11) The apartment had a
metal door. I never found out why it was
metal, exactly, but I did worry that we wouldn't be able to ride on it to
safety when the tsunami came (which, of course, it didn't). Every time I went through it I felt like I was
a U-boat captain (a giant U-boat
captain). It did have a mirror so I could
make sure my hair was in good shape before I wandered out into the real
world. (That didn't happen anywhere
nearly enough.) It was quirky, and therefore
I liked it. And it was such a cheery
blue (just like the TARDIS).
12) Yes, I slept on the
floor. I've always liked doing that, so
it was no great chore. Here was my bed
laid out for the night: a pair of foldable futons side by side, creating a
monster mattress that was one of the few things in the apartment to make me
feel small. The bed was so big I had to
step into the next room to get it into frame. I couldn't be a giant all the time, alas.
13) Here's a nifty
water-saving device. Flush the loo and
the water that filled the cistern poured into the sink above first, so you could
recycle the water you washed your hands with.
No half-flushes, though. Combine
Australian and Japanese systems and I reckon you'd have the best toilet in the
world.
14) Cakes. Mmmm. Japanese
bakery is the best.
15) The name of the
apartment block had the word "mansion" in it, which I definitely liked. This is a photo showing the opposite side of
the block from where I lived. There were
three apartments (aka "mansions") per floor. Mine was on the end in the middle floor, with
two balconies, a lounge/bedroom with sliding doors between, a kitchen and the
box-filled study. Note the water tower
on top of the apartment block, just like something out of an Asian horror movie
I caught on SBS once. Brilliant.
(continue)