A Few Things

The three phrases I use most on a daily basis, without a doubt (applies for every single employed person in Japan):
1) お疲れさまです otsukaresama desu, translates somewhat literally as "O honorable exhausted one." I say this as a greeting, when answering the phone, and when leaving the office. The idea is that you are acknowledging how hard everyone else is working.
2) すみません sumimasen, perhaps the most often used work in the Japanese language. Means "excuse me/I'm sorry/forgive me for any inconvenience I've caused." You get the idea.
3) よろしくお願いします yoroshiku onegaishimasu, has the nuance of asking someone for their help or for a favor, but is used regularly when hanging up the phone or discussing work with coworkers.

Pregnant women in Japan have the same status as hand-capped drivers, in that they are allowed to take the sweet parking spots near the entrance to anything.

Sorry, no pictures of the apartment yet. I made major progress this week in getting things sorted, but I think it will take a few more days until it's pretty enough to photograph.