And then there were three. I just finished walking Mat to the train station as his flight leaves at about 10am. For the remaining three of us, it’s going to be a long day of waiting at the airport. Their luggage is too heavy to lug around to explore more of Shinagawa and we get the boot from our apartment at 10am. But I get a bit ahead of myself.
On our last full day in Japan, we left our oh so wonderful house in Kyoto and boarded another Shinkansen which rocketed us back to Tokyo, specifically Shinagawa. On the train we discussed what we wanted to do. Originally, Mat (feeling much better) had hoped to visit an onsen or Japanese hot springs.
In years gone by, this was a luxury that would ordinarily be denied to Mat due to his tattoos which were traditionally taboo for onsens. Japan has begun to lighten up on that decree especially when it comes to gaijin (outsiders). Though Mat was feeling better, his feet were badly blistered from all of the walking around we had been doing and feared they would not let him in. Dave was not really interested. Amy was and so was I. However that desire was tempered by the knowledge that getting to the onsen would have resulted in a 3 hour round trip train ride. After spending 2.5 hours on the bullet train, I decided I didn’t really want to be trapped on a train for another three hours, especially when I had a 9 hour flight to endure the next day, so I declined.
Instead, we deposited our bags at the train station and went to visit Shibuya. Shibuya is a famed shopping mecca and is also famed for the legendary dog, Hachiko, and for having the busiest crosswalk (6 ways) in the country, possibly even the planet. Amy went to do some shopping at the famed Shibuya 109 while the rest of us killed some time at yet another arcade.
With that done, we caught the train to Shinagawa where we would spend our final night. The place wasn’t too bad and was the first home that actually had some beds. However, the bathroom was a mold ridden mess. We spent a few hours relaxing before we headed out to a final group dinner.
We ate at Tsubame, located at Shinagawa Station. This was easily the best meal we had during the entire trip. We had two plates of incredible scallops for appetizers and they were basted in garlic and parmesan cheese. For myself I enjoyed salmon meuniere and had a rare indulgence with a black beer called Kostritzer.
Mat had to get up at the crack of doom so we turned in not long after our dinner. Being an early riser, I walked Mat back to the airport before returning to pack everything up.
For us, we’ll head to the train station at 10am and catch the Narita Express to the airport where we’ll be in for a long day of waiting before our flight boards at 4pm. For me, once I recover from the jet lag, it’ll be back to business as usual. I’ll have about a week off before it’s back to the business of theatre with 2 reviews waiting for me at Omaha Community Playhouse and a special invitation from the Barn Players Community Theatre. Then I hope to return to the stage myself.
But with these final words, it’s time to officially bring this adventure to a close.
Chris' Corner 