寮 （りょう）dorm

Well, you might as well pretend you're being productive while you read about my daily life. So I'm going to help you learn some Japanese! Today's word of the day: 寮 (りょう). pronounced 'ryo' it means dorm! Someone else in my program took pictures of the common room area so I figured I should just steal hers. Here's the kitchen/common room/dining room area. I live in technically a four story building, the basement is where the common room/kitchen area is, along with the showers/laundry and the computer room. On the first floor is the entrance and boys rooms, the second and third floor are girls rooms.

This is the set up of the dining area. It's really just a mess hall but dining area sounds so fancy!

No ovens in Japan, just rice cookers. And toaster ovens, microwaves, and two stove tops per little box. (Language Lesson #2: in British English they say hobs, not stove) There is also a warming tray/toaster thing inside the stove. Maybe I will eventually take pictures since my explanation is not very good. I've only used the stove a few times, it's all in Japanese so I'm afraid I'll set the house on fire. 

Vending machines really are everywhere in Japan. This is our patio/backyard. The doors lead into the kitchen. The Japanese people take their recycling very seriously. There are so many bins and each one has a specific purpose. Luckily there is a cheat sheet posted, except it's all in Japanese. 

This is the family room! Located inside the dining area/kitchen, it's looking out onto the patio. Japanese TV is way too much fun! We have taken to playing a game called 'guess what the commercial is selling'.  Except no one ever figures it out since our Japanese is not that great. Yet.

On the left is the fridge. Each student gets a box to keep their food in, not too much space. The big silver thing is the freezer. Being American, I'm not used to grocery shopping every few days but we did find a store down a street near the dorm that sells cheap fruits. I have been there buying apples and bananas just about every other day, and since it's a tiny market the woman who I'm assuming owns the shop has noticed. I guess non Japanese people tend to stand out in Japan.. who knew! But the other day I was paying for my fruit when she asked me where I was from and why I was here, I told her I was studying but lived in a dorm nearby. Then she grabbed a bag of potatoes and gave them to me to share with the dorm. It was so nice! It definitely made my day, I plan on going back and eventually becoming the best of friends. She certainly knows how to lure customers.