Back to normality. Well, Japan at least...

So, I survived the Philippines. In contrast to the dire predictions of the British Foreign Office website, I was not kidnapped, blown-up, robbed, drugged or consumed by some tropical flesh-eating disease (that I know about yet). For the last few days we wandered around the jungle a bit, found some natural bubbling mud pools and went over to see the volcano at Tagaytay, which seemed really tiny and a little bit over-hyped until you realise that the massive hill you stand on to look at the cone down below is actually the caldera rim... Apparently the volcano still erupts from time to time so we weren't allowed onto it. Oh, and we went to what is said to be the best restaurant in the Philippines for a very nice lunch.

Oh, and I was skimming through the international tv channels at one point (The NHK World rather annoyingly broadcasts in English for some reason...). Turns out the Korean one (Arirang) really does televise Starcraft matches... I thought they were just making that up!

Incidentally I also survived the dinner party with the Japanese researchers. They said I had a funny Kansai accent even when I was actively trying to speak standard Japanese.

I caught the two Japanese guys sitting next to me on the plane talking about me. Nothing insulting or anything, and I was impressed that they were inventive enough to talk about me as 白人 (white person) instead of Gaijin which I guess they figured I would know. The death-stare they gave me when I started prominently reading the Japanese newspaper next to them was pretty funny :-)

So, Japan again! I got to go in another special passport line for re-entry visa holders, which was practically empty so I actually got through passport control faster than half the Japanese people :-) I know it sounds really really stupid, but I also was struck (again) by how mono-racial Japan is... good to be back though. I guess it's because of being away, but I kinda realise now how precious the time I have here is. At the end of April I'll have been here 6 months, so that's just slightly over the half-way point, so I've been feeling very motivated to go do stuff each day and make the most of everything (God, that sounds cheesy).

Unfortunately, the weather seems to have other ideas, and has pretty consistently been rather wet and miserable since I got back (and not even in the "It's raining but by god is it impressive rain" like it was in the Philippines.). Rather reminds me of Scotland to be honest...

And Sean arrives a week today! Should probably book his hotel soonish maybe...