Tokyo: Saturday, 11/9
In the morning, we were all packed up and ready to go, but we were up early enough to walk to the Hie Shrine in Akasaka. Lots of red flags and gates and lanterns. We saw a wedding process in. We got our temple book signed.
Then we retrieved our bags from the hotel, checked out, and got a taxi to Tokyo Station, where we’d get tickets and catch our train for the airport. We had lots of time, however, and headed first to Character Street for some final shopping. Character Street is a long corridor in the train station that’s lined with shops that each feature on iconic Japanese character--Rilakkuma, Shinkansen, Disney characters, Hello Kitty. Of course the Rilakkuma store was our first stop, and both girls selected a plush. Then, then!, we spotted a Kyrutto shop--kapibaras--the mole-like creature I’ve been pining for since our last trip to Tokyo ten years ago. Finally, I got to buy my own kapibara. The girls each bought one as well.
Fortified with kawaii plush, we headed for our train, stopping first to buy bento boxes at an insanely crowded bento box store. Everyone buys bento boxes for their train rides. Not everyone squeezes into the store with suitcases and backpacks. It was not easy. But we did it, and then we waited for our train, and then ate our lunches on the train as we went to the airport (not close--over an hour away).
The trip seemed really over then, but Andrew discovered a few gachapon machines in our terminal, so we used up our final hundred-yen coins on amazing capsule treasures, including miniscule Sylvanian Families rooms and figurines. I mean--one of the best capsules of the trip.
The flight to Chicago was twelve hours. Our layover was three hours. Our next flight was an hour and a half. Our drive to Connellsville was an hour and a half. It was a loooooooong day of travel, and we were all feeling it. It seems incredible that we were so far away, and now we aren’t, and the trip we’ve anticipated for so long is finally complete.
Then we retrieved our bags from the hotel, checked out, and got a taxi to Tokyo Station, where we’d get tickets and catch our train for the airport. We had lots of time, however, and headed first to Character Street for some final shopping. Character Street is a long corridor in the train station that’s lined with shops that each feature on iconic Japanese character--Rilakkuma, Shinkansen, Disney characters, Hello Kitty. Of course the Rilakkuma store was our first stop, and both girls selected a plush. Then, then!, we spotted a Kyrutto shop--kapibaras--the mole-like creature I’ve been pining for since our last trip to Tokyo ten years ago. Finally, I got to buy my own kapibara. The girls each bought one as well.
Fortified with kawaii plush, we headed for our train, stopping first to buy bento boxes at an insanely crowded bento box store. Everyone buys bento boxes for their train rides. Not everyone squeezes into the store with suitcases and backpacks. It was not easy. But we did it, and then we waited for our train, and then ate our lunches on the train as we went to the airport (not close--over an hour away).
The trip seemed really over then, but Andrew discovered a few gachapon machines in our terminal, so we used up our final hundred-yen coins on amazing capsule treasures, including miniscule Sylvanian Families rooms and figurines. I mean--one of the best capsules of the trip.
The flight to Chicago was twelve hours. Our layover was three hours. Our next flight was an hour and a half. Our drive to Connellsville was an hour and a half. It was a loooooooong day of travel, and we were all feeling it. It seems incredible that we were so far away, and now we aren’t, and the trip we’ve anticipated for so long is finally complete.
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