My room in Kyoto

I was very happy to have wangled a place in Richard's House, one of Doshisha's international student dormitories, as it is much closer to campus than my college in Cambridge. Here I can get up at 8 for a 9am start as opposed to 7.30, which of course makes all the difference, or it does when you have a habit of staying up until stupid o'clock for no reason like I do.

There is an ensuite with a bath, which I also didn't have in Cambridge. I'm still not sure if you're supposed to stand on the floor outside the bath and shower like people usually do in Japan, as there is a drain there. It makes more sense to stand in the bath and do it as the bathroom is quite cramped and otherwise your toilet paper is going to end up a soggy useless mess.

Another nice addition to the room is a fridge/freezer combination Homertonians can only dream of. For the last 2 years I have shared a fridge with about 8 other people, resulting in many thefts of Lurpak Spreadable (please forgive me for that) and disgusting mouldy vegetables that had become hidden under a mountain of other stuff. Also there was no freezer which meant if you wanted some Ben and Jerry's you would have to eat the entire 500ml tub in one go - a feat I was able to manage a few years ago but now sadly I have lost that particular talent. I will admit to forgetting it is there on occasion but rest assured the freezer has been put to excellent use so far. Last week I bought a  set of 6 mini Haagen Dazs ice cream tubs and it is currently home to a solitary slice of brown bread. There is also a hot plate and sink so you can cook in your room without having to make awkward conversation in the communal kitchen.

My only issues are that the big glass door at the far end of the room renders it baking in the daytime and absolutely sub-zero at night. The room is also long rather than wide and has a hard floor but if you aren't planning to use it for stretching or trying to learn a K pop dance for 5 minutes before giving up then that probably isn't a problem.

Here are some pictures. Notice I have tried to make it my own (i.e. chucked stuff all over the floor). Included is a view from the balcony.
Having written this post I can really see a career for myself in real estate!!

Hello!

It's a beautiful sunny day in Kyoto today so what better way to make the most of it than...sitting indoors typing on my computer?

I've been meaning to write a blog for a while as a sort of diary for my year here in Japan but hadn't got round to it. But let me tell you this isn't a regular blog - this is a COOL blog! (What I mean by that is I will use it mainly to review snack foods.) I've already done a little bit of sightseeing since I arrived here at the end of August so I'll make posts about those too.

Today I had a break in between morning and afternoon classes, so I went on a jolly cycle ride to one of Kyoto's most esteemed landmarks - the regional immigration bureau. Verdict: 5 stars. Very efficient and the man who dealt with my form had a special tie on. Now I am the proud owner of a work permit stamp on my passport and residence card. This is great news as it means I can't be deported for receiving money from bored salarymen in exchange for making small talk in my best posh accent.

Anyway, on my way back I decided to cycle along the Kamo River since the weather was so nice. Seeing the river always makes me a bit nostalgic because I was in Japan last spring when the cherry blossom was just starting to come out. It is just as pretty in the autumn and full of interesting birds. Before I make myself sound like a massive nerdy birdwatcher let me clarify: when I was a kid I loved reading absolutely anything and spent so long looking at my dad's ancient book of birds that I inadvertently memorised a lot of their names. Besides it is always interesting to come across wildlife that you can't find in your own country, unless it's a giant hornet or a poisonous spider maybe..!

Here is a SICK PANO of the river to kick off this year abroad blog.