a letter i got from a kid whose class i visited



a "sorry but we're not hiring right now" email i got just like yesterday, from an english school:



my student loan is FINALLY coming in now, after waiting for like 3 months for it to get sorted out. thanks to it being a few back-payments, the first payment (which hopefully will come next week as long as my bank has its shit sorted) is going to equal like $6,000 USD; with that i'll be able to pay rent until september, and then since i'll still be getting some money each month i'll be able to actually go on trips and stuff:



this is a sample of some of the stuff at the secondhand shop "hard-off". they've got kimono, yukata, geta, all manner of traditional plates and statues, tons of videogames (super cheap) and DVDs (usually not cheap). i saw a 3DS for just 1,000 yen. if you want anything just let me know!!:







this is what fancy japanese food looks like:









Real Japanese kotatsu (heater-table) + tatami mats in a traditional inn i went to for a school trip



in certain places you can even find old shoujo stuff... but almost all merch in general is for new series



tried 7-11's yakitori (= shish kebab) for the first time last night when i was freezing out in the cold... NOT worth it. yet again a case of "premade food looks a lot better than it tastes". lately i've gotten the urge to try making a lot more japanese foods again, so i bought some pre-cut chicken pieces (wife doesn't want to "dirty the knife by using it on raw chicken") to make my own yakitori. you get 2-4x the amount of meat for the same price as buying it pre-made. now i just have to figure out where to buy skewers.

figured out that while wearing sandals (as in japanese traditional "thong-shoes") if you walk so the heel of your foot hits the ground first, it doesn't slap up and make noise / get stuff all over your legs. i didn't know this because i've never worn flip-flops or anything. it's still too cold to wear them outdoors but i have them as indoor shoes for now: