Everyone`s going Mod

I went to my second gig in Japan last night, although inadvertantly. I had just popped to the George to avoid a Saturday night at home, but 30 minutes after I arrived, a swarm of beehives and monochrome dresses descended the steps and walloped a ￥1000 door charge on anyone wanting a quiet pint. I only vaguely remember a Crampsy romp, a Shout cover and being dazzled by the male vocalist`s enunciation. He pissed on Mr Woah-Yeah`s `prease prease me`.

Aki came down later. We got drunk and she danced her urban dance to Louis Louis, which was amusing to see. I put myself in a circle of fancy-dressed Japanese boys who looked like Ocean Colour Scene on smack and eventually latched on to a small kakkoii boy who was dressed more modernly, but later DJed a set I was too drunk to hear, but would like to imagine was the best. We had a brief snog on a bench outside, but I was too drunk to bother writing my email for him. From my vague memory, he was just about tall enough to be allowed on the rides at Alton Towers, so it is no tragedy.

While waiting for Aki to pop down to celebrate her husband`s birthday, I sat with JeDos, Duncan (the Koshigaya DoS) and Mike, the new ADoS, and so received a barrel-load of Karen. On Thursday, she refused to let three screaming four-year-olds out of her classroom (she had shouted and scared them). Three mothers and a receptionist eventually managed to yank the door open and release the captives, but not before terrifying them immensely. I doubt they will grow into gaijin-friendly Anglophiles.

She has clearly had a breakdown. Something that is more common than you would imagine and not something I was warned of before coming out here. Lots of people come here to hide from their problems, but in the first six months you spend a considerable amount of time alone with only your thoughts for company. This is not a place for a loon on the run.

Friday, Takashi-san and I spent a far saner afternoon scoping out Shibuya. He gave me a little tour of designer shops whose windows we couldn`t even afford to smudge by pressing our noses against, the local park (it suddenly felt a lot more like London then - I think I am addicted to urban parks, so intend to take my Japanese texts books there on my next day off and hope someone brave and merciful will spot me and let me practice on them) and and Takashi-san`s college. We found we`d wandered into Harajuku and Shinjuku by accident (the Japanese I know seem to have no sense of direction and always, always get lost). It was nice seeing how everything connects and that it really is as close as strolling between tube stops back home. We headed to an Irish pub so Takashi-san could have some fish and chips and I, feeling summery, had a cider shandy, which confused the waitress considerably.

The afternoon was interrupted by a call from JeDoS asking me to try to tempt Karen out of one of the schools. After Thursday`s debacle, her next two days` work were cancelled, but she turned up anyway. I really have no hold on her and had been trying to coax her out all week by posting notes in her door (partly also to make sure she took them in and was therefore alive), but had no response, so she was abandoned at the school around 3am - JeDoS and Mike having tried every other method to get her out (including bringing in the police) before finally running out of ideas and giving in. She is due to go home soon, but has until Friday to deal with no work and then the Golden Week holidays to get through. I have no idea how she will cope, but am relieved that I have already booked a trip to Hiroshima and so will not be involved.