Sachi's House

My first observation upon arriving in Japan was: I'm big. Everything is closer, more narrow, and as compact as possible. No space is wasted. Backyards are a very American concept. Instead of visiting real nature or a public park, we would rather own and cage our own piece. There is no such thing as sprawl. So, one of the first words I learned was "senmai," meaning "cramped," or "uncomfortable."

Sachi's house is fairly typical for Japan. It is a mixture of Eastern and Western elements. There is a small garage for one car, and Western doorknobs upstairs. However, the main family room has traditional sliding doors and a mat for sitting. Every house has this family room with low table and heated blankets for the winter.


Before entering the house you must take your shoes off. No exceptions. This concept applies almost everywhere. If there is a doubt in your mind, take them off. Even when trying on pants in the fitting room, you must take off your shoes.


The house has a classic "ofuro" or bathtub. I had to learn the proper way to use it. First you shower yourself off and clean everything in the area next to the tub, then once clean, you can soak in the heated bathtub. It is like a mini-jacuzzi in your house. I wish they had these in America.

I first made the mistake of washing in the tub, then draining the water. You are supposed to save the water for many soaks. The Japanese are very conscientious of conservation. Modesty could be the best word to describe living in Japan.


I also had to learn how to use the toilet. It has a bidet and dryer built in. You can change the strength and direction of the spray, and even in the winter, the stream is warm. You never feel unclean and don't really need to use a lot of toilet paper--a money and tree saver. I don't want to go back to wiping my ass and cold showers.

The house has one tiny washer and no dryer. Japanese people hang dry their clothes. Another energy saver, and your clothes never shrink!

Sachi's father sells traditional, concave roofing panels for a living. When he gets home, he is in front of the TV, on the mat, toe socks on, and having a smoke. To Sachi's mother's dismay, both of her young men smoke as well. As I posted before, Japan is the number 4 country for Tobacco consumption in the world. You will see 60 year old men riding a rascal and suckin' a stoag'. Biking and smoking is a common site. It is always surprising to find that almost every dining or coffee establishment offers a smoking section. Someone explain to me the top 16 rating in the world for life expectancy. With the overworking, pressures of life and society, and smoking, you would think they'd be dropping like flies.


Sachi's brothers are Toshiyuki (20) and Yoshiki (18). I was confused for a while, too. Toshi plays guitar and Yoshiki plays drums: respectively, the members of X-JAPAN are Toshiyuki (guitar) and Yoshiki (drums). The rock gods have already chosen their destinies.



Toshi is into punk rock and used to tour with his own band, "Break or Die." He knows members of Balzac and worked backstage for Guitar Wolf, to name a few. He turned me on to a local Himeji girl band called, "Love Love." When spoken, it sounds more like "Lub Lub." I rarely see him, because he is always working at Zundo Ramen. It is the best ramen I have ever eaten in my life. The chashu is like butter.

Yoshiki works at a gas station. He likes David Bowie, T.Rex, and other classic rock bands. He plays guitar a little, but is better at drums. He always comments to Sachi about how cool it is if I say any words in English. For a while I kept saying, "gross," because he thought it was awesome.



Sachi's brothers remind me a lot of my own: stupid, gross, and annoying. I am really getting along with them.








Toshi also loves to cook in his spare time. Here is some food pornography to wet your tastebuds:



Finally, the latest in Japanese fashion with trance/porno DVD menu music.