Today I thought I would share with you my kitchen in our small Tokyo apartment. I was actually inspired by my rare clean kitchen sink this morning. This extra wide sink is common in Japan and a great place to hide the day's dirty dishes and I confess to you that it is usually full of cups, plates and utensils that are patiently waiting to be washed up.  Since the build-in-counter space is so limited (only 1 1/2  feet by 2 feet on the left side of the sink) my dish drying rack is suspended over the sink. (Remember, no electric dishwasher.)  

If you visited my kitchen you would also notice the ever present liter cartons of milk and orange juice rinsed and drying upside down next to the sink (top right of picture). Japan is very GREEN so I will compliantly rip those cartons open, stack them flat and eventually tie them up to to be recycled.  

I am so thankful to have a "window" in our kitchen which looks out into the dining/living room...and out through the big sliding glass doors into our mini yard (a nice view of our hanging laundry as well). Many of the apartments for rent in Japan have a dark kitchen without any windows, so I was really thankful to get some extra very-needed light and bright. 

The walking/floor space in my kitchen is only 21/2 feet by 6 1/2 feet. We literally take turns going in the kitchen as it is hard to get both of us in there width-wise. We had to measure to the centimeter (we use metric here) when buying our refrigerator, oven/microwave (not build in and sitting on the counter) and cabinet counter (on the left). Even the garbage cans that are located between the wall and the cabinet had to be bought for their size and squeezed in without a centimeter to spare.

I love having the extra counter and storage space this little cabinet/counter offers (on the left). It was a splurge but well worth it. Granted all our food, along with my mixer, etc. doesn't fit in this kitchen so we use the cupboard in the hallway as a sort of pantry. Also Tim has to duck his head in all of the doorways in our apartment, including going into our little galley kitchen. Poor guy. A bump on the head is not infrequent. But we are still so thankful for God's provision of an efficient, cherry place to make meals and do dishes. 

Taste and see that the Lord is Good; 

blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him. 

Psalm 34:8