[Sangetsu]

Hmm, what is living in Japan like?

Superficially, it's not much different than living in America. People wake up, go to work or school, and then come home. On weekends they go out to visit friends and relatives, or whatever.

The language, food, and culture is different, but life is basically the same anywhere you live.

I'm in my office right now, the last of the students have left, and it's dark outside. Fall has definitely arrived, the heat and humidity of the summer are just a memory now, and the trees surrounding the school are beginning to change color.

The video rental shop across the road is busy, television in Japan is pretty bad for the most part, so the video rental shops do a good business. There is a ramen shop next to the video store which is popular with the students, and there are a group of them standing outside it now, leaning on their bicycles and talking so loudly that I can hear them from here.

Tomorrow I'm planning to take a hike in the hills which overlook my town. The hills are heavily forested, and I like the peace and quiet I find there. My school is located at the foot of the hills, near a large temple. Next to the temple are a large series of steps which lead upward toward a hiking path. The hiking path runs along the hills between two train stations, for a distance of about 10 kilometers.

This weekend I'll be going to Tokyo to visit friends. We'll meet at my girlfriend's apartment by the Sumida river, walk to Hamarikyu garden, and then take the water bus to Odaiba. We'll catch a movie there, and then have dinner at Zest Cantina, which is one of the few good Mexican restaurants that I know of in Tokyo.

On Monday I need to go get a reentry permit for my trip to America for the New Year's holiday. I also need to get my hair cut, and get photos for my visit to the drivers licensing bureau the next week. I'm in the market for a car at the moment, so I might go to a car dealership or two and see what's available.

On Tuesday I have to come back to school, and the routine begins again. It's not much different from my life in America, when I think about it.

As for Tokyocooney, his outlook on Japan is rather humorous, and there is a lot here to laugh about, but no more than any other place.