Our almost totally super-modern apartment.

We moved into our permanent home a few days after we arrived in Tokyo.  It is a great place-- about 2000 sq. ft (which is almost double what we had in Pasadena) with granite in the kitchen, wood and tile on the floors and lots and lots of space.  We love our place.  Tony posted some pictures of our place on cannoncenter so check it out if you are so inclined.  

Living in a "modern" Japanese apartment has its perks.  First of all, you never have to touch the toilet when you use it.  You walk into the bathroom, the seat opens, you sit down on the heated seat, you have a variety of toilet functions to choose from-- a bidet, warm air, water temperature... just look at the toilet control panel and you'll know that you  don't need a magazine to use the bathroom in our apartment-- just figuring out the toilet it interesting enough.  Then, when you stand up, the toilet flushes (a small flush for #1, a big flush for #2-- don't ask me how it knows) and the seat closes.  Pretty cool.  Tony has a little video of the toilet posted on cannoncenter too.

But the fun doesn't stop there.  When you open the door to our entryway, the entryway lights automatically turn on-- so no searching for a difficult-to-find light switch.  And in the kitchen,  water turns on and off with the wave of a hand (pretty handy when your hands are dirty and you don't really want to touch the faucet).

Now I'll be the first to admit, it wasn't love at first sight for me.  I kind of got annoyed at the toilet for opening up when I came in to brush my teeth (if this thing can distinguish between #1 and #2, why doesn't it know I'm just brushing my teeth?) or at the water faucet in the kitchen for turning on whenever I pasted my arm by too close.  But after a week, I've decided I'm a big fan.  It's really nice when nature calls at 2 a.m. (which it often does when you're pregnant) to walk into the bathroom and only have to worry about sitting down on that warm seat.  The toilet does the rest.  Yes, I converted really fast.

There is one thing that is an enigma in this "super-modern" apartment.  There is no garbage disposal.  I spent the first couple of days here pushing food from the sink into what I thought was a garbage disposal  then searching for the switch.  Tony and I climbed under the sink, and even did a variety of karate chops above the garbage disposal (you never know, the sink turns on with a wave!!) looking for the switch.  It was never to be found.  After a few days I pulled the rubber stopper out of the sink and found this basket  with every single morsel I had pushed down the sink.  Yuck.  I don't think I have ever lived anywhere without a garbage disposal-- I kind of assumed it was like hot water; ubiquitous in developed nations.  Many apartments in Tokyo do have garbage disposals; our does not.  

Hey, but at least I have a warm toilet seat!!