I found this old poster on the side of a fridge on a street stall in Kyoto's Gion district. It's selling some form of shochu or nihonshu but I'm not sure what. I love these old school art posters.

This week has passed by in a blur of school entrance ceremonies and starting ceremonies and meetings and planning and setting up my 2 desks - one at the elementary school, and the other in the junior/senior high school English teachers room. It's been exciting and refreshing on so many levels, not least because this school has a huge supply room that teachers can raid at any time, and the computer room has the latest scanners and printers we can use any time. Yay, lets hear it for rich private schools with budgets to burn.

I also went to visit my colleague Andy, the guy who was hit while riding his bicycle home. He seems well although he now has a smile that ol' gramps'd be proud of (lost maybe 3 teeth?), and is a little wacked out by the bump on his head. My first time in a Japanese hospital and it wasn't so different from any other hospital I've visited other than it seemed waaaaay busier. Not surprising I guess in a city of 30 000 000.

I have a bunch of friends in town this week - including the Art of Fighting guys and gal. The Cherry Blossoms are out in full bloom and are just beautiful. Planning a huge weekend with a couple of hanami parties, the J-sters birthday party and of course, 2 x Art of Fighting gigs. Woohooooooooo. I love spring.