Did I say 'spring'?

Well, as I type it is , yet again, snowing outside. Great. And fantastic for the snow trimmed washing hanging on my balcony. Oh well...

It is now, officially spring in Japan as the Setsubun festival happened over the weekend. To cries of 'Devils out; fortunes in', the Japanese put on little devil masks and take a handful of beans - the number corresponding to their age, and throw them from their house outside. They then sweap them up the next day. They are also meant to cook the same number and eat them. This happened, therefore it is spring.

I'm in gym mode now and getting frustrated when I can't go (ie when it's shut, or when my membership doesn't permit me entry). And today I had a gym counselling session, in English, with an instructor who was very nervous about his English, but very sweet. And I discovered a huge jazuzzi in the changing rooms.

I'm hooked on 'Tru Calling' at the moment, as my local DVD shop has all the episodes and, as I ran out of '24' ages ago, this is my new one. Seen it? I've also been working my way through all of 'Sex and the City'. And this time I'm enjoying it so much more than I have before.

And reading. I read so much here. Partly because I have loads of time on the train, but also because I'm getting my hands on so many random books. We book swap. I pick up books left in schools. I get given books. I rarely need to buy any, and when I do, they are always second hand. At any given time I seem to have about 20 books waiting to be read. It's great. And then.....I pass them on. Absolutely no hoarding. It's liberating!