanese tubs. I Love this feature, you can sit in the tub far past prune stage and never have a cold bath.

The yard is great; it has real-and I mean real grass. We can park our car right next to our house and we have 4 neighbors to give gomen gifts to. Those are gifts that you give asking the neighbors to forgive you for disturbing their peace and creating a dirty environment due to moving. We are thinking of giving Dove chocolates, or perhaps melon (if the commissary on base--a.k.a.:the fish bowl, little america,--has them when we move in) like last time we moved into our Japanese home. It is not over the top and it is not cheepy. Melon does cost here and is a great treat and US chocolates are costly too. We shall see when we move in.

I know the pictures aren't much but there will be more after we move--wherever we may move.

Later...