One of the advantages of a 2-week trip to Japan is the weekend. I spent my weekend visiting my cousin Christopher in Tabuse. He lived there for a year in order to teach English. Houses out in the country are a bit unusual when you've spent all your time in the city.
The second floor of this house was the apartment where Christopher stayed during his stay.
Definitely a studio. I slept on the tatami mat.
Chris' sacred space. Chris taught me a lot about Japanese culture.
This tiny bathroom had a shower too. Chris was allowed to fill a small bag of trash each week.
Christopher performed a Japanese tea ceremony for me at this table. The VCR was flashing 12:00, but the buttons are labeled in Japanese characters.