The dryer part of June

As the rainy season descends upon mid June with full force, the last couple weeks have been sunny and warm. With the weather warming up, I am also warming up to my small town of Hino.

Since returning from India, I have been busy visiting elementary schools, making English picture dictionaries for 200 students, making friends, drinking coffee and watching movies on a bed sheet.

In May, the next day I returned from India actually, I met a girl named Ayumi through a mutual friend. In June I made her and a friend Mexican tacos. Turns out that she is pretty cool and knows a lot of other young people that live in my town. Within the last week I have met about ten 26 year old Japanese people who live in my town! We have been to Kyoto to eat Okinawan food and go to a club named World where DJ Taku Takahashi from m-flo was playing. It was pretty amazing, except that I don't actually remember hearing Takahashi play. I remember seeing him enter the club, but never remember him on stage. Either way, the DJ that was spinning was pretty damn amazing!


Taku Takahashi

Besides this, in my very own town in the middle of nowhere above the Hino Damn, we set up a projector and watched a concert DVD. Something unique to countryside living. In the city you would probably be dealing with the police about noise pollution complaints.

One thing is for certain! I am beyond excited to have similar aged friends in my town. On Tuesday we plan on watching some people play futsal.

I was also invited by one of the part time teachers at Hino Junior High School to watch her play the koto. So I watched for a couple hours although I left early since most things traditionally Japanese seem to be dragged out extremely long, which can lead me to get extremely bored.

I also revisited a coffee shop in my town for the second time called Ren-Rou. I've most likely now been to every cafe in Hino, and have recently decided that Ren-Rou is my favorite. They don't have amazing or cheap coffee, but for Hino it is the best! Also the environment is relaxing and the music that is usually played is also pretty good. The owner seems like a friendly guy and the cafe seems like a place that I may become a regular customer of. Not to mention, it helps support local business.


The business card of a caffeine dealer.