Question:
What is wrong with each picture?

Answer:
1. None of the student shoes are being worn.
2. No boys are hanging out on the balconies.
3. There are no students in class. They aren't at school.

This is the result of Typhoon 6, which passed by Fukuoka today.

Announced just a few days ago, this typhoon was responsible for today's closing of 230 schools in Fukuoka City. Classes were cancelled in Kitakyushu as well (but Kitakyushu JHS teachers still showed up at their schools).

Last night Yoshida sensei e-mailed me a message. The problem: she e-mailed the message to a wrong number. So I proceeded this morning like any other day. Wake up at 6. Go to Lawson's (Fanta Peach, Aquarius and a "sea chicken" onigiri). Board the highway bus at 7:05am.

As I was walking towards Chiyo's front gate, I noticed it was closed. I already had a feeling that not a student was going to show up. But I didn't know because I never got Yoshida-sensei's message.

When I walked into the shokuinshitsu, most of the teachers and even the kyoto-sensei were surprised to see me. Yoshimura-sensei told me that Yoshida emailed me. After some clarification, I realized that I didn't have to be on campus at all.

Winds began to pick up as the typhoon would pass by.

I figured I would call the BOE (Board of Education) office to take my last half-day of available paid vacation and head home early today.

Cut to me checking my cel: Stacey sent me a message. I read it - apparently, train services were halted. And so I started wondering: are the buses stopped too?

A quick jump to Nishitetsu's home page threw me to a traffic info page, announcing that all bus services to Kitakyushu from Fukuoka had stopped.

There are two ways I could have gotten home: pay over fifty dollars for a taxi, or hitchike. I was, naturally, stressing out.

By noon more than half the teachers were gone. Some of them took a full day of nenkyuu (paid leave) and some left before lunchtime. I ended up sitting at my desk doing various, trivial internet activities including a session of Reversi with Amber (who was let go early today by her ultra cool kocho-sensei). If I didn't have the internet at Chiyo I would have been face down on my desk, period.

Lunch came and Takeuchi-sensei asked me if I wanted to join them for a little meal excursion. Without any bento order I accepted with wide eyes.

After driving to two closed-establishments, we entered a well-known chanpon ramen joint. The food was delicious - the karaage (chicken) in the ramen was amazing and an additional side order of chicken wings was just as neat. It was good food and a nice plus to spend time with staff away from the school.

It made up for the crappy, surprise morning.

Salvation came in the form of one of our sports teachers who, like me, lives in Kokura. He drove me home when all the teachers closed shop and left at 5:15pm.

The typhoon may have passed us and the winds were strong at one point, but I have felt worse. It was a dud and botched the entire day. But on the flipside, it did give me a chance to see the staff out of their usual routine and have some chanpon. I can't complain about that.