Day 15 and return to Tokyo
We checked out of our Osaka hotel after breakfast and caught
a cab to the train station. This time I learnt how to use the app and
successfully ordered a taxi. Japanese train stations look for all the world
like airports. Full of people and facilities they have an energy and buzz of
exciting things happening. If the timetable says that the train leaves at 9.50,
then that is precisely when it departs, not a second earlier or later.
Johnny booked us into a very comfortable and spacious Green Car and we
were supplied with face towels soon after we settled in. The bathrooms were as
big as our home bathroom and included not only toilets but also bidets. The
journey to Tokyo was going to take two and a half hours so we took with us
snacks and drinks, but the train also had a prebooked catering service if you
wanted it. Johnny had the window seat and kept nudging me to see the passing
sights, but I was deep into reading a very entertaining book I had brought with
me. We finally caught sight of Mount Fuji as we sped between Shizuoka and
Yokahama at 285 Km per hour. There was a bit of cloud at its lower reaches and
it rose majestically in the distance.
Amongst the crowds at Nihombashi
station we saw a posse of sumo wrestlers that were transiting through, dressed
in their kimonos and sandals. They were attracting a lot of attention from
children and were not averse to having their photos taken with them. It was a
sunny and yet cool day by the time we reached Tokyo so it was no trouble to
walk the short distance to the hotel The locals have definitely noticed that
the weather has turned and has stated tending towards cooler days. We had dressed
lightly as negotiating crowds and lugging furniture always makes us feel hotter.
We checked in our luggage and headed out for a walk about. The hotel was in the Nihombashi area and there was lots of pavement traffic. Families were out and about, enjoying the weekend. .Around the corner from our hotel there was a huge lobby area with restaurants and a photography exhibition happening. We bought lunch and took it to an area where we could watch all the excitement. At street level, we passed a gallerythat sold llittle olourful sculptures of fantastical animals. The prices were unbelievable. I was sure that Ginny could easily make something similar with air dried clay. Then we took a walk through the nearby streets to scout out some possibilities for dinner. By then it was nearly 3pm so we returned to the hotel to check in and go up to our room for a rest. it was nice to make a quick call home and see our Fam Dinner Group at Reynard, settling in for a BBQ chicken dinner.
