what do you see?

Still SO hot here! What's going on??!! Anyway, we did more shopping today, a necessary evil. Then we realised, by seeing so many girls in summer yukatas, that it must be the fireworks festival tonight...so we grabbed some beer and went to the park around 7.30. We got a really good spot and saw the hour long display from next to the pond - excellent view with the fireworks reflecting in the water. I'll put a video clip online ASAP, which reminds me, I have to get my web-sites sorted don't I?! I should have more time now, so watch this space.

It's still hot and humid here, but at least we've done most of our lugging and setting up. We did some more rearranging and tidying yesterday, took the TV back and then went and bought a new one from Bic Camera (a Sony 14 inch flatscreen - it takes up less room and it's environmentaly friendly, that's why we chose it, honest!). We've still got to go to the ward office and register ourselves so we can get our ID updated, probably do that tomorrow. I've got my first couple of lessons to teach this evening, Christine's out watching a kids lesson at the moment.

well, we're here, and so is all our stuff! the 30Mbits internet link is working well. we went out and got a TV today from a secondhand shop nearby, a good deal, for a wide screen 24 inch one - we checked it in the shop and everything, but when we set it up at home it the picture was too dark, even with the brightness fully up...so we have to have it taken back tomorrow and find another one...ah well.

had a HUGE thunderstorm yesterday night, amazing to see from the 11th floor!

getting there, gradually. we're taking a quick shower and lunch break now, after we got rid of the school stuff to the new apartment...still record high temperatures here, which doesn't help! :-( the computer is on the floor in the half empty apartment...kuro neko (black cat) will come in about an hour to take our stuff, then once it's gone we're going to try to clean up everything before dinner, then go out to eat.

Thank you to my teacher, Kouno-sensei, who came and helped us little this morning, bringing a bag of bottled drinks and ice, cakes and sandwiches for our lunch! So kind!

aargh, blimey, taihen ne! moving is. we've been working from 9-5 today on packing and sorting, just about finished for today. it being over 30 degrees C here doesn't help much. we'll have to get up fairly early tomorrow to finish, and then clean up in the evening once all our stuff is gone...then Monday, Sapporo here we come!

PS - our new internet service (30M fibre) will be connected on tuesday morning, so we'll only have about a 24 hour outage!

well, I made a start on our packing this morning, will do all the rest tomorrow morning.

we have our new address and phone details for anyone who wants them - please ask!

cold, chilly, drizzly, summer is over...?! no probably not, but it seems like it. that's OK though, it gives us good chances to go to cosy restaurants, sit in and drink wine, do long overdue cleaning etc. and fathom out the workings of a Japanese apartment contract...the end is in sight though!

Well the apartment went though, so now we've just got to get the contract and everything done by mail so we can start moving in next weekend! I'll have an address for anyone who's interested within a week. Sorry everyone to keep moving around, it's just the way it has to be...

Grim and rainy today, lovely!

well I've got quite a bit to tell you, but I'll be quick...went to Sapporo a couple of weekends ago to look for apartments. we drove for the first time and managed to negotiate the expressways without any problems and get to the campsite OK. we set up camp and then drive into the city to meet an agent. he then showed us quite a few apartments, of which a few were promising. we didn't have much time after that to do anything other than stop off for dinner at Victoria Steak House, and then go back to camp to drink Chu-hais and watch the kids playing.

on Sunday we went back into town and decided to try another agency - their places were worse, we saw one which we nicknamed "suicide mansion", it had such a bad atmosphere!

I then went back to Sapporo for the day on Saturday (by bus, 4 and a half hours, 5 hours in the city and then 4 and a half hours back!) to look at some more places. we are awaiting the owners response for one of them that we are interested in at the moment. anyway, we can finally relax a little bit after some crazily busy days. nothing planned this weekend as yet!