Hey, things are going really well here, sorry it took me so long to post, but for the record, I wrote something a few days ago and then accidentally deleted it cause all the buttons are in kanji. Anyway, I`ve been hanging out with my family a lot, they`re super nice. My host mom took me to a really pretty river in Tokyo and we walked alongside it. That was nice, reminded me of the Mississippi. There were a lot of people down there, even a random Japanese man playing a trumpet next to the water. I guess it was too noisy for his apartment. Now I know where to go when I have an uncontrollable urge to play a trumpet. My host parents have a piano that I could play anytime, but my Fukiko`s so good it puts me to shame. So I don`t think I`ll be doing that anytime soon. Besides that I went to Akihabara, the big cheap electronic shopping district and went in a giant Japanese department store. It was huge, and incredibly busy. I`m going back there tomorrow to get a cell phone, so I`ll let you all know my number if and when I successfully get one. Then today, I went to an old temple near my house. Quite different. I think that`s one of the coolest things about Tokyo and Japan in general, the interesting mix of old and new, tradition and innovation. I also had my orientation and met people from all over the world that are in my program and can speak English. :-) Also, on my way back from Akihabara the other day, I totally slipped and fell on my ass, right in front of a bunch of Japanese people who just looked at my like I was crazy. I hope you can all picture it. Peace out.