This was my apartment in Japan:
The 1st shows my apartment building (I was on the 2nd floor, 1st apartment on the left).
The 2nd shot shows the view while standing at my front door.
The 3rd shot is the view from my balcony... that's the train to Osaka, which rumbled past the building every 20-30 minutes from 5 AM until midnight every day.
I had to pay about $600 a month, and it was a small 1 room + kitchen and bath, but it was only a 5 minute walk to the train station, which was nice.