Typhoon Number 23

An official warning was issued at 7.50 this morning and all classes have been suspended. This is our third typhoon is an many weeks, and we're hoping that it'll be a good one. The Japanese think we're crazy to ask for such a thing but I guess they think of it as an annoyance because they see it all the time, whereas we really want to experience a big one to see what it's like. Its the Tourist Mentality. They're also giving us an earthquake simulation in November, though we have no idea how they plan to do that or what it will involve. Last week, we discovered that there are emergency rations at the Ohmeikan in case some freakish natural disaster occurs, so we are well and truly prepared should Mother Nature decides to throw anything at us.

The picture was taken yesterday in the pre-typhoon rain. Its the lunch queue, and everyday it stretches outside the canteen and down the road. All in all about 40m long. The food is really good and costs next to nothing, hence why the entire university seems to descend on to it come twelve o'clock.

Though buying the food is still a problem for me, since everything is in katakana and kanji, and we havent quite gotten that far yet with our Japanese lessons. Its a case of guess-and-pick, hoping that whatever I get served is at least edible. The food tends to be disguised in breadcrumbs, so what looks like chicken might turn out to some kind of fish. Its a little surprise everytime I sit down for lunch.