Sayonora Japan, it's been amazing. Lufthansa....we need to have words....

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Sayonora Japan, it's been amazing. Lufthansa....we need to have words....



What better way to start the last day than with being unable to find the restaurant we wanted to find. If there's one thing I'd change about Japan it's making places easier to find. Most roads don't have names, numbers are all over the shop and not a lot makes sense, including the maps. Maybe it's all part of what makes Japan Japan though but when you're carrying a rucksack and a backpack it ain't much fun.



We did find a nice restaurant to have our last meal in though nonetheless. We sat at a table and ordered our food from a screen. No sushi this time but a variety of dishes for a few quid each. It was all good and we were still trying new dishes even at this late stage of the holiday. The food has been a real highlight with many types of restaurant and food tried. Claire has struggled to find veggie stuff at times but it's been amazing for me all the way through. I've only had one bland meal and....bit brave this even at this point.....I haven't been ill!! This is very unusual for me so well done the Japanese! I suppose it helps that they are capable of making their tap water drinkable but the care and effort the chefs put into making their food is also a major part.



After checking out of our hotel it was time to get lost again. We wanted Asakusa station and there are a few of those....each with a different line running through it. You just need to know which one is the right one as they're very helpfully all called Asakusa Station.... We found it eventually and someone showed us the right ticket and train for a direct journey to Haneda airport.



The airport is mainly full of overpriced posh peoples' crap like Cartier and Jimmy Choo but there are a couple of souvenir shops and cafes. Wifi is free but pretty crappy. The exchange rate is really good too. We changed some money back to put towards next year's holiday even though we haven't decided where that will be yet....



We've just a had a guy come to us to answer a survey....for which I got a sea urchin eraser so it was defnitely worth it... Anyway, he was asking us about Hokkaido and showing us pictures and telling us about it and it looks and sounds fantastic. Not next year though. That's currently between Sri Lanka and a joint sojourn to Vietnam and Laos. Other countries are available....



Japan has been an incredible trip jampacked with highlights and experiences. Not one Japanese person has annoyed me so apologies if you've been waiting for me to get wound up and get annoyed. We've also mostly avoided other tourists too which has been great. Some are okay usually but most are just exported to annoy the rest of the world and because their home country doen't want them. Well done to the three Americans we did briefly interact with as they were great and deserve to be ambassadors for their country. They'd be a zillion times better than that vile creature Trump that's for sure.



I reckon we could return to Japan many times and see new things and not get bored. If I lived there it would be a great game every day trying to find where I lived although, knowing the Japanese, someone would always offer to help. Not having to worry about tips has been brilliant as has not having to haggle over prices. People are polite and want to help you because they are kind. Can't beat that.



So I checked in for our flights last night and made sure I ordered Claire a vegetarian meal. I hadn't seen the option when I booked to come this way and they didn't have anything for her so I made sure it wouldn't happen again. The option wasn't obvious on the Lufthansa website check-in page but I found it eventually.



And so the meals come out and....there's nothing for Claire. The message hadn't got through so no meal. They brought some stuff from first class and she had my veggie sushi so at least she had something.



And then her entertainment system stopped playing up and broke altogether. It took about 45mins for the hostess to try and do something but eventually she said sorry and would Claire like to move to another seat. As it was just her she said no and I offered to swap seats later. I was watching a film and the pause button had disappeared so I couldn't even stop it to chat. Claire's call button had broken too so she had to use mine.



I realised then that Claire had my seat as she'd kindly let me have the window seat. It all made sense when I realised it was MY system that had broken! My film finished, Claire was asleep, I was glancing through the menu and....my new system broke....and my call button. My bad luck had moved across a screen! The hostess is currently trying to fix it but I don't hold out much hope... Let's hope we don't have a real emergency and need to press the call button.



The virus spread but not to everyone. Lots of call buttons were going on as some systems went down never to return. The poor guy in front of me is unable to turn off his reading light as that isn't working either. Obviously there isn't enough room to sleep for more than ten minutes at a time so I'm having to rant instead. Lufthansa haven't sunk to the depths of Qatar Airways (we'd have to crash to get THAT bad!) but two ballsups for Claire won't put them top of our choices in future.



Hang on.....they're rebooting the entertainment system so everyone's screens have gone off. But not the guy's reading light in front. Mind you he is wearing a bandana though so I'm not sure he deserves help...



So the system worked for the most part the rest of the way but bandanaman's light stayed on. That'll learn him. Claire was presented with a €25 voucher to spend in the inflight shop. The catalogue listed only two things within that price range-a multi tool set and some vastly overpriced chocolates. She wasn't impressed: there was some skin cream in there for over €300....wtf?!?!



The next meal arrived and Claire again pointed out she was a veggie. The same hostess said she would get her something. And forgot. Again. She apologised as she was collecting everyone else's trays and went and got her a few odds and sods. A bit after she asked Claire if she had ordered anything with her voucher to which Claire said no, there was nothing she wanted, this was the worst service she'd ever had on a plane and that she would be making a formal complaint. The hostess left then but still said goodbye to us when we arrived in Frankfurt.



Which is where we are now awaiting our flight to Manchester. With Lufthansa. What can go wrong.....?



Nothing. Home safe. With baggage. No problems!



Next stop....Finland!!

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