On naming...
Site of Kugawa House
My nicknames have always been short-lived. I don’t like to just use last names either, despite my closeness to several Nathans. The most disappointing thing about the nicknames I heard in college was the laziness. “Crazy German Eric” was named Eric and he said he could speak German. I’m not sure if he was all that crazy or not. “Fatty Tan” was a bit thick and had a tan. Just lazy and mean. But denoting these buildings with wordy clauses really bothers me. Let’s have a name instead. Maybe this is similar to repetition of ‘my friend, my fiancé, my ex-wife.’ You don’t have to specify it’s your friend Tony. You talk about Tony so much I know which Tony it is and it’s not my friend Tony because I’m pretty sure I don’t like Tony even though I’ve never met him. Anyway…
Chuo House - This is the house that I live in. It’s located in the Chuo area of Kofu but it’s not a house, it’s an apartment.
Sekisuiji House - This is the house where my wife grew up. Her mother and aunt live there. The neighborhood streets barely accommodate small cars and there’s bamboo everywhere. The house is crammed with so much stuff - I guarantee I could find you 15 umbrellas and a couple pairs of skis in a few minutes. There are many gardening tools that I couldn’t possibly name.
Dream House - This is the house that belongs to my wife’s parents’ friends. Very close to the Ai River, Kofu First High School, and Midorigaoka Park, it’s in a nice location save for the nearby used-goods shop displaying mannequin heads and spooky portraits. There are actually several buildings. I imagined living in the house, converting a smaller building into short-term rentals, another building into a long-term rental, using the workshop area as either a study center, a band practice area, or a common area for the rentals. I could have been a tenant here but I wanted to own, I wanted to have control.
Kugawa House - This is the house that never really existed. I thought it was a terrific location for a cafe and AirBnB. A small lot bordered by the Kugawa River, the Arakawa Bridge, and a Hoto Shop. Cafe customers would be able to see Fuji and the Kugawa Cycling Road Cherry Blossoms. BnB guests could use the Arakawa bus stop and Kusatsu Onsen. For this place, I actually visited the realtor and an architect. The architect told me the land might actually be too precarious - it might crumble underneath the building, pitching it into the river. I never heard from the realtor again - the sign has been taken down and the lot remains empty.
Toy Shop - This is the house that is a bit of a disappointment. Recommended by a realtor, I was impressed by both the location, near Bunka Hall on Route 52 (aka Bijutsukan-dori even though the art museum is not actually on this street), and the building itself, a three-story toy shop. You could open a restaurant and call it The Toy Shop. I met with a real estate agent and said she know the family, she could negotiate a lower price. The next day I saw vans parked in front of the Toy Shop and some folks going in. I never got updated by the realtor, I never got to see the inside, and now the Toy Shop is a bridal shop.
Kotobuki House - This is the house that I bought. Just to prove I was serious.