Ohayo gozaimasu,
Sorry to not have updated for so long. The good (or bad) news is that updates should get much more regular from here on in. I'm going to be at home all day with not much to do. Also, we're online at home now, so we have more time and comfort etc. It's been a pain having to drag out to the manga kissa (net/comic cafes) every time one needs to check the net. It's surprised me a great deal how much it's affected me and how much I rely on it for information. We've been out to Hakone, which is a spa resort for the weekend, more of that later. We have a phone line, or we will do once we've got a phone that works to go into it. We found a phone in the house but it has no adaptor. So, off to Shinjuku Yodabashi Camera who seem to sell everything in the world that uses electricity. The boxes have arrived but they're not nearly as bad as we had feared. We've got them all broken down and on the balcony out of the way for now. I have the worrying feeling they will all have to be cut into A4 pieces for the recycling. Actually, that's a slight lie. We saved three nice-sized boxes. Anyway, things look like they're going to fit into places and we might even have quite a lot of leftover space. There will be pictures and a full report when we've let things settle a bit. It feels as though this is a big change in our Tokyo time. After all, it's nice to have our stuff in the flat and feels much less like we're on holiday. We have had visitors from both sides, Em's family friend Etsuko, my friend Suzy and Em's friends-of-a-friend Suzy and Suzanne. So, it's been nice to pass on all the tips we're rapidly gaining on Tokyo life. Not to mention indulging one's inner tour guide. On the other hand, it's nice to have someone to go exploring with and finding the bits of Tokyo that aren't Shinjuku. It genuinely feels as though the city is starting to open up a lot more. The system of the city seems to become more visible and it's not that unlike London in many respects, to be honest. But it's different enough to keep us amused. The Japanese lessons are coming along well, I'm hoping to be able to read hiragana/katakana fairly soon. Kanji can wait a little while. It's a nightmare. Kana will make a big difference in life, as at the moment we are almost totally illiterate (sp?) and that's holding us back. Not too much though, we still go into restaurants and merrily struggle along without an english menu to the delight of the staff. Em was drawing little cows and pigs (we couldn't have chicken because they were hard to draw) the other day in a local restaurant. So, no word on Em's visa, but I think mine is in the process of being applied for. I handed a big wedge of documents over to Shane English School on tuesday so they will apply early in case they have jobs starting before March. At present I am going to start work in March. Irritating, yes, but Japan's not nearly as expensive as lots of people say. On the other hand, the wreckage of the pound (cheers fat cats) means that we have no idea what savings are worth. Oh well, we'll be paid in Yen soon and that'll even things out.
I hear murmurs of discontent from many sides regarding pictures. We've taken a few on our phones to upload but we packed all our cables with the shipping. So, the boxes have arrived and we should be able to find the USB cables that connect our phones to computer. Our actual digital camera is somewhere between Bristol and Tokyo.
Upcoming blogs will include - trip to Hakone - food/drink special - cycling - funny mascots/signs - home sweet home
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