I just bought a digital camera, and since the typhoon has been in full force since its purchace I've been relegated to indoor testing in my poorly-lit apartment. For cultural curiousity, anyway, I've included a photo of two Shoa Era coke bottles with "Coca Cola" written in katakana. Dating these bottles as such sounds exotic, I think, but please realize that the Showa Era, in fact, ended a mere seventeen years ago. Anyway, the bottles are fun.

The typhoon itself wasn't so daunting; it consisted largely of torrential downpours reminiscent of the rainy season, and intense humidity also reminiscent of the rainy season. The earthquake on Saturday, however, was a little scary. 4:35 found me teaching a lesson on the fifth floor of a wobbly old building, the entirety of which proceeded to shake for a solid thirty seconds. It was definitely the biggest quake I've felt so far. Positive aftereffects of these distasters (or the typhoon, at least), are the first clear skies and direct sunlight we've seen in weeks. No haze!