Saw some guys pushing a shrine into a shop. I wonder if they were getting ready for a mikoshi or just getting over one.
Was riding the Keihin-Tohoku to try and check out Yokohama when I got a text, so I got off and switched to the train going in the opposite direction to get to Shiodome.
Don't know the significance, but there was a train in a little park-type area that can be seen from the platform.
After some misunderstanding, we were able to meet up and hit up the buffet @ Restaurant Harmony in the Royal Park Shiodome Tower. If you have the chance and a big appetite, you should definitely go!
My sister is too quick to be caught off guard by a camera.
Foie gras omelette!
Curry!
Talt!
The goma dessert was good but the portion was too much and it looked creepy.
No problems with the citrus sherbet though.
After the biggest lunch I remember having in a while, Lea had to go back to work but, after hearing about my neck issues due to the bad pillow at the hotel, she offered me her monthly massage voucher @ Temomin. The massage wasn't as hard as the place I usually go to in Honolulu, but the service was nice and relaxing.
It was suggested that I could go check out Ginza, but with the insane amount of sweat I was in danger of generating due to the heat, I took a break in a Starbucks before I decided to head back to the hotel and grab my luggage.
On the way back to the station, I checked out a bunch of the displays and events going on outside.
Miyazaki-esque wooden thing.
Shiny rock sculpture.
Yamazaki Ryo's artwork.
Shiodome Expo 2010
The guy with the hat had a really high voice.
The two girls might be Cherry Pie, a comedy duo.
There was some exhibit for one of my favorite shows, DERO!
I guess I had not been able to fully explain the extent of my JR Pass privileges to Junko since her latest plan was to ride the JR from Ueno to Narita Airport (even though it would have been faster for me to catch the Narita Express from Tokyo Station and for her to catch the Keisei from Ikebukuro.
So the plan was to ride the Joban Line from Ueno, even though it stopped at Narita Station (not Narita Airport) and transfer to the Yokosuka Line Sobu Line. The Joban may have been designated as a Rapid Train, but I could have been fooled by the amount of times it stopped. At one point, the train stopped for almost 10 minutes at one of the stations. I'm guessing this was because there was only one track and a train was coming in the opposite direction. Train was super crowded so until people started clearing out, my feet were smashed by my bag which I tried to pull in as close as possible.
Anyways, we eventually got to Narita Station and it becomes rather apparent that Junko has probably never been here before and/or didn't know how to get to the airport from here. As we're waiting for the next Yokosuka Line Sobu Line train to get us to the airport, I am finally able to explain fully that the JR Pass I bought allowed me to ride the Narita Express, so we didn't have to take the cheaper, slower trains.
Junko's "I had no idea, sorry. Nothing I can do but read Conan until the next train comes" expression.
After transferring at Narita Station, we finally made it to the Airport, almost 3 hours after we left Ueno Station! Well maybe we'll have something to laugh about years later?
Narita's JAL terminal was super empty around this time.
Last meal in Japan was ironically super American.
Was a fun trip, but it will be quite a while before I try and come back to Japan during the summer.
