Today I went to Hard Off (giggle) and bought a HUGE computer monitor to upgrade my in room entertainment system. My new monitor is 20 inches and replaces my 14 inch monitor. It only cost 13,000 yen (about $130) and comes with a 3 month warranty. The warranty may come in handy as the monitor appears like it is ready to self destruct.

For those interested, my entertainment system consists of:

• A VCR (bought from another teacher in Hello House super cheap)
• Playstation 2 (purchased new in Kawasaki)
• My computer (purchased used in central Tokyo)
• The aforementioned 20″ computer monitor
• An upscan converter allowing me to connect all of those devices to my monitor
• A small stereo to handle all of the audio (my first major purchase in Japan)

Being able to stay at home with movies or games is a great way for me to save money and keep sane.

(2015 note) Flat screen monitors were still not common in 2005. My 20″ monitor was a big, heavy CRT model, and was large for a computer monitor at the time. Carrying it back from the store sucked.