We finally got some rain today! It is a relief from the previous hot weather, although walking around in the rain and getting wet is a little miserable. Still, we're all used to that from Britain. The Korean exchange students couldn't believe that none of us Durham students had brought umbrellas, and rushed to offer us theirs when we walked down to the University together.

Outside the window, the clouds are sweeping low across the mountains in the distance. It looks so mysterious and wild, far removed from the hi-tech city. It really does look like the sort of place you’d find all the creatures in Japanese legends, like ogres and dragons. There’s even a rainbow shining down into the depths of the mountains, as if summoned by some magical being there.

The view from my balcony

The view at sunset

Had to get up at 7:30 this morning in order to put the rubbish out before 8:30. Japan has a very strict, very complicated system when it comes to rubbish disposal. Firstly, you can only dispose certain rubbish on certain days, which vary from city to city. In Kumamoto, Tuesdays and Fridays are for burnable rubbish, which makes up the majority of waste. Wednesdays are for recyclable paper. All the odd Thursdays of the month are for recyclable bottles, and all the even ones are for non-recyclable bottles, jars, kitchen wear, clothes, batteries and bikes. Mondays are for broken glass and pottery, electrical appliances and metal items. Rubbish must be disposed in a transparent plastic bag, and put in its correct collecting area by 8:30 in the morning. You're not allowed to leave it out overnight.