In our apartment we are suddenly getting what we wished for. Unfortunately it’s happening now, not later.

Our rental contract gets renewed this year which means we are expected to sign some papers and hand over some money. However, before we did that, She Who Must Be Obeyed and I decided to request either lower rent or a bunch of fixes.

The management company opted for the fixes, and then did us one better, albeit at a bad time.

First, we requested new tatami mats and new wall paper in our bedroom. Because our apartment is on the first floor we get a lot of humidity which isn’t helped by every room having large sliding glass doors that act as water condensers. Our tatami mats near the sliding doors have gotten moldy and and the wallpaper next to the doors has become loose and moldy. All that will be fixed.

Second, because of the same problem, the linoleum in the Variety Room got moisture under it and it came loose. Over time the wheels on my desk chair began to tear holes in the loose linoleum and I now have it covered with a couple sheets of plastic. The management company agreed to replace that, but I suspect they are going to do it in an ugly patch rather than fix the problem.

Finally, the screens on all the sliding doors have torn and developed large “bug doors” that make it easier for insects to get in and out of the apartment. We were going to take care of that ourselves, but the management company suddenly confiscated all our screen doors and they are being repaired.

Unfortunately this means that during the coolest early July we’ve had since I’ve been in Japan we can’t open our windows and enjoy the cooler air without hosting several hundred insects. Also, the management company are in a hurry to get all this done at the same time I’m in a hurry to finish exams.

We asked for it, now we’re getting it. We just wish they’d waited a bit.