Image dump

Videos

Videos for my Grandad. This is what residential Tokyo looks like at 7am.

Going back

I'm back in Japan. Not much has changed since I left and the big, bouncy earthquake happened. Lots of the new people who were supposed to be coming to our dorm seem to have got scared and didn't turn up. So my flat is quite empty; good. Also, Fanta bottles have had a redesign. That's about it.

New classes start tomorrow. I have a slightly nicer timetable this year. I don't have Monday off but all my business classes are now based a short, 5 minute walk away rather than 45 minutes by train. I may be getting more intensive Japanese classes though as there might be only 2 of us left to teach. The rest of my class was made up of French and Italian people. And they got scared and aren't coming back.

I've attached a picture of some 'sakura'. Japan's cherry blossom which appears for a few weeks in Spring that the Japanese seem to think is amazing. Looks fairly similar to Sandridge Road in the Spring to me. I don't see the fuss.

Returning

I'll be returning back to the UK on Feb 3rd for about a month and a half. I need to work and make money in order to live out here. Surprisingly and pleasingly, British Airways was the cheapest flight. Hopefully I won't be ill for a few days after the flight this time.

In the meantime I've got a little bit of Uni work to do. One short essay and one take-home exam. Neither should be particularly hard. The essay will need a lot of research though as I know nothing about the topic.

Christmas and New Year

Christmas came and went in Japan. Stores had the music, the decorations and the cheap Christmas tat but when the actual day came, Tokyo seemed exactly the same as any other day. I didn't do much because my partner-in-crime was ill. Got some nice presents though.

The New Year was pretty much the opposite. There wasn't much build-up to it but on New Years Eve the shops had been hit by a housewife tornado. The next day, Tokyo looked like some post-apocalyptic ruin. Nothing was open. I celebrated by going to bed at 9pm. Hardcore.

The picture above is from the Christmas party which the Hirabayashis held. Very nice food and we were all dozing off afterwards watching England on the TV. Mark bought After Eights to make sure it was like a proper Christmas :)

I'm partially back to Meiji Uni next week. Business classes only. Far too much work.

Une petit update

One more Japanese lesson before I'm on Christmas holidays. Although I'll still have the few business lessons, the next Japanese lesson won't be for a few months. Slackers. I'll be celebrating Christmas on the 24th and hopefully going to a nice restaurant :)

Been quite cold recently (I should have brought a coat really...) and we haven't done much of note. Christmas shopping, watching 24, class play, etc.

I've attached a random picture. It's where the majority of my lessons are based; in a place called Ochanomizu. Meaning 'tea water'.

Random Update

Been a while since I wrote anything on here. I haven't particularly done anything of interest. Just going round random places, eating random things. I've also been ill with (possibly) food poisoning. Ho hum.

I think I'm coming to the end of my first term at Meiji. Well, at least the Japanese classes. I have 3 weeks left of those and then I break for Christmas on 24th December - cutting it fine. I still have business classes after that but I only have 3 of those. I'll basically be on holiday for a few months before I go on real holiday...

I also have a new found irritation concerning Japanese people and cameras. The photo I've added is from a place called Koishikawa Korakuen; a small park in central Tokyo. Now the one photo I took was enough for me but Japanese people seem to take a photo every 5 steps. At the beginning I was considerate and waited while they took the photo before going past them but now I don't care and just continue on walking.