The Last Leg

July 29 and 30

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Tokyo, Japan

I was looking forward to this flight for a few reasons:
1. I needed the rest.
2. It is the last leg of our incredible journey.
3. I can't wait to be back in Japan. The icing on the cake!

Restful it was. I watched two movies, read some of my book and sat with my feet up.  Arriving at 10:15 PM immigration was quick, but it took a bit of time to sort out the trains/monorail to take to our airbnb. Our stop: Shin Okubo, right after Shinjuku, the busiest train station in the world. Ours is a Korean neighborhood with lots of life to it, but our apartment is down a very quiet alley.

Haneda airport.

The apartment is large by Japanese standards, something the boys are coming to appreciate. Jack and I have a bed, but the boys are on futons. The toilet is not as complex as the one in the airport, but it has the seat warmer on pretty high and we can't read any of the buttons to figure out how to turn it off.

There were many signs and instructions for the toilet in the airport. Seems complicated.

This should not be complicated but water seems to spray from everywhere!



Ahhh it is good to be here. It all comes back. The way the streets look, bonsais, vending machines, the calmness (even in Tokyo), the pachinko parlours, dried fish, much bowing, packed trains, cleanliness.

Pachinko parlour not too busy today.

As soon as we had the boys mobile this morning we went to Shinjuku train station to cash in the Japan Rail Vouchers we had bought in Australia for the actual travel ticket. Although expensive, the passes are more economical than buying individual train tickets and we plan to cover a lot of ground. This was easy. Next, to make train reservations. In January, before I left home I had recorded each train and its name and number along with departure and arrival time from each station along with what kind of train it was and if our pass would cover it. I tried to used the bullet rain as much as possible. Planning that far ahead I was hopeful the schedules had not changed. They hadn't, the trains were not booked up so I got each reservation I was hoping for.

Business taken care of, we went to see Shinjuku. Being almost noon, I had a craving for katsu don. Easily found, we ate, and enjoyed every bite.

If reading a Japanese menu is difficult, food is shellacked and placed in window cases to make ordering easy. I remember when I lived here and how independent I felt when I finally was able to read a menu and not have to take the waiter out into the street.

The Takashimaya Times Square holdsTokyu Hands, a seven floor store listed by Tourist Info as an interesting look. It was. I am a sucker for all the Japanese cutsie things.

The views from the Metropolitan Government Building were good even on this overcast day. We had thought of coming back this evening, but ran out of steam. Perhaps tomorrow night.

Yoyogi Park is a huge peaceful green space in the middle of a very congested city. After a walk through here our legs were done and we needed to head back.

Aren't they handsome?!

We have a kitchen, and I was looking for groceries to make something - anything at home. The Korean grocery store on our street had lots of options, but alas, I was a bit confused with what to do with most of the items for sale. If it didn't have a picture, we couldn't figure it out. Being illiterate is not a good feeling. Even a picture does not always help.

Decided on ready made sushi, gyosa, and those overly fatty, unhealthy instant noodles. My standards have dropped during this trip. We stooped to eating chip sandwiches one night. Get ready boys, it is whole wheat and salads when we get home!

Time to roll out the futons and get rested for another day in Tokyo.