It`s raining yen

I made a serious fauz pas at one of my welcome parties: referring to the Sex Offender as a sex pest. Apparently, he`s generally well liked, although the ADoS did admit that, as a man, he was an unlikely target for the Sex Offender`s unwelcome advances. The party was quite nice, in an odd little bar in Ageo which played soul and hip hop called Kiyoe. It was empty aside from our group, but was pasted with posters, photos of the owner and various celebrities and other soul and hip hop memorabilia and hosted by an ageing Japanese Rasta. I befriended an American Junior High School Teacher called Uriah, who has offered to show me Tokyo and Saitama`s hip hop scene.

I picked up the Sex Offender`s TV on Tuesday and he put on an hilariously pathetic show of machismo in trying to lug the thing from his apartment to mine. He refused to let me order a cab, initially claiming to not know how to order one, then saying we wouldn`t need one when I acquired a taxi number. After changing with his sliding doors left slightly ajar so I could see his short, podgy body pushed into fashionless jeans, his tubby physique took 30 seconds carrying it before he had to admit defeat and I had to flag down a taxi. He then took charge again and claimed his three years would get us to my flat, before he repeated, loudly and slowly, `Straight. On.` The man is a joke. However, he did have a very nice TV and now I do.

I was wrong about the rainy season, the weather is fine again, although still notably cooler. It does seem to be tremor season, with 5 or so since Friday, although I missed two apparently very big ones in the midst of Omiya station. One was 4 on the Richter Scale, but quite passed me by. Now I`ve finished dragging myself through that chore of a book Melvyn Bragg inflicted on the world, I am devouring Obasan, by a Canadian Japanese author. I blame her for my inattentiveness.

My advance is burning a hole in my pocket and I`ve spent my day off trying to restrain myself in chemists and supermarkets. They hold a magnetic power over me. The possibilities for discovery are endless, although so is the threat of poison as I haven`t sorted out any Japanese lessons yet. The chemists in particular are exciting. They shun the linear order of Boots and the like, instead offering a shambolic Aladdin`s cave of cosmetics and products. The also stock washing powder and bleach, so I do have to be quite careful.

My kids are starting to get a bit bored of me. I am no longer a novelty, but a bore to be ignored and talked over. One of my students is transferring to a different school, which is upsetting, he`s my absolute favourite. I will miss Sora, even though he`s become an absolute terror since he`s got used to me. I guess I just don`t have the genki appeal of Raju, my predecessor. Thursday is my worst day as it`s the last day of the week. It is an uphill struggle trying to engage my brain, let alone eight disruptive kids. To make up for Sora`s absence, I will still have Kota and Rei. Rei is my biggest fan and Kota incredibly cute, but very naughty. Rei keeps him and the others in line by punching anyone daring disobedience, then looking at me adoringly, which I unfortunately always have to quash by telling him off!

Today I sorted out my bank account. I am expecting a bank card with the character of Saitama on it:Koboto (I think!), a lilac duck. Nothing in Japan is grown up.