Oceanside

Today brought a calm, clear sky; the kind that only manifests itself after an unusually powerful storm. Last night's typhoon was the worst the town has seen in a long time. There were high winds and a good deal of flooding. Nothing in our house was too damaged or wet because we are not very close to the sea. I was supposed to meet the mayor of Tamano yesterday, but because part of the city hall was flooded my meeting was moved to a later date.

Instead, I took a glorious bike ride to my school for a tour of the grounds. There are many buildings, but not many students because today there was no school. I am going to be in grade 1, which is equivalent to being a freshman. I will take higher math and perhaps science classes, but I'm discussing my schedule in depth with another teacher tomorrow.

In the afternoon I went with Shoko to see her friend who had a bit of damage from the storm. Shoko’s friend teaches English at a “Juku,” or cram school. I did what I do best and reconnected her computer and internet.

In the evening, Masatoshi, Shun, and I took a drive to see the damage from the storm. It looked as if most people had emptied their basements to the world, with old tatami mats, TV’s, and sheets lying out in the streets. Most of the water had subsided and people were beginning to move the items back into their houses. Thankfully, no one was injured by the storm.

Tomorrow I start school.