still having a great time

I am all over bug bites, but I saw CICADAS and BATS yesterday evening. I also played with a small girl whose English was surprisingly good -- she used me to show off her skills to her parents, commented on my blue eyes, and was generally hilarious. (The gestural language of "big boobs" proves to be universal and not so effective for talking about me secretly.)

I drank shochu at last night's conference party, where they had a sushi bar instead of the US-standard cocktail bar. Multiple people continue to be impressed with my work and want to talk to me about it. Weather continues meltingly hot and damp, but I'm getting more used to it. (Sadly some of the Theo Chocolates I brought for people are being more hygroscopic than their desiccant can handle, argh. Good thing I have backup gifts.)

Today there's a typhoon impending so it's possible my train to Nara will be delayed. I have an experienced guide, though, so I'm sure we'll manage. It might get pretty interesting, though. Extra time to work on my talk for tomorrow?

gaijin checklist

I have made the tiniest of dorky American bows.

I have accidentally pressed the alarm button in a bathroom. (Why are there alarm buttons in bathroom stalls?!)

I have eaten curry rice, san-ramen, and okonomiyaki with baked noodles -- both precooked but then brought to our table's hot plate so we could mess with cooking them further. All delicious!

I have given a present in thanks for someone's help.

I have been almost entirely unable to figure out the hot-water system in the bathroom here, but then triumphed.

Although I didn't know it was an agenda item, evidently my fifty mosquito bites are a thing. Minako describes the mosquito as the ancient enemy of the Japanese, and, after finding that the bites covering my ankles make my whole foot feel swollen, I think that it is my nemesis also.

And apparently I will have been in a typhoon. It started raining really hard when we got to the Nara area tonight, though it doesn't seem windy yet. Tropical Storm Roke is predicted to hit on Wednesday, when I need to be taking myself from here to Nagoya alone. Whee?