The Apartment

Fred No 2 went back to the US on the 3rd as it was the Independence days holiday over there on the 4th, not sure who they got independence from, could it have been the Brits.
Now I’m just left with the original Fred so I don’t have to keep putting a number after there names.
On the 2nd had picked up the keys to my apartment, didn't move right in as it was unfurnished which is pretty standard for Japanese apartments. It had been a bit of a palaver getting things sorted so I could pick up the keys, had to get a guy from Honda to vouch for me and had to get money transfer from the states, not hard just quite a lot of running around, anyway got it all sorted in the end after a bit of sweating.
Like I say picked up the keys on the 2nd but was not intending on moving in for a couple of days, needed to get at least a bed sorted as I didn’t fancy sleeping on the floor, I know it’s Japanese style but I’m a soft westerner after all, also had to get the electricity, water, and gas turned on as a minimum.
Basically i was going to stop at the hotel for another couple of days, it sounded like a plan to me anyway.
Didn’t do anything as regards the apartment of the 2nd other than go down and see where my parking space was, bit of a shock when I found it. The space was tucked away under the ramp for the second floor car park. Thought I would never get the car in with out hitting the roof on the concrete every time or something of the sort.
It ran through my mind that this was why the apartment was still on the market, everyone else had seen the parking space and said thanks but not thank you very much. Me, being a dumb foreigner had not actually looked at the parking space prior to getting the keys. Shot off to fetch the car as I’d walked to the apartment this time, came back in the car and tried the parking space out a few times. Found it was better to reverse into the space off the main road only needed to shunt around a couple of times doing it this way and it worked out pretty well. It was bit like the Krypton Factor but there was more space to the parking space than I thought and the car was not that big anyway so everything should be OK, as they say practice makes perfect. After that went back to the hotel and out with the Fred’s as it was Fred No2 last night in Utsunomiya for a while, pretty uneventful night went for a pizza and that was pretty much it.
Next day took Fred to the bus stop and he was off, I on the other hand had to go and pick up my Alien Registration card from city hall, I’d applied for this when I first got here and now it was my day to become a legal alien. In Japan if you are going to be here for more than 90 days or are working here you have to apply for one of these cards, it’s just an ID card really. All Japanese have ID cards and if you’re are a foreigner it’s just called and alien registration card probably a couple of other differences but basically the same.
Went down to fetch the card with usually Japanese punctuality the card was ready and waiting for me when I got there, had to change my address while I was there as well as I would be moving into the apartment.
It’s a definite no no to be found with one of these cards with the wrong address on it, you have a bit of lee way but if you don’t inform them in a timely manner not exactly sure what happens but don’t think you are ever heard from again, not really but don’t want to find out what happens though, but they do like you to keep it up to date.
Got the card and with the address changed on it so then it was off to try and find some stuff for the apartment.
Fred has already got an apartment and been it a couple of months and he had introduced me to what they call Off Houses. There’s Hard Off, Book Off, Garage Off, basically they are second hand stores, Off House sells furniture, Hard Off sells electronic goods, guess what Book Off and Garage Off sell, I’m not giving prizes for the correct answer.
There’s also one that sells cloths and jewelry but forget the name, but it’s definitely something off, no it’s not Cloths Off.

While we are on the subject of names you have to be a little careful with some of them as a slip of the tongue is all it would take to say something you didn’t mean.

Also found another place which is pretty much a junk shop and it’s crammed full from floor to ceiling, it reminds me of Aladdin’s cave, not that I know what Aladdin’s cave looks like only what I think it

might look like, in other words it has everything. This place actually has everything from Samurai swords, to gas burners to Pachinko Machines.

Got to say though think the Off Houses and the junk shop will be well worth looking into, who knows what I'll find. This piece is getting a bit drawn out so will sign off with a couple of shots of the of the apartment building for now with more to follow on the apartment set up, my apartment on the 9th floor by the way.