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ONE YEAR LATER
Well, time passed, work was work, and to be honest, most of it is a blur of boredom. Not much happened, and not much changed, which in retrospect REALLY depresses me. It was then I became firmly committed to bicycling across Japan... well, that and that I spent a small fortune to get my stupid bike out here and didn't want it to be for nothing! As with the other pages, right click on a picture and select "View" to see it in full size.
After a year in this dump, it was time to move. Actually, we were quite happy there, but Gillian's new job was farther away than before, and unlike her old job she had to stand all the way there and back. We originally lived in Shibamata, which is on the outskirts of the city.
So, we eventually found a place that wasn't too expensive, and much closer. Ichigaya, which is near the heart of Tokyo, then set about the move.
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The Move To Ichigaya
This is the moving truck. It took two trips, but it wasn't too expensive. Sorry about the blur, but it's the only picture I have that gets across how tiny it is!
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Packing To Go
However, this one gets a better view of the back as it is being loaded up. Now you can see why it took two trips. |
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The New Neighbourhood
This is the area in which we now live... dang I'm going to regret saying that when I have to come back here and edit it someday... but for now it's true. It's narrow, but picturesque.
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Around The Neighbourhood
This neighbourhood is located on a solid foundation of rock, and was virtually undamaged in the great earthquake a hundred years ago or so. As such, many of the buildings here are quite old, too. We live near the Emperor's Palace, not that we've been there yet.
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In Front Of The Apartment
Our apartment (not that you can see it) is in the top left hand corner of the picture, obscured by trees. But as you can see, it's a nice quiet place.
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Viaticus Rex
As you can see, my bike, Viaticus Rex, is now assembled. However, it was quite some time before it was opperational. Moving it here took a lot out of it, and had to be extensively repaired. I also had it upgraded a bit, adding some extra gears, replacing tires, etc... |
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The View From The Balcony
Here is our "view" from our balcony. Not much, but it is, as I said, peaceful, quiet, and pleasent. I gladly pay the higher rent just for this.
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The View Down From The Balcony
As you can see here, there is some nice stone sculptures in the tiny yard/garden out front, perfect within the setting here. The landlord is an artist, who has had exhibits around the world, and you should see the inside of her house! |
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Inside The Appartment (such as it is)
With almost everything in its place, we have by this time completely settled down. As winter gets along, that tiny space heater in the bottom left will be a life saver (before we had them, winter last year was quite uncomfortable)
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View From The Living Room
Though this appartment is more than adequate in size, it is darn difficult to find enough distance to get a good picture of anything. This will have to do. We have the laptop and desktop set up in the living room, and the desktop is hooked directly into our (much bigger) TV. We can now play DVDs and other videos from the computer onto the TV. |
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