UH-OH, TOKYO! / オッお, 東京！: August 2011

A torrential downpour hits Tokyo.

It is one year to the day since I landed in Tokyo. There is one hell of storm to mark the occasion, which comes as a welcome relief to the humidity of Summer. As my holiday draws to a close and I prepare to return to school, I can reflect on what has been the most exciting and challenging year of my life.

As I continue my battle with the Japanese language, I have begun to lose some of the skills of my mother tongue. This is probably something I should address given that I am paid solely to instruct others, especially the young, on how to employ it best. As such, I will take this opportunity to write more than one sentence a day as is my custom on this blog. I understand that some people actually look at this internet page from time to time, and they/you have requested that I add more in the way of an explanation to accompany the photographs I publish. This won't be happening on a regular basis on account of my idleness. Today, though, it will.

I am still sleeping in bizarre and annoyingly irregular bouts after returning from our recent holiday in England, which really threw Tokyo into perspective (having barely left the city for a year). The cities of England are by comparison dirty and beautifully old, blessed as they are with ground that doesn't visibly shake and level its brick and stone structures.

I wouldn't be in this immaculate metropolis if it wasn't for Mai. If I was though, I would be missing out on an awful lot. Not only would it be difficult for me to function in all of the restaurants I have become addicted to, I would also be without the insight to Japanese families I have. Both the Nakamura and Miyamoto clans have been extraordinarily welcoming, showering me in food and gifts at every given opportunity. My quest for more independence through understanding of language and culture is still far from over, so Mai's enthusiasm and guidance is truly a blessing.

With the exception of my friends, family and cheese - all of whom I miss dearly - Tokyo really does have everything. Not only is it probably the finest city on the planet in which to dine and shop, it also contains myriad marvels of engineering, problem-solving and punctuality. I always regret not taking my camera out of the house as I will invariably be confronted with a new experience of some description.

Teaching in the schools is another fascinating window into Japanese life and society. Schools in general seem to operate zero discipline policies on the surface of it, though teachers also act as quasi-parents, in many cases compensating for the genetic ones I am led to believe. How such an ordered, polite and civilised society is maintained remains a mystery to me. As evidenced in the aftermath of the Tohuku earthquake and tsunami though, it certainly has the ability to deal collectively with catastrophe. Even in Tokyo, electricity black-outs have been averted by the area diligently consuming less energy than is available as a result of Fukushima being ravaged.

Despite the aforementioned disaster and it being the most populated city on Earth, this is an extremely calm and pleasant place in which to dwell. When the frequency of my postings lessens noticeably it may well mean that I have become fully accustomed to life here and have less of the new to report. Or I will have grown lazier still. Either way, that shouldn't happen just yet.

P.S. Happy birthday, Mum.