just another rainy saturday...

I've come to the conclusion that Japanese apartments stink. There's nothing you can do to get around it. In fact, my door is open right now and I am freezing my ass of as I type, but it's worth it to get rid of the smell. And it's not only my apartment, it's ALL the ones that my friends live in as well. I'm serious. We went and bought inscents and it takes me back to the good ol' days of 7th and 8th grade when my best friend and I would lock ourselves in her bedroom, turn on Ace of Base and talk about boys. Oh nostalgia.
In other news, I am completely convinced our neighbors hate us. And the sad thing is, I can understand why. I'm not just talking about that wrestling match Takuya and I got in because he wouldn't give me a bite of ice cream and so I wouldn't let him finish it and instead it ended up all over the floor and walls, but what goes on outside of our apartment as well. When we found a washing machine sitting outside the apartment building late at night with no one to claim it, we had no other choice but to haul it up 4 flights of stairs and see if it worked. Horray! It has saved us well over 10,000 yen in the past 2 months, although it marked the first "keep an eye on these guys" tally. Since it was late, we failed to recognize the drain, and the plug, intact. Not just once but twice our balcony flooded with water. Our old neighbor, who's alarm goes off every morning at 3:30 came and pounded on our door. Since Takuya works more than any time card I've punched, I had to muster up some courage and face this guy that sleeps 3 hours a night. After trying to figure out what he was saying and then apologize, the next time I did laundry, I started the machine and ran away to the city. A few weeks passed and everything seemed fine... until the day we did 2 loads. As water rushed across ours and our neighbor's balcony and down the fire escape ladders, we realized that not only do the neighbors next to us, but below us as well have a small vendetta to get us kicked out of the building. Now if anyone ever comes and knocks on the door, I pretend I'm not here. What a coward, I know. Anyway, we did end up finding the drain, removing the plug, and entering clean clothes heaven. Now we just have to worry about keeping our voices and laughter to a 12 inch whisper and cooking meals at reasonable hours...
It's my friend Johan's last night in Japan so I must head off to meet him. (I also met Johan last year in Japan. It seems that this country draws the same people back, and makes it such a small world. Everyone I know here has been friends with each other or met one another in a past travel experience to Japan, and has managed to stay friends and meet again after years... kind of amazing if you ask me) I think I'll leave the door open just a crack so I won't have to sage this place when I get home.