A couple of steps to the left after the entranceway and you make it to the kitchen.  A pretty typical Japanese kitchen.  No oven - hence the lack of turkey in this country.  We have an oven in our microwave but that's it.  All the cooking is done with gas and we don't have room for a dishwasher.  Dishwashers over here look like a Barbie play toy compared to the one's back in Canada.  There just isn't the room for a big bulky one here or in any standard sized house.  Off to the left is a dish dryer though.  The sliding door takes you out to our back patio (pictures of the patio can be found on the August site).