Last week I arrived in Saga, Japan. The timing has been very good for cherry blossom viewing so I've spent a lot of time walking around the city. It's a fairly rural area with a lot of farmland and wild animals. A few people have asked if I'm going to get a bike to commute, but the university campus is only about a 15 minute walk from my apartment and besides that I... actually can't ride a bike, so it wouldn't be much use even if I got one. Settling in has been rough, I miss my cat a lot. The first 2-3 days were very overwhelming, I think I will be relieved once term begins properly so there's a bit more routine to follow with classes and assignments. The entire apartment is about the size of the bedroom in my apartment back home. It also has gas appliances which it turns out I'm a little nervous of, having only ever used electrical appliances in the past. Food is inexpensive compared to Australia and I don't eat much anyway, so it may be possible to avoid cooking. Orientation