The bright, sunny apartment is in a quiet neighborhood with easy access to the train station. Besides being clean and comfortable, what stands out is how much effort has gone into preparing the place for a guest’s stay (especially non-Japanese speakers.) For example, the guest handbook has a picture of the control panel of each appliance in the apartment (water heater, air conditioning unit, washing machine) with an English translation of each button and how to use the equipment. Another example is that there is a dish drying rack (and dish towel) installed above the kitchen sink, a simple act of thoughtfulness that is sorely missing at the AB&B where I’m currently staying. I can live at Eileen’s highly functional place for a month and be very comfortable.