Heading Home - Saturday 19 October

Well you loyal blog readers, I am just showing you that I have stamina and technological capacity to blog to the very end.

Today we woke to eagerly face the end of the journey at a relatively leisurely pace. Fuji was still in hiding!

Our last chance to see Fuji from our hotel room.

Off to Dean & Deluca on the other side of the station for breakfast - nice to start the day with a large latte even if it was a little on the weak side. Also took ourselves down to street level to look for the high bicycle storage system that Alison had seen on YouTube before we came to Japan. Sure enough with a little walk there it was. People pay to store their bikes in a series of underground silos and when they need the bike they simply enter the number corresponding and the bike is lifted up to them at the surface. 

Where your bike is whisked away!

We then meandered back to the hotel to finish our last bit of packing, check-out and deposit our luggage with the hotel. Back then to the food section of the Atre Shopping centre and picked ourselves something delectable to lunch on whilst journeying south on the Shinkansen. Back to the hotel to get our luggage and then once more across to Shinagawa Station and the Shinkansen waiting room. Our train left at 12:40pm and we had the rear two seats in our carriage with our suitcases safely stored behind us. Alison insisted that we wait until 1:00pm to eat our lunch.

Yes Fuji came out to say goodbye to us as we sped along in the train and no this is not a fake photo taken from a poster. Alison was over the moon.

We were actually in Car 11 which is specially designed to handle disabled passengers and a young woman in a very large electric wheelchair bordered at one of the stations on the way and sat in a space just across from us. The Japan Rail staff were excellent in getting her aboard and in place.

Got to Shin-Osaka at 3:30pm with a change of platform needed to get to the Haruka Express to Kansai. Could not believe the rudeness of an older American woman who was in the same crowded lift as us from the Shinkansen platform - thrusting her train ticket in the faces of a young Japanese couple asking where her next train would leave from. They told her in broken English that they didn't know!

We made our way to the correct platform but couldn't quite workout where our carriage would actually be and we made a bad decision so that when the train actually stopped we were quite some distance from the train itself let alone our carriage at the opposite end! Made it into the second carriage from the front as the alarms sounded for doors closing and then wended our way down the train to our carriage and reserved seats.

Now at Kansai airport with Philip having successfully located two most important things! A Subway outlet so we were able to once again enjoy a salmon and marscapone sub for dinner and to bring Alison's Japan holiday to a real close - a Daiso Y100 shop!!!!

Will sign off now and see you in Oz.

Out and About in Tokyo - Friday 18 October

Alison thought that she was lined up for a sleep-in and was surprised when the alarm went off at 7am. Philip wanted to be up and going so that we could see some action at the Tsujiki Fish Market area. Shared our last ginormous apple from Kyoto for breakfast and headed down to catch a train to Yurakucho station but got to the top of the stairs to the platform and took one look at the seething mass of Japanese commuters on the platform and decided there must be an easier way. This would have been around 9am.

Off to the Shinkansen line and on to a Kodama bound for Tokyo Station. Even got seats in a non-reserved carriage for the quick ride. Then it was a case of taking a leisurely stroll back through the Ginza and down towards Tsujiki.

Where else but Japan would you find pink rabbits supporting road barricades?

Walked pass the Kabuki Theatre in the Ginza area so that was another sight to tick off.

Alison in front of the Kabuki Theatre

Variety of foot massaging surfaces in park on way into Tsukiji - we could have made use of these at the end of the day!

Mixed with crowds in the market streets around the fish market

You know you are there!

Unclear as to what anything is but it looks good!

and then went over into the actual markets.

Gutting some large fish

Sawing up large frozen tuna. Heads in the yellow basket at the front.

All types of crustaceans

Had to watch out for speeding electric trolleys

Electric trolley about to leave ice works with polystyrene boxes of shaved ice

Old trolleys which have been pensioned off. It wouldn't be half as much fun hauling the fish and aiming for tourists on these!

and buckets of water being thrown especially when there were tourists nearby! We reckon that if it moves and comes from the sea, there is somewhere in Japanese cuisine that it will be used.

With a stop at a friendly street vendor selling various types of dried fruit

(we bought a bag of ginger), it was back then to Yurakucho Station through the Ginza with a couple of photo opportunity stops

Philip in front of the new age Nissan NYC Yellow Cab at the Nissan display on Ginza Corner 

Alison at Ginza Corner

and on to a north bound service to Nippori Station. From this station it was a short walk to our next goal - Textile Town. In this street there are a myriad of little stores selling all types of fabric and sewing accessories. We were particularly looking for a larger store called Tomato which internet reports had told us had fabric from Y150 per metre. Alison was chasing Japanese themed fabric for pillow cases to go with the new soba pillows. It would not be funny if the material gets through customs but the soba pillows don't!

After our purchases, Alison outside Tomato in Nippori Textile Town

Managed to buy a number of pieces with different patterns and all fabric was actually Made in Japan - not China.

From Nippori it was then a short train ride back to Tokyo Station and out towards Marunouchi District and the Imperial Palace grounds. On this train Philip tried to volunteer his seat to either of an elderly couple but they refused with an indication that they were only travelling to the next stop. But they certainly were amused and chatting behind their hands to each other all the way to that stop! We had seen a new Subway version at a Subway outlet in the Ginza earlier and were hoping that we might find a Subway store as it was by now actually lunch time. Sure enough we found one in the basement of one of the towers and in the middle of the store is a conveyer belt lift of trays on which they grow their own hydroponic lettuces.

Hydro lettuces growing in the Subway store

As in the USA, Subway here offers flat bread as an alternative to the normal rolls and we were able to buy the special item that we had seen earlier. Fresh salmon with marscapone and salad on flat bread - yummy!

Back up to street level and then walked over to the surrounds of the Imperial Palace.

Very large carp in Imperial Palace moat

View to one of the Palace buildings

One of the gates into the Palace grounds

Fabric pack-horse in Palace outer park

Feet starting to tire by now so had a quick look and then headed back to approach the historic red brick Tokyo Rail Station from the front.

Tokyo Station

Back to Shinagawa and off to investigate some jewellery stores and food outlets at the opposite end to our hotel. Found some delicious looking items that we will purchase for tonight's dinner and also some ideas for lunch items for the train trip back to Shin-Yokohama tomorrow.

We can't get over the age of the school children on their own heading through the station on their way home. Captured the photo below of two little boys in spectacular uniforms and then followed a little girl trudging along with a similar solid leather backpack on and also carrying a large leather bag.

Two independent young men!

Now having an afternoon break in our hotel room enjoying some iced coffee from the supermarket.

Tomorrow we have to check out of the hotel by 11am and then we will be taking a 12.45pm Shinkansen Hikari to Shin-Osaka and then the Haruka to Kansai Airport where we will arrive at 4.34pm. Our flight home leaves at 8.50pm and the adventure will be over when we land at Coolangatta on Sunday morning.

Day Trip to Shiogama and Matsushima Bay - Thursday 17 October

Slightly cloudy this morning as we prepared for our day trip but the sky looked promising to the north. Mt Fuji was still hiding however! Over to Shinagawa Station and through the main concourse with the army of worker ants surrounding us - very like something from George Orwell! Down on to the Shinkansen platforms and we took a Kodama to Tokyo Station - much quicker and more pleasant than catching the normal Yamanote line local train. As we were heading north from Tokyo we had to find our way to a different set of Shinkansen lines which means going through ticket gates flashing JR passes which are sometimes not even looked at and at other times taken from you and closely examined. Made it with plenty of time to spare and waited for our Haybusa Shinkansen. Alison has fallen in love with the Shinkansen trains but that love grew even deeper today - the ones that run to the north of Tokyo are all pretty colours, including one which is totally iridescent green! We even saw one with double decker carriages.

The colourful Haybusa.

The Haybusa is a bit like the Nozomi and only stops at a few stations. Fortunately for us JR Pass holders can now use it and it stops at Sendai which was where we needed to change to a local train. Ate our sandwiches from the Matsuya Food Hall for breakfast as we flew along with Alison reading the equivalent of the inflight magazines and JR Shop catalogue.

Interesting things in the JR Shop Catalogue, like things to strap onto shoes so you don't slip on icy pavements!

View on the way to Sendai

Arrived at Sendai station and navigated our way deep underground to the platform for local line which we needed.

Down we go at Sendai

This was a Rapid service so took us only 17 minutes to reach Shiogama.

Interesting collection of sculptures outside Shiogama Station

The way to the tourist boat wharf from the station was well marked and involved an easy walk of under 10 minutes. Purchased out tickets for the 11am sailing and splashed out for Green Class! Economy is the 1st floor of the boat, Green is the 2nd floor and First is the 3rd floor. There were probably only another five passengers and they all were economy so we had the whole second floor cabin to ourselves. Alison thought that the tour guide had done a wonderful job!

This one wasn't our cruise boat!

This one was.

Alison enjoying our personal deck!

The cruise across the bay was very worthwhile with the scenery of the various small eroded islands. There was guide commentary in both Japanese and English. We did note that the Japanese commentary was much more involved than the English version which followed it! The cruise across the bay to Matsushima took 50 minutes and although cloudy the water was calm and the view was great.

They make it tough for the Japan Coast Guard crew members to board their vessels!

Bringing in the catch

On arrival in Matsushima (one of the three most scenic views in Japan) the wave crest

we checked out the tourist information centre at the land end of the wharf and saw the level to which the area had been inundated by the Tsunami. The whole of the township sits right on the water level but fortunately in this area the tsunami had only caused inundation with little impact damage as the wave was diffused by the islands in the bay.

Tsunami inundation level in Matsushima Tourist Office

Tsunami before and after shots

How the Tourist Office fared

Checked out a small temple on an island right near the esplanade which is connected by a series of little wooden bridges

A bit worried as this sign actually points downhill to the esplanade!

and then headed through down to the JR station to catch an early train back to Sendai. We were tempted to try some of the local speciality of deep fried oysters but decided to give that a miss in view of recent stories about radiation levels in water from the Fukushima plant to the south along the coast!

Watch out Patch, Grandma Al has some ideas!

A novel "No Smoking" promotion

As we were moving along at a quicker pace than we had anticipated we changed our return Shinkansen to an earlier Yamabiko which made more stops including one at the city of Fukushina but not the nuclear reactor. We have returned home to Tokyo with a glow to us but we are sure that it is the result of the enjoyable cruise rather than the stop at Fukushima!

This is to prove that I actually got off the train in Fukushima! No that is not me.

Back in Tokyo it was a quick transfer of Shinkansen lines and onto a Hikari for the quick trip from Tokyo Station to Shinagawa. Dropped our gear back in our hotel room and then with the aid of a Shinagawa District guide map that we had picked up yesterday at the Tokyo Municipal Offices, we headed through to the other side of Shinagawa Station and to the south along a sky walk and some roads to view an area where there are old style houseboats moored with people living on them and also a street section with very old timber traditional houses.

House boast in the Shinagawa area

Row of traditional old wooden houses not far from Shinagawa Station

Checked out some restaurants on that side of Shinagawa before deciding that we would splash out on the Chinese buffet at our hotel. Normally Y3,800 but for guests just Y3,300. Even better when we got the bill for our meal it was only Y3,000 each. 

Alison enjoying a deep fried crab claw

Some of our food from the buffet - gotta love the lime Fanta! 

Mmmmm - actually it is a steamed Peach Bun!

The restaurant was less than atmospheric with a view onto the hotel's indoor pool and plastic tablecloths and then the "piece de resistance" - all the additional tables in the area where we had been sat taken up by a school group of 12 year olds. Teachers were very apologetic to us but by this stage we were almost finished and in fact the children were very well behaved.

Back settled in our room with tomorrow our last full day to complete a few extra sighteseeing and to do musts including a visit to Textile Town at Nippori north of Ueno.