Tyfoons and Banana Curry

I've had my suspicions, and it seems I was right about all this rain. It's tyfoon season over here. Right now Tyfoon #18 is blowing up from Kyushu, and the wind and rain is pretty strong. There's a chance that classes will be canceled tomorrow if this keeps up.
Yesterday was another koto lesson; this time, us international students got to receive instruction as well. I was really happy when, out of everyone, I was the only person who didn't have to fix anything about my playing. I also payed for fitted tsume (picks), which I should get next time the teacher comes. It was a bit expensive, but then again, the picks are made from ivory.
Today marked the beginning of a new era; let it be known to all that I now have access to my meal stipend! Daa da da daaah! I've got about ten dollars a day for lunch and snacks, and this will really help me out, since all this rain is making me shell out about that much just for transportation to and from class.
We were supposed to watch Pom Poko in Anime class today, but a dvd mix-up had us watching Mononoke-hime instead. Not that I'm complaining about getting to see my favorite movie, but it did make class run over. I missed this week's sign language meeting, so I went to go try some new snacks to make up for it.
Traveling Abroad Rule #2: I tested this in France, and I've confirmed it here-bbq chips are your friends. Also, Meiji chocolate's not bad, either.
Dinner was something I never would have imagined, although looking at Indian culture, I probably should have realized this was possible: banana curry. It really is a surprise when you bite into potato only to realize that it's not potato. But it wasn't bad.

Observations:
There are a lot of street dancers at Kansai Gaidai. And I mean a lot. After classes are over and done with, every part of campus with an overhead roof is packed with people practicing until at least 8 o'clock. And they take it very seriously, too, so I just can't put them in the same category as those annoying show-offs back home.
Osaka is apparently the headquarters for Japan's biggest store for otaku products. In other words, I have landed right in the middle of anime heaven.