As things are...

BAH! Had this all written up and can`t copy and paste it down :(
So, moving on and attempting to be less bitter about it...

We are living in Matsuyamachi, which is 10 minutes walk from Shinsaibashi and like another world in comparison. Unlike Shinsaibashi, which is neon lit and very busy well into the night, all the shops and restaurants in our area seem to have closed by about 8pm, except for the ever present Lawson`s Convenience store (there are 2, about 150m apart, and very convenient they are indeed). Even the homeless men have gone to their cardboard beds in the doorways by about 9pm.

Our apartment in on the 6th floor and overlooks the main road which is crammed with shops selling the most unbelievebly cheap and nasty plastic toys - bottom of a crappy showbag things - and fireworks. Don`t worry about the fireworks, they`re quite safe; every shop has two small buckets of water out the front in case of an incident. Fortunately, our building is over a takeaway shop and a pharmacy so no undermining the foundations with exploding stores for us!

We`ve started working,　it`s OK. It`s work, and the bank account is dwindling alarmingly fast. Good thing we paid our rent for several months at once! Everyone at work is friendly, but our schools are a really long, and more importantly, really expensive distance away. If we go out to work for just one lesson, the transport cost takes almost all the money we make. So, looking to make ourselves very popular with the `clients` quickly! (all the corporate-speak in our company makes me want to roll my eyes、but I don`t, that would be unprofessional and we can`t have that...)

Our apartment is good apart from the strange smell from the new tatami. It`s like straw, which is fine, and like fish, which is not fine. It`s killed my romantic notions about tatami. Everyone says, `oh! new tatami! Isn`t is a lovely smell?` Um,no, sorry, not at all. We have the windows open as much as we can trying to air it out. Probably some El Cheapo B-Grade tatami or something....

Anyway, that`s all for now.　My original was much longer so I expect you`re all glad I had to rewrite it!

Photos on Facebook :)

Katie
xx