And then we all died a little inside

As it stands, June in Kyoto is the worst season in the history all my 90 or so seasons of my life. One of the main bragging points that Kyoto-ites like to spout is the fact that their city has four distinct season, summer, fall, winter, and spring. Yet they purposefully forget to mention the fifth season, the devil's own creation. It falls smack-dab in the middle of summer and is called the 梅雨, tsuyu, a.k.a monsoon season. It really is like stepping out of a shower into a sauna. It is a miserable experience. I never thought I would wish for the August heat, but this humidity is literally killer.

That being said, I thought I should take a few moments to list out the interesting things that one should expect from Japan that most people do not tell you.

1 - There are no giant battling robots or godzilla monsters protecting the airways, despite what the Simpsons and Powerpuff Girls tell you.

2 - If you are in Osaka and you pretend your hand is a gun or pretend that you have a sword in hand and you attack an Osakian, they will play along and die, violently. (I haven't actually tested this out yet on the streets, but it is fun in class)

3 - Japanese people, despite the hyper-awesome technological gadgets that make their way to the States, are, for the most part, technologically disinclined.

4 - Unless you can type on it with your thumbs, put it on your face, or wear it under your school uniform than most Japanese high school students are probably not interested in it.

5 - Nearly all of the foreigners in Japan are giant nerds, myself included, so it is very easy to find people who are into the same things as you.

6 - The old proverb, "If you don't use it, you lose it" applies readily to your language abilities, Japanese and English alike.

7 - The supermarket is a good place to be stared at by curious old women and visual scorned by old men, if you're into that sort of thing.

8 - The sidewalk is for bikes, period. Ambulatory commuters should learn to fly.

9 - Cockroaches are a way of life, get used to them. At least they are better than the Mukade, giant poisonous centipedes, which like to eat cockroaches. If you don't have cockroaches look under your bed for them bastards.

10 - Get used to paying 3000-5000yen, $30-50, for a night on the town. Where every night is 10 dollar beer night!

Well, it would be impossible to tell of the mundane and exciting things that have happened to me, but my biggest piece of advice is to come in with no expectations. This way you can only be surprised. It's a much more entertaining way to live in Japan.