New life
I took some of the furniture, including the TV, a shelf, washing machine, and microwave, but treated myself new ones, too, such as a semi-double size bed, a coffee table, and a clothes rack, and also a refrigerator, as the old one came to an end about one week before the move.
I perused furniture catalogs for storage systems to make the most of limited space. I bought a rack over the washing machine with shelves to place baskets and detergent bottles. Another brilliant rack could hold a microwave on top of the refrigerator and hang cling films on the side. The round coffee table was only about 20 inches in diameter but had three layers of glass tables that I could pull out and place a teacup on the second and magazines on the third while working on my laptop on the top. The bed could be folded to use a sofa, and I kept a folded and height-adjustable table under the bed when I needed bigger space for food and drinks. I had two lamps clipped at the edge of the curtain rail, which created a bar-like ambient when several of my friends came over for a house party.
Not only my commute time was shorter, but also I could sit down in a notoriously crowded Tokyo subway after passing Shinagawa, where a majority of passengers got off to change trains or to work at the Sony office. There was a deli, a few convenience stores, and a public bath across the street. A bookstore, video rental shop, and gym were all within 15 minutes’ walking distance. A variety of cuisines was offered at Szechuan, Taiwanese, Hawaiian, Thai, Filipino, and Indian restaurants. And Japanese food was cheaper and of good quality.
I was incredibly happy with the little castle I created for myself. Then, Sachi moved to my neighborhood a few months later, so I became even more content with my new life in a new place with an old friend. I stopped going out as often because I wanted to spend time at home.