The weather has become gorgeous in Tokyo. Absolutely gorgeous. Sunny days in the high 60s and 70s, a pleasant breeze, and everything is so green and alive. While the cherry blossoms are gone, so much more is happening.

My professors for this term all seem like an enthusiastic lot. Kazuno Eri is the head teacher, and seems to be a fair lady. Ninomiya Rika is just beyond words; she is like an older Professor Komatsu Maho, just minus the mod-hipster style and stories about drinking whole bottles of whiskey. And today it was announced that since we were splitting into two sections, that Ozawa Ikumi would be back teaching J4.

Last term, Ozawa was the head teacher of J4, and the students loved her to death, and I am pretty sure I know why. Between the three of them, we have some very energetic and optimistic women teaching us who have a sense of humor (as opposed to Sato from J2 back in Fall Term).

Everything is starting off well, in my opinion. I got an 85% on my first vocab quiz of the term. I miss-translated 学ぶ・まなぶ as "to study specifically" when it should have been "to study in depth", and I partially blanked on "society", writing しゃきょう instead of 社会・しゃかい. Today was our first kanji quiz, and I am fairly certain I kicked its ass, so long as they aren't overtly picky with how my kanji look. I was most impressed at remembering how to write　横断歩道・おうだんほどう - pedestrian walkway. Woo.

I should really try to write more often. I've become so terrible. I have been continuing to teach English, I have about 3-4 students now with more expressing interest. I also make a point to go out once a week to find geocaches. I think I'll go to Ikebukuro this Saturday because there are a few clustered around the station area (池袋西口公園は＃１！) Speaking of geocaches, I introduced my newest student, Tsubaki, to it. He seems very keen and curious about it :)

Anywho, I have a grammar quiz tomorrow, and considering we spent next to no time in class going over it, yeah. I should study :)

たくさん宿題があります。

For those playing the homegame sans Japanese language support, my subject for today's post is: I have a lot of homework.

In the last week I added an additional class, making it three I am taking this term for a total of 12 credit hours so that in the next two terms I can focus solely on Intensive Japanese II and III. Which, both in and of themselves are 12 credit hours each. So now my schedule looks like this:

Monday:

Japanese 2 - 10:10-12:40

Tuesday:

Japanese 2 - 10:10-12:40

Wednesday, aka "ZOMG WTF CLASSES ALL DAY":

Japanese 2 - 10:10-12:40
Contemporary Japanese History - 13:15-15:00
Readings in Japanese History I - 15:10-19:00

Thursday:

Japanese 2 - 10:10-12:40

Friday:

Japanese 2 - 10:10-12:40
Contemporary Japanese History - 13:15-15:00
ICU Festival Committee Meeting - 18:00-20:00

I'm not even adding in the potential for Archery or Tea Ceremony Club just yet. I can't do Flower Arranging (Ikebana) due to it taking place while I'm in class on Friday. Sad Panda.

My Japanese class is fairly consistant in homework, and you really do need to study a minimum of two hours a night. And I've been slacking. My Contemporary History class has a good amount of readings and work to keep up with, meanwhile my Readings in Japanese History is pretty laisez-faire. No weekly writings, no real discussion on the readings, a single self-propelled fieldtrip to Yasukuni and a 15 page research paper later...Yarp. All good.

I have to go to Kichijouji again for my Japanese project with Mark, John, and Stewart, which should be fun. One of these days I need to go out to Akihabara and Asakusa...

But for now, homework and preparing for a house-bound weekend as the Typhoon hits. Weee~!