11a. The zous like to pile up on the bed. They look longingly at the chandelier. I conk my head on that thing regularly. Outside the curtained window is a small, square balcony. This is one of Tod's smoking verandas; he is part of hotaruzoku, the "firefly tribe" of husbands forced to smoke outside.

11b. The bedroom is at the front of the house. Because we live on a busy shopping street, we hear traffic passing by all the time. Trucks and buses make the house shake--I wonder what it will be like in an earthquake! Across the street from us is a high school and a bookshop. On our side of the street, we are flanked by a tempura restaurant and a women's clothing shop called Sendagi Sporty and Casual.