Listening to the rain...

Listening to the rain..... did I mention that it rains lots over here? Usually for only a short while (an afternoon or an evening - not multiple days and rarely whole days). As a result everything is so green. There are lots of trees and mountains and even the weeds on the side of the road are big, green and leafy! There are no water restrictions and it is ok to spend ages in the shower. When people wash their dishes in the sink, they don't use a plug, but wash under running water. I've tried looking for a plug but haven't been able to find one. So, I'm currently washing my dishes Japanese style (but I sure go through lots of detergent this way).

There is also a lot of lightning tonight and eventhough my curtains are closed, it's still flashing through.

I guess I didn't expect Japan to be this green - what with so many people living so closely - but there are lots of trees around which just add to the general clutter. Even Sydney feels open and clutter-free after being in Japan. I'm beginning to understand why people say that Australia is so open and peaceful.

Peaceful... yes, I miss this. Japan is so noisy! I know I've said this lots, but really, tonight I was talking with someone at the train station and I had to stop talking while the announcement was going because I couldn't talk over the top of it. On the bus, the driver talks the whole time into a microphone - about which stop is coming up and lots of "thank you very much"s. This is very interesting, as Japanese people seem to be very softly spoken generally and it's us "westerners" who talk and laugh loudly. I guess we're all accustomed to different types of noises. I'm still getting used to the noises in Japan, but I'm quite happy to go to sleep to the sound of the rain...