This week I've been having something of a recurring dream. I am sat alone in a windowless room, my arms tied behind my back and my legs strapped to a wooden chair and my mouth gagged with an oily rag. The chair is moist and the room smells of an acrid ammonia. I look upwards and see a gigantic chrysanthemum staring back me.

As I look closely, my eyes squinting due to this overpowering smell of ammonia, I notice that it has a nose, in fact I can make out two eyes and even a mouth. Slowly but surely a see a gap form amongst the small twiny little flower petals. And yes indeed, suddenly, a mouth forms and begins to speak to me. Yet nothing actually comes out from under its little gap of a mouth. It lets out a sigh, a sort of distempered little outtake of breath and with a slight adjustment its rotund flowery little face turns into disappointment and suddenly becomes distorted turning into a clear frowning face. The once neutral expression of this giant chrysanthemum has suddenly turned very sad. Once again its mouth opens and the little sides of its mouth open slighter wider and it draws itself in to my oily stained mouth and sweating forehead.

As it leans over, examining my curious sweating forehead, sat alone tied to this chair in this windowless room it looks as its about to whisper something into my ear;

Wake..... up.....
Its...... time.....

And that is when my dream ends. I return to normality and recover my consciousness and discover that I am in bed having suffered yet another giant chrysanthemum related dream.

Things have hit the ground running since Monday after I finally, yes finally received my certificate of eligibility from Japan. I've now booked the time off in 2 weeks to go to Edinburgh to turn this tiny bit of paper into my magical Visa that allows me into Japan.

Things are mostly a go now. All my flights are booked and barring any mishaps I should be in Tokyo in the 14th of September. I'm flying from Newcastle to Heathrow on the 13th and then on from Heathrow to Japan. I'll then be staying a hotel close to Shinjuku and then the next day I'm ready to head down to Seijo - to start my life as an exchange student there.

Thankfully Seijo have spared me the indignity of being poor in Japan, and barring me going to the stripclubs and soaplands on a regular basis, I should be okay for money. My rent works out at around £140 a month. Which is just fantastic really. Especially for Tokyo. My classes start on the 24th and I begin life as a foreigner on the 18th when I register as a fully fledged gaijin.

I'm pretty scared now, because its less than 6 weeks away and I am lost in a torrent of emotions and chrysanthemum related dreams. This year is going to be insane, and I mean that in various literal and non-literal senses.

PS: if you are confused by the chrysanthemum - its one of the national symbols of the Japanese state.