Last day on the rails

This is the last day of our rail pass and the day we have to head back to Tokyo. I think we are both ready to complete this visit to Japan. This is not a sign that we have had enough - there is so much more that we could do and would want to do if we had the time - but rather that we were always aware of the limited time we had and we have used it well and completed what could reasonably be done in just over two weeks. We have explored much more of Japan than I ever achieved in my 4+ years of being here before and have used our rail pass well without the trip turning into a blur of towns and cities.

The end of the journey is quite simple, a Shinkansen back to Tokyo station where we have taken the precaution of pre-booking accommodation at a Toyoko Inn. When booking we had to, with the assistance of a very helpful receptionist, go through a number of hotels as our first choices were full. Our preference had been one in or near Ikebukero or Ueno as we wanted to shop in these more low key areas of central Tokyo but we ended up with one in Nihonbashi, part of the business district. This was fine by me as when I was Japan in the 1980s it was Nihonbashi where my language school was located and it was one of the places I wanted to visit.

Arriving at Tokyo station we found our way to an exit and grabbed a taxi to take us to the hotel. This took us through the old part of the station, similar to other grand stations in Europe, which is being restored. We arrived at the hotel and checked in, finding that our reservation had indeed been made. However, as usual, as it was not 3:00pm we could not go to our room but we could leave our luggage. This we did and then made our way back onto the JR Yamanote Line, which circles Tokyo, via a nearby subway station. Our JR Rail passes were valid until midnight and so we planned to make the most of them.

On the way to the subway we crossed a bridge as this part of Tokyo has one of the many rivers that flow through it into Tokyo Bay. There were two notable things about this river. The first is, like many others, it was somewhat obscured by the expressway that follows its course but directly above it, being built on great concrete pylons that stick out of the water. All available space is nearly always used. One step short of directly concreting over it which I had noticed had happened in other cities. The second is that, as the bridge had the cover of the expressway, it was also home to the local homeless. They are evident throughout the city camped neatly (yes, even the hobos are neat here) under expressways and flyovers. In this place a man slept on a cardboard bed and further along what must have been someones possessions were neatly tied to the bridge rail in a couple of plastic bags. It seems that here the homeless can mark their place and leave their stuff behind without fear of theft. We had not seen much evidence of poverty in Japan, and I have no idea of its extent. However given that this is such a well defined society I would imagine that if you are not a member of the mainstream then you would quite easily fall off the steep cliff of social viability and it would be very hard to climb back up again.

It was a short hop to Ueno station where we planned to shop. We were not alone. It is clear that, here, shopping is recreation and it was Saturday. The place was packed.

Ready, steady...

...shop

Like so many other things on this trip things worked out very well. We had some specific things in mind and after a little wandering we ended up in exactly the right shop with everything we needed just across the road from the station. A bit of fatigue was beginning to set in so we paused for a parfait in a department store cafe which required us spending about 20 minutes in a queue before we could get a table. However, even queuing for a place in a restaurant brought back pleasant memories for me.

Display outside parfait place.
These kinds of places have such good memories for me as I must relate them to treats when in Tokyo as a youngster. 

After Ueno it was back on the Yamanote line to Ikebukero (where we had originally hoped to stay) for a bit of a looksee. Then we decided to complete our circumnavigation* of inner Tokyo by heading to Shinagawa for dinner. There are clearly two sides to Shinagawa as when we exited the station at the nearest point there was, essentially, nothing. Not many people and nothing open. Retracing our steps and going the long way through an arcade to the other exit brought us out onto a plaza that led to small streets with hundreds of restaurants and loads of people. Saturday in Tokyo has a special feel for me - I think it is the combination of work and recreation as many (used to and probably still do) work half of Saturday and so Saturday afternoon / evening is the start of a short weekend. So, unlike the rest of the week, there is a combination of people just from work and many others out shoring up the Japanese economy by buying things (I cannot, for the life of me, figure out where they store or put these things given the size of the places they live in).

We found a little bar kind of restaurant which you enter under the noren 'curtain'and through sliding doors, getting the last two available seats which were boxes with padding on the top and hollow inside to put your bags. Ordering was aided by a couple of helpful guys at the adjoining table and consisted mainly of pointing at what they had and at other things on the menu. It worked out well and was delicious. For drinks we had 'Highballs' which were basically whiskey (I think) watered down with soda and ice. Very popular but not totally my taste.

After dinner it was our final JR ride back to Tokyo station on the Yamanote line where, going through the turn style I pocketed our JR Passes for the last time. Satisfied that we had made good use of them; sad that they were finished.

end of the line :(

We then got the subway back to near our hotel and, using my history of being a local in Nihonbashi and having taken care to note the route from hotel to subway on the way out, I managed to get us lost. Not the smartest move given that we were both knackered after what had been a huge day. However I was able to use the last few megabites of my mobile phone plan to locate us and see us back to the hotel and our room and for our last sleep (at least until next trip) in a Toyoko Inn.


* I cannot use this word without recalling that, like many others, it provoked a few discussions between Rosemary and me, this time in respect of what the land based equivalent of 'navigation' might be.