No, I didn't get sunburnt, that would be quite an achievement in a place where temperatures linger just above 20 degrees and it rains quite frequently. However, the Ryokan (that's a japanese style hostel) we're at has, aside from a lovely miniature garden and infinite amounts of free tasty tea, an onsen. An onsen, or hot spring, isn't a spring at all. It's basically a fancy public (but single gender) bathtub that you don't use to clean yourself, you do that beforehand, you just relax in it. Or, in my case, you take 2 minutes to get in, sit around for another 2 and then realise that you really can't take the temperature and that 40 odd degrees are really not good for your blood circulation and that you should get out before you faint. Afterwards, I felt slightly odd, like my skin was too tight and despite the immediate cold shower did a fairly decent lobster impression. I'll give this whole thing another shot later, but to be honest I think I might just not be cut out for it.

Other than that... the phrase book is coming in very handy, the best I managed so far was to ask whether a train was broken. I didn't get the answer beyond "yes", but that's besides the point. Equally useful are notebooks, where you can write down stuff for people because they might not understand you when you say something, but when they see it written they do.

Yesterday we were in Akihabara, or electric town. Unfortunately we found most of the shops to be quite similar, then it was raining again and so the bargain of a lifetime was not made. I did buy two artbooks though, because that's really one thing that's definitely cheaper over here. Someone else is still debating whether or not to buy an iTouch, an idea I toyed with (internet in your pocket!) and then dismissed when I found out that they're just as expensive over here than they are elsewhere. Anyway, speaking of someone else, she's not around yet which probably means she's gone back to sleep, so I shall go and wake her. The plan for today is to go on a boat trip!