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This is another picture of a shop cover for Den Den Town. Not sure what it is. I`ll ask Reiko…

As promised, pictures of the rice fields. Not having good day as I thought I had day off and company called demanding to know where I was. Why eating breakfast of course.

June is the rainy season here. Before I came to Japan, I was warned that it rained everyday for the rice. This has been a lie on both Junes I have seen. (Damn global warning?)

The rice fields are just amazing. There is acre after acre of flooded field here with perhaps the fastest growing plant ever created. I have the next few days off (although I would far rather be earning money and I`ll try and get some pictures taken of them) Here is a good post with pictures by an old favourite (un?)fortunate enough to have to go about planting the fields by hand. He is on the JET program which I thought stood for Japan English Teaching programme but actually stands for Japan Exchange and Teaching programme and which seems to be (in his case at least) the Japan Slave Exchange programme. Every post is how he weeds large fields, breaks his back planting rice seedlings by hand and teaches children to make whistles. Oh well. It`s the cultural experience…

This is linked to the previous picture. These are both shop covers in the city centre but whilst the previous one was more gritty and urban, this one is advertising its services using Kanji characters. Of course what they are advertising I don`t know as with minimal kanji knowledge I missed off perhaps the most important character on the far left. Learn more Japanese Simon.

Some more grafitti in Osaka on a shop cover.

I`ve been trying to do a Best of as promised a couple of days ago but the way Blogger doesn`t let you see posts older than 300 posts ago is making it difficult. Nobody thought it necessary to celebrate my one year blogversary and stay in Japan with no presents winging their way to Osaka although I managed to get a happy blogversary wish on Tony Pierce`s daily specials.

I`ve long thought it necessary to be a truly great blogger such as these three you need three things, the largest iPod available, a Nikon D70 and naturally bagfuls of talent Being sadly deficient in all three (especially the first two?”) I will never be the great blogger you and I want me to be. Unless….

So today marks my one year of blogiversary. As a celebration, this picture on the back of a van:

So today marks 365 days in Japan. It feels like 365 days. Possibly longer. It definitely hasn`t flown by and I don`t find myself asking where has the time gone or what I could have done better. I have managed to fit loads in. From being (sort of) attacked by an octopus witnessed dangerous danjiri riders, been to a sumo tournament and eaten trays of bizarre Japanese food and had a really good time. Thanks go to Reiko and her family.

I`ll try and do a `Best of` section tomorrow for my blogversary so here are some pictures of my first year in the meantime:

These are the spectators at a Hanshin Tigers game, dressed up danjiri riders and a sumo fighter.

Despite what my day counter on the left states, tomorrow will be my 365th day in Japan thus marking my one year anniversary. The day after that is special as it is the day my blog turns one year old (blogiversary?) Expect a (half) decent post.