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Today started in a disastrous manner. I got to the train station early. This on reflection is where most of my train related problems start. I got on a train which I thought was the right one but turned out not to be the case. Instead of getting on the one which stops at stations, I had chosen the one which wanted to get to the last stop as soon as possible by making as few stops as possible.

I didn`t realise this until about 20 minutes in when a station we normally stop at when gliding past. I thought that was unusual but carried on in blissful ignorance. After another stop which I thought was after the stop I needed went past I got worried but I was told to be there at 8:20 and it wasn`t 8:15 yet so plenty of time left. Of course in hindsight there was a reason why we were early. We didn`t stop anywhere.

Just before I got to a station called Tengacya, which I know for a fact is miles away, I jumped out and made frantic phone calls to people. The train was an auto express whatever the hell that means and had not stopped at about six smaller stations where a train visits twice a day and farmers and their cows wait.

I went past six small stations on the express going out but managed to stop at every single one of the farmer and his cow stations going back with about fifteen minutes until my lesson started. I got evil calls from Nagoya where the company is based and frantic calls from Yumi the coordinator as well as Reiko asking where I was. I eventually got to a closer station after waiting for what seemed lke hours to let the three express trains (which I should have caught back) pass. We then sprinted out of the station and into a taxi whose driver decided to stop to let a class of ambling kindergarteners cross the road as well as stopping at a level crossing when there was clearly enough time to cross it. I arrived at the school late and still managed to finish the lesson early as I rushed through it and making my day start badly. The rest of the day was better but the stress caused from this occurence is still leaving my nerves jangled and sore. Bless.

This is a link to the radio station playing J-Pop music. J-Pop is the Japanese music scene. Click on the link to see what I am bombarded with daily. Some of it is good but the majority is on the one-notch-above-Eastern-Europop-level. Click on Now on Air to listen.

Got a new microphone….

Today`s school, Hamadera shogako, was 130 years old and the kids were amazing. I have spoken about how you can get the dead audience but today was the reverse. If I had asked them for their first born child, they would have asked me if I could have their second as well. It was about the Time. At one point I had them chanting “What time is it?” as if their lives depended on me hearing it. I`ve found out I have got an extra days work this month which means more money. Yes. I get paid 15th November and I have a wish list which is getting longer by the minute. For lunch I had a great meal at a sushi restaurant. Tuna, salmon, squid and octopus sushi. Very very delicious!

Following from the success of Japanese baseball players in the Major leagues in America, there is the first Japanese basketball player in the NBA. His name is Yuta Tabuse and he plays for the Phoenix Suns. Japan, not renowned for the height of the young it produces, is going crazy for the young talented trailblazer with front page newspaper game reports and first or second item billing on national news and current affairs programmes.

I`ve had a tiring day today. My electric powered bicycle of doom had a flat tyre and so we tried to fix it yesterday until it got too dark to see. The inner tube was ripped in about eight parts thanks to a broken beer bottle cunningly placed in the middle of the road which I neglected to see. Thanks to the complicated super power of the mechanism it is no easy feat to repair. In order to get the inner tube out, you have to remover the gear mechanism, stand, battery motor and brakes as well as some other miscellaneous nuts, screws and bolts and put them back in the correct order afterwards. It took us three hours in all to replace the tube and work out which part went where and how. This involved several attempts at dismantling and reassembling the said mechanisms. I am useless at this kind of thing. I was assisted by (read I watched) Reiko and her father discuss complex positioning of bolts, nuts and springs whilst they let me feel a part of this by allowing me to tighten a superfluous screw or bolt with a spanner.

After the colossal task had ended, we went to an onsen where I had my hair cut. In retrospect I think it is better to bathe in an onsen instead of trusting them with my appearance. I was allocated the fat, camp man who leaped at the opportunity to feel Westen hair and who`s technique was to fondle and snip miniscule quantities of it off. You couldn`t have made a wig for a guinea pig with what he cut. Nevertheless what I am left with is awful I stared at him at the end as if to say so are you actually going to cut something off the front or just carry on fondling it? (Answer: B) At the voila part with the mirrors I just smiled weakly and said perfect in Japanese and slouched out of the room . At least the onsen was good.

Today was allegedly our 17th month anniversary so we went out for a meal this afternoon. I had that very traditional Japanese meal of beefburger and deep fried shrimp(?) and Reiko ate scallops. It was very tasty. On the way to and from the restaurant we passed multitudes of Christmas relics.

There were snowmen and Father Christmases outside restaurants and childrens shops. They were doing roaring trade with specially themed Christmas areas of the stores filled with toys, trees, tinsel and baubles. All over Osaka and Japan there are symbols of Christmas. In Umeda (Osaka city centre) there is an enormous neon Christmas tree. Universal Studios Japan has dropped the Halloween festivities for Yuletide ones with Elmo and Bert clothed in Santa gear doling out presents and even statues of KFC`s uberlord Colonel Sanders outside their stores have been dressed up as the fat red man.

I know it`s November and that to be seeing the first signs of Christmas so late in the year (though still not late enough) is refreshing. Where I am from in England the populous will have been decorating the outside of their houses with a network of bright lights as well as large neon icons of the Christmas season since early October whilst at the same time helping passing aircraft guage their altitude in stormy weather . It`s just that I was expecting to see few if any symbols of Christmas in Japan 6000 miles away from London. There is a Christian community in Japan located predominantly in Western Japan where missionary work was located in the 16th Century but Christmas in the largely Shinto and Buddhist nation is seen as more for couples and children. I guess I was just hoping to have a Christmas free Christmas this year. Is that too much to ask?

With the coming of a new month arrives a new batch of personal ads. Here are some of my favourites for this month. Grammar and spelling errors are their own:

Looking for Japanese lady. Hi, my name is Jack. I am in my early 30`s, 180cm tall. Nice body. I am looking for a Japanese woman to be my friend for fun times together. Any age from 20 to 57 is fine. Married or single is also OK. Email….

THURSDAY AFTERNOON FUN Good looking slender, married male, 40`s wants to meet single or married woman for fun on Thursday afternoons. Lets relax at one of Kyoto`s wonderful love hotels. See you soon. Email…

VISA! Want to go to Australia for 1 or 2 years, worried about a visa? Send me a message. Let`s chat. ozvisa2005@

Early 40 yo not JP to look very ugly would like to meet some white man for marry let call me and meet to talk to each other. Only want to marry.

Another interesting article from Japan Times on naming babies in Japan. Spiderman anyone?

An interesting article on what the US election means for Asia from Time Asia magazine