Last day in Japan and time to return to Tokyo. Not before a little sightseeing first.
Both Aomori and Hirosaki are famous for the Nebuta (Neputa in Hirosaki) festivals featuring giant colourful paper floats featuring dramatic scenes. The Aomori Nebuta Wa-Rasse has a number of floats on exhibition in their distinctive building close to the station.
It is incredible what can be created with just wood, wire, paper, paint and some lights. The floats are works of art depicting dramatic scenes from history and fantasy and the festival must be an amazing experience.
The museum shop sells extra sized t-shirts, so I could have got away with not doing the washing last night!
Before the Seikan Tunnel connected Honshu with Hokkaido, trains and passengers were loaded on to ferries to complete the journey. The Hakkoda Maru, now on display at Aomori, was one of these ferries. I didn’t go onboard, but you can see where they loaded the wagons on to the ship.
Omiyagi shopping at the A-Factory. Dried apples, chocolate apples, pie apples, apples of varying sweetness, apples!
Last minute shopping for items on this bring-back-home list. But not enough to need two gigantic cases and a cooler trolley like the Asian couple opposite in the shuttle train from Aomori to Shin-Aomori Station.
Shin-Aomori, the Shinkansen station sits one stop out from Aomori Station. Within the Shinkansen section is a small konbini, an omiyagi shop, bento store and a tiny soba restaurant, all of which close at 6pm. Outside there is only a Toyoko Inn and nowhere to eat, nothing to do. I kind of want to stay there.
A Shinkansen heading north has the label “Party” on the service board. Doesn’t look any different to a regular service, the same as the Hayabusa Shinkansen taking us south to Tokyo under bright blue skies.
I write, sleep, watch the world disappear outside the window. Buy a tub of vanilla ice cream from the trolley service.
After three and a bit hours we arrive in Tokyo. With daylight left I feel like I should be doing something, but at the same time I am so very tired and want to sleep. Perhaps I am getting sick, perhaps it is anxiety, or maybe both.
Search fruitlessly for items on the list, discover the perfect toy for Alex at Train Art, admire items at Travellers Factory Station, but cannot figure out what I’d do with them.
The Yamanote Line takes me to Hamamatsucho, change to the Tokyo Monorail to Haneda Terminal 3. The view is far better during the day, no wonder it is called the Tokyo Panoramic Line. There is even a glimpse of Mount Fuji in the distance.
The monorail yards are really interesting and we are overtaken by the express service there.
It’s a bit of a walk to the Hotel Villa Fontaine Grand from the terminal and check in is busy. I rest, enjoy the Sony Bluetooth speaker in the room, then force myself to go out to find food. I can’t tell if I am hungry or not. Wander Haneda Terminal 3 looking for something that may stay down.
The terminal is very impressive. Godzilla towers over one side, another has a huge wooden bridge leading up towards a fantastic outdoor observation deck.
Eventually I eat a beef bowl at Yoshinoya and cannot finish it.
Returning to the hotel I make a trip up for a soak in the hot spa. The indoor baths have the view, but the outdoor is more refreshing.
While chatting online to Alex I feel the room shake with a warning flashing up on my phone. My second Japanese earthquake and both this year! Magnitude 5.5 in Ibaraki Prefecture.
Now I must sleep early, to wake before 4 am to catch the flight home. Goodnight from Japan.