I've written about being home in Japan, and about some of the things that make this country special to us. Now I want to show you and tell you more about Tokyo!

In May, I sadly left my job at Kidz Talk, but happily moved into the heart of Tokyo. Brad and I are now living in Harajuku, an area which the Japanese say is the symbol of youth in Tokyo.

Our area teems with cafes and restaurants full of lively people, while the shop wares range from traditional Japanese artifacts to gothic rock wear to Chanel and Loui Vitton. The main avenue that runs through Harajuku is lined with giant trees, and leads to Meji Shrine and Yoyogi Park, an immense forest reserve which beckons artists, musicians, performers, street vendors, sportsmen and lovers to it's grassy retreat. The alleyways which form mazes off the main road are full of eclectic shops and small cafes offering every kind of cuisine.

In the midst of all this, we are living in a share house: a two-story home with 5 bedrooms and 4 other people. Our tiny room is plenty of space for us, and we can hang in the living room too. We are the only non-Japanese living in our house, so we love being able to speak Japanese with our housemates.

We are absolutely having a ball. It's so fun to live in a big city. We're sitting in cafe patios, riding bikes or our scooter for transportation, meeting friends for drinks anytime, and I'm wandering over to the local cafe for work.

Having my own English teaching business is going great. I meet my students in a cafe and chat in English for $27/hr on my own schedule and terms! As for my students, they are so interesting. I have an architect, an ear/nose/throat doctor, a high school student, a computer salesman, a songwriter, a graphic designer, a bartender, a hairdresser, a stockbroker, a young girl dentist, a video game animation creator, a teacher, an engineer, a secretary, a retiree, and a psychology professor. All the students have such unique personalities, stories and lives, so for me, this job is like sociological research on Japanese people in Tokyo. I love it!

My cafe is 5 minutes from home and right across the main street from Brad's gym, so everything is so convenient. We are hardly using trains at all, working out together more lately, and using our free time to take Japanese lessons twice a week at a nearby school.

The summer is stinkin' hot and humid, but the beaches are only an hour away by train and the summer festivities are in full swing. This month, there are huge fireworks shows and festivals every weekend, plus a handful of music festivals and beach parties. Will tell you all about them in my next travelogue: "Summer in the City".

Love Always, Bex