Today I got the first look at the completed condo we're moving into in two weeks. They had a little event in the morning at which we picked up keys and such (some people showed up with suitcases), and then the place was ours. It was wonderful to be able to finally see inside, and while I'm sure I'm looking at things with rose-colored glasses, that's just fine with me. I love everything about this building, the company that made it, and about our unit within it.

I'd been a bit worried about the lack of a view, being on the 2nd floor (out of 5), but now that I've seen it, I think we have the best unit in the whole building. From the living room we look straight out onto a lot of trees just across the river (not such a common site in the city), and when we go out on the veranda, we look right down on the Shirakawa river, along with a nice view of the Heian Temple's big orange gate. It's just wonderful in every respect.

The location is wonderful, as I knew (and my pictures attest to). To highlight how nice the area is, we ran into one of our new neighbors who, we found out, are moving from all the way... just across the river. They're moving, as the crow flys, perhaps 50 yards. They must like the area.

Mom and Dad will be moving into their unit in a week and a half, and we'll move into ours in two weeks. I can't wait!