Made it to school today all by myself, and on time, no less!

I apparently am the replacement for a JET who spent all his time sitting at his desk reading comic books. They were more than a little excited to hear I have had teaching experience, and in a high school no less. I think they were excited to have someone who is going to be a little more productive than a Human Tape Recorder (HTR), and I'm more than happy to be utilised!

The school has a very useful setup in the staffroom, whereby the office staff can broadcast messages (along the lines of: phone call for Yamamoto sensei on line two!) over a loudspeaker... but theres a microphone attached, and any teacher who speaks up (along the lines of: he's not here!) is clearly heard by the other end!.

Ok, well I was impressed....

Its the weekend now!

My burrow is progressively turning from a completely empty, stark space into a livable, comfortable place to come home to.
And the best part is... I have now figured out *how* to find it on my own!

Yesterday morning I was most traumatised to discover that my burrow's connection to the gas mains wasnt working, but a quick phone call to a very efficient and prompt oompaloompa solved that and within the hour I was able to enjoy such luxuries as hot running water (and therefore, showers).

This afternoon, after a quick stop by the internet, I'm going to find a place called "Second Street", if such things exist.

I start work tomorrow, so this afternoon is going to be a practise run to make sure I can find where to go early in the morning.....

Wish me luck!

I have arrived, and as yet have avoided dehydration or being run over by a little old lady on a motor scooter.
Its amazing how busy I have been, let along how busy things were before leaving Australia.
Thanks to a few delays in Hong Kong, I found myself rushing for the last train from Narita airport into the city, and arrived at the hotel in Tokyo just after midnight on my first day, with Training due to start at 9am.

And what training it was.... compared to a certain government-run programme, the company did a superb job of the training. The trainers themselves, along with the recruiters, were superlative; each and every one taking the time to add a personal touch and convincing us all individually that they actually do care about us and what happens to us.
That in of itself is well and good, but added to that was actual training. Yes, there was a bit of simplistic guidelines designed for those who hadn't ever left their own countries before, but for the most part that was kept within reasonable limits. Perhaps the early days could have moved a bit faster, with less time sitting around while other people filled out paperwork, but on the whole we were busy 9-5 for six days straight.
And the other trainees too.. (and I know some of you are reading this) .. what an amazing bunch of people!

I have a new burrow, once again, and having moved into it yesterday the first thing I purchased was of course a bed. (It was a very, very unfurnished burrow.)
Tomorrow promises to be more of the same, and I may or may not have to go into the branch office. If I can manage it, I'm sure it would be worth trying to find precisely how to get to where I need to be Friday morning to start work....