Typhoon =(

So my brother, Nathan, managed to arrive safely and on time (with only a little more turbulence than usual) in Tokyo on Wednesday afternoon--I'm guessing he just beat out Typhoon #18.

Unfortunately it hit Towada today and messed up our plans a bit. He was supposed to see all three grades for English class, but because school was canceled for the afternoon for all Towada junior high and elementary schools, the schedule was changed and the period scheduled for the sannensei (3rd grade) class became chorus practice (the Kirita Bunka Sai is only about a week away!!). But at least we were able to eat lunch with the sannensei so he was able to talk with some of them.

Since the students didn't have hiru yasumi (afternoon recess/break), we also missed the chance to play with the students (which was really too bad because, unlike me, he can actually play badminton and chess, which the students also enjoy).

But still, we had a good time at the school. Nathan even said that he thought the students were really cute and wished he could take one (or some) home with him! (Surprising considering that he's not really a "kid" person--but I guess it helps that they're preteens and not elementary kids.) The first graders in particular asked some really interesting questions, like: "Do you like [your] sister?" and "Is Hiroki (one of the students) handsome?" =D

After the students left we stayed for the teacher's meeting and I had to fumble my way through translating Nathan's comments about the day. ^^;; It's unfortunate that I'm the type that cracks under pressure and I really couldn't translate properly even though I probably knew most of the words for what he said; I was just too flustered.

The next stop after Kirita was the JTB to get his train tickets to Kyoto, Hiroshima, and back to Tokyo. (I really love the JTB staff--they're so friendly and helpful!) Once we were done there I took him for a quick drive-by tour of Kanchogai Dori--making sure to stop and point out the billion yen public restroom facility. =P

Following that we went to Jusco to look around and to buy some snacks for the train ride to Tokyo. We also had some takoyaki from Gindako. ^__^ It had been raining all day, but the rain and wind were pretty crazy when we were leaving the Jusco.

It was around 5pm when we finally got back to my apartment--very wet and tired. The original plan was for me to take Nathan to see the taiko practice at the Towadako-machi Community Center, but with the weather so bad the practice ended up being canceled. So Nathan checked email and looked up stuff to do in Tokyo while I ended up passing out on the couch.

When I woke up (around 6:30pm? 7:00pm?) we decided to watch "Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence." This time Nathan was the one who passed out while watching the movie. After the movie ended and Nathan woke up, we went for a quick dinner at Marumatsu. (Sad that after getting all that advice about good places in Towada to eat, the place I ended up taking him to was a chain family-style restaurant. ^^;;)

Shortly after returning, Nate passed out again. So I guess in a way the typhoon helped a little by disrupting our plans because it forced us to spend more time at home relaxing rather than running around doing things. And since it seems like Nate does/did have a bit of jet lag, I think it's good that he had/has a chance to get over it while in Towada so he can make the most of his time in Tokyo with me (and in Kyoto, Hiroshima, and Tokyo on his own).

Still, I wish the typhoon would hurry up and move past Towada. I really want the weather tobe somewhat decent for tomorrow's trip through Oirase Gorge and to Lake Towada!