I have an apartment in Osaka-ku Yao-shi now!
I'm so happy!
I have a wonderful friend is Shiori-san (who when we're all feeling playful I call ママ) who basically got her real estate friend to show me and another ALT around a bunch of apartments until we found ones we liked. Not surprisingly we both liked the same one and were pleased to find out the agent had two of them available! We're going to live in buildings on opposite sides of the parking lot to each other xD
Basically this is what I'm moving into:
This is actually pretty much the same size as where I live right now but for only 8,000円 more a month. Which isn't bad bearing in mind it's really close to Osaka-shi. I'm all of 5 minutes from a Kintetsu line station as well so that makes visiting Shima and going into Osaka really easy. And since this is all in my name, if I choose to change the company I work for, I'm not going to have to move again as long as I keep working in Yao-shi.
Only downside to all this is that I have to finally buy my own gas range/stove and fridge as the one's I have now are owned by my company.
But I have somewhere to live when I get back from my holiday to back home in England~!