After a hard summers work I have finally arrived in Himeji, Japan. I got plenty of sleep on the plane and have had no jet lag. I have jumped into life here and am really enjoying it. I was warmly welcomed by our sister cities partners from Adelaide, Australia who share our building and had a bike ready for me to ride. I also have met all the Phoenix people who I will be sharing the Shirasagi residence with. Life seems easy here and the weather is excellent right now. I have caught the end of the festival season and we attend events every weekend. Himeji is big enough to be have plenty to do and also small enough so that it is easy to navigate. I have met many people already as a result of the relationships that all the teachers who live here have and am in the process of looking for a studio. I have also started on learning Japanese and hope to be able to master some of the simple things in the next few weeks. I wake each day with a mix of fear of the unknown and the excitement that comes from new routines, people and places.