[squarejawhero]

Heheh, cheeky. Well, apart from the odd word I don't speak any Japanese, but seem to be getting around fine. In general they all want to help out and don't seem any more nervous than I do when I approach them. If anything this is the customer service capital of the world. After asking for directions to the DVD section of a local department store, an English speaking rep chased me down (I'd moved onto other things by then, namely headphones) to tell me in English! So I found myself with the International Edition of Ghost In The Shell: Innocence on my first day. I'm helpless (ask Mira).

So? My first impressions of Omiya before the jetlag kicked in and I went home - this place is like Los Angeles, only not. It's similarly flat, and has tons and tons of low-rise housing, a grid system for roads and cables ahoy, but the streets are narrower, everythings in Japanese and I can cross the road without fearing for my life. Seriously, it's like a really really neat LA. With crossings that chirrup different bird sounds - I shit you not. Although there's something really soothing about a cuckoo noise as you're halfway across a junction.

I've got pics, but I'm too tired to be bothered to upload them. Right now a massive helicopter has gone by and has actually shook the apartment. Really shook it! Don't know what that was all about... which reminds me, I was also rather alarmed by my cousin asking if we had an earthquake last night because one of the doors didn't fit right this morning. Turned out something was blocking it, but as in LA they seem rather blase about major natural disasters.

Now I'm going to take a nap.