So...in to the final 8 days of work. It's amazing how working with no pressure can make any job so much more enjoyable. A few decent things have happened to my schedule over the last few weeks which have also meant an easier time at work. The new teacher will arrive to a much less daunting timetable to the one theat greeted me, thanks to a combination of class mergers and the loss of the two wildest children that I have ever taught (they aren't dead...they just don't come to this school any more).

Over the weekend I went into Nagoya for possibly the last time. I lunched with a good friend, and then set about accomplishing one or two tasks that I had left unaccomplished. Firstly, getting a visa for my trip to China. Having already tried to deny me a visa based on the fact that I lived in Gifu and not Nagoya (they wanted me to do the 100pound 4 hour roundtrip to Tokyo), I was ready for this to be more of a challenge than it should have been. It, however, wasn't. I paid my 4,000 yen and left with a shiny new visa.

I then went shopping. On Monday/Tuesday I intend to climb Mt. Fuji. I bought a lamp to go on my head (which is funny to look at but useful in practice) and also some lighter gear to climb in and stay warm. It should be a good weekend.