Another day, another enormous misunderstanding with comic consequences. We were role-playing the buying of cake in a patisserie - a very important situation to be able to cope with - and the teacher, Ueno-sensei, was pretending to be the customer. I was supposed to be the shopkeeper, but didn't grasp that from what she said. She beckoned to the front of the class, but in the Japanese style, with hands flapping downwards, which I mistakenly thought meant I should crouch on the floor... she looked absolutely horrified. I did ask in English what I was meant to do, because I know she speaks excellent English, but she's not allowed to use any English in the classroom, so just replied in Japanese that I didn't understand, hence my reading of her gestures as 'get down!' rather than 'get cake!'...

The typhoon came and went with no consequences in Tokyo other than a windy start to the morning on Wednesday. There was more damage elsewhere in Japan, and I think a few rail lines were temporarily closed around here, but I saw nothing different at all. There's been absolutely gorgeous Indian summer weather ever since the typhoon - we've (not very scientifically) concluded that the low pressure of the typhoon has sucked up all the nasty rain, leaving us with beautiful sunshine. Any geographers out there who can tell me if that's true?

I've booked internet connection for my flat for 22 October, which means I'll only be without a connection for just over a week. In that time I'll have to make do with internet access at school, which shouldn't be too bad. I'm planning on getting a mobile phone that can send emails quite soon, so I'll pass on new contact details forthwith. I also have Skype - max.irving - do feel free to call me (though not at 4 in the morning, please).

It's been a productive few days food-wise as well. Yesterday we had a wonderful lunch of okonomi-yaki, which is a filled pancake with cabbage, egg, spring onions and a range of toppings - I had pork and mixed shellfish, which turned out to be luscious fat scallops, morsels of cuttlefish and an enormous king prawn - cooked in front of you on a hot plate, served with a spatula and dressed with garlic mayonnaise and special sauce (like a thick mixture of Lea & Perrins and hoisin sauce). Today we had a classic (by British standards) curryhouse lunch, with amazing all you can eat enormous naan bread, pilau rice and some very good mutton and lentil curry - they had more familiar-looking things as well! I had thought I would miss curry, as I definitely did whilst in Spain, but this place, Samrat, is a real find.

I have a language buddy arranged for me at Hosei University, whom I should meet on Monday. So far I doubt I will have much of interest to say - there are only so many things you can say along the lines of 'what is under the chair?' or 'how much is it for one slice of cheesecake?' - but it will be good to have someone to practise with.

To end, I should say that the above is a picture of us outside school, taken before we knew quite what we had let ourselves in for...