My mum told me to close my eyes and hold my hands out, because apparently my nanny had sent a gift for me. “It’s not socks, is it?” I said. It wasn’t socks - it was a cheque for £500. I was genuinely astonished: nobody’s ever given me that much money, ever. I felt bad about accepting it, but as my nanny always (morbidly) says: better that she sees me enjoy her money while she’s alive.

So: that’s a big help for the war chest, currently at exactly £1,000, but hopefully to be bolstered by a £700-800 paycheque on September 15th (plus a similar amount on October 15th, when I’m there).

Been browsing accommodation again, and I’ve discovered the Tokyo Cosy House in Ichikawa: a dirt-cheap, 4 person shared room, 19 minutes from Central Tokyo, free internet/bike/phone (if I stay over 3 months) for a mere ¥26,250 p/m (£112): about half the price of anywhere else. What’s the catch?

It’s in Chiba, the city technically next door to Tokyo (though practically part of it) which according to Wikitravel:

“Chiba is generally regarded as the most boring of the cities surrounding Tokyo. But, as William Gibson fans will know, there is one excellent reason for visiting Chiba, as the “Tokyo-Chiba urban sprawl” is where much of Neuromancer (ISBN 0441569595) is set:

In Japan, he’d known with a clenched and absolute certainty, he’d find his cure. In Chiba. Either in a registered clinic or in the shadowland of black medicine. Synonymous with implants, nerve-splicing, and microbionics, Chiba was a magnet for the Sprawl’s techno-criminal subcultures…”

Ohhh, that’s where I know Chiba from!

Incidentally, Google Maps Japan has an awesome feature I just discovered by trying to find a route between Jimbocho and Ichikawa: rather than giving me the route by road, it gave me the route by train, including timetables and fares!

Checking out jobs too:

“Award winning internationally acclaimed French film director is shooting a full length feature film in Tokyo from October through December. Currently casting all lead roles and extras. Looking for males and females between 20-40. No previous acting experience necessary.
Some roles may require nudity and sexual content. “

Intriguing…