一人暮らし

Wow! I see the date of my last post was August 9th, 2011. No excuse really - I have been busy with working and painting, also being a bit of a social butterfly, but I intend on writing more consistently these days.

The weather has become really pretty pleasant here. When I arrived it was quite humid, probably in the 90s everyday, but now it is in the 60s and low 70s, crisp breeze and no humidity. It gets a bit cold at night, but I recently got out my sleeping bag and I am doing just fine! I am a bit intrigued by Japanese housing engineering .. Houses typically do not have central heat or any type of insulation. Like none. It seems like a bit of mismatched priorities to have a phone with 3G access and an apartment with no insulation. Hm! So, the strategy is to thoroughly heat one room of my house and hide away in it. Then again, I am used to Ohio winters with -15 wind chill, living broke as a joke with the thermostat set to 55. I think I will be fine!

Speaking of housing, I moved! My old apartment was expensive, big, and actually quite noisy. I will miss the view however:


My new apartment is a relatively old Japanese style apartment. All rooms (except the kitchen) are tatami mats, which are tightly bound straw. They are actually really comfortable, soft, and warm. The apartment has 3 rooms, a bathroom, kitchen, and balcony. I love having all the space to myself -- I have a music room with my synth and guitar, also notebooks. I have a painting room that opens into my bedroom, so the whole setup feels a bit like a loft. Very open. The biggest perk is that it is about $120 a month (what!?) and about 15 feet from the ocean. Every night I fall asleep to the sound of waves crashing and wake up to the same. It is really quite beautiful. Last night it was raining and I watched thousands of raindrops barraging the ocean under the light of the industrial section of the port. I was a bit worried about tsunamis or bad storms, but I decided that if one comes, I will just get a running start and front flip out my window headfirst into it. I mean, what a way to go out? We are actually really safe here, we have a large island (shikoku) that acts as a sort of barrier for any serious weather coming in. Thanks guys! This is a picture of my new bedroom, kept intentionally minimalist. The lighting is questionable because it is backlit on an overcast day. You get the idea though:



Time is going by quickly. I have been here for almost 4 months. I am learning Japanese decently, I feel like I can hold a decent conversation with people and get around town with no problems. Lately I see 2-3 people I know every time I go out, which is nice. I guess that is how it develops when you live in a small town! I am settling into my typical winter routine .. thermal underwear and big slippers, hoodies and martinis in coffee cups, painting bleak still lifes and looking out the window.

Will write more soon! I have a few themes I want to take up. If interested, I have several new paintings up at www.joshwalden.com. Lastly, ~ big thanks to people who found my blog on wetcanvas and expressed interest. You are THE inspiration to get in gear and start writing again!