Alright, the Google ads are up. So, go on, ya'll! Get clicking! Every time you click on an ad, it sends some cash to help pay for the increasingly growing bandwidth expenses. They do have a clause about fraudulent clicking though, so please don't overdo it too much (Bro, this means you! \^_^/ )...

Tokyo residents may not know that there are actually 2 onsens in town. OK, so they are not "real", but they do use onsen minerals and aim to achieve maximum relaxation for customers. After my soak at the Rendaiji Onsen last weekend, I really felt great, so I'm going to try to get back into the old one-onsen-soak-a-week routine I used to have when I lived in Fujiyoshida. LaQua Spa is the one I'll be checking out this week near the Tokyo Dome (in between classes), and Oedo Onsen Monogatari is one [English link] I'll check out some time later in the month maybe with friends.... it's a bit of a theme park dealio in Odaiba so may be a bit weird. One of my students told me that on busy days this place gets 3000 visitors a day. Yuk. I'll definately be going on a nice quiet mid-week afternoon. Nice to know it's open all night though...

Nature is making herself felt quite fiercely of late here in Japan. Two long rumbley quakes within hours of each other on Sunday night, and there is yet another typhoon in town. I think the house is going to blow down tonight. And here's a little something reassuring for all of us living here.

Oh, and the photo was taken out in front of Hase Dera temple in Kamakura - this area always has a couple of tireless rickshaw drivers looking for customers...