Springtime in Tokyo

---

After departing Koyasan, we made our way to Nagoya by a combination of bus, rapid train, subway and then shinkansen. We got in to Nagoya in the late afternoon. Jeff was scheduled to fly home from Nagoya the next evening, and I was scheduled to fly home from Tokyo Haneda a few hours before him. My plan was to fly from Nagoya to Haneda, spend a few hours in Tokyo, and then depart from Haneda.

Jeff and I didn't do much in Nagoya that day. We walked to the International Design Center, enjoyed the cool architecture there, had dinner, walked around the Sakae area a little, and then called it a night. On his own the next day, Jeff explored Nagoya Castle, the aquarium, and the Museum of the Antarctic.

I chose to fly from Nagoya because I wanted to see Mt. Fuji from the air. We'd already had a close encounter with Fujisan when we climbed it in 2010. The ticket was about the same price as a reserved shinkansen seat. Japan Air Lines only offers two flights each day on that route, so I had to take their 7.45am flight. I left the hotel at around 5.45am, and I got to the airport within one hour. During the flight, I enjoyed some great views of Mt. Fuji.

I landed at Haneda airport around 8.45am. After disembarking, I made my way to the International Terminal where I deposited my larger backpack in a coin locker. You have to love Japan for making things so convenient. I then made my way to the monorail station.

---

Sushi For Breakfast

My first order of the day was to get some breakfast. Tsukiji Fish Market is an easy monorail and subway ride from Haneda. As this was Sunday, the inner market was closed, but the outer market was very much alive and kicking, with the exception of the two most famous sushi restaurants which are closed on Sundays. I wandered around, settled on a semi-busy sushi restaurant, and ordered an assortment of nigiri sushi. I was hungry and I devoured the delicious sushi. After that, I wandered around, purchased from a streetside stall a blowtorched combination of scallop, uni (sea urchin), and crab claw served on a large scallop shell, and then had some miso soup made from crab stock. Both these snacks were truly amazing. I then topped off my brunch with some strawberry ice cream. I couldn't get myself to order the whitebait ice cream on offer.

---

Springtime in Tokyo

During our week in Japan, Jeff and I both lamented the lack of cherry blossoms. We did see the occasional tree in bloom, but we were too early to really see the famed sakura in their full glory. I had heard that the trees had started blossoming in Tokyo, so I decided to spend the rest of my layover at a park. I knew that the Hibiya Line went to Tsukiji, so I hopped onto a metro train for the short ride to Hibiya. This turned out to be a great option as many trees were in bloom. There was also a special Pokemon Go event going on at that time so there were several hundred players around, and all the lures were lit.

In addition to the Pokemon Go players and park visitors enjoying the sakura, something very different was going on in a corner of the park, centered around a fenced off area. As I walked past, I saw many police, some flags, and a crowd of people standing at the entrance of the fenced off area. They were all dressed in blue jackets and they all had notebooks in hand. I surmised that they were reporters. I walked around the corner to the edge of the park and saw news vans. I also saw that the road there was cordoned off. At that point, several dozen policemen ran past me. From what I could see, they were running after a red haired woman who seemed to be trying to get into the cordoned off area. In the U.S., I would have immediately walked away from this scene, but something told me this wasn't going to escalate into a hazardous situation. I struck up a conversation with a caucasian man who looked like he lived there, and he told me that there was a political event going on and that the red haired woman was trying to get in. At that juncture, a convoy of vehicles with flags drove past with loudspeakers blaring.

I walked back to the main entrance to the rally site. By now, I could hear what seemed like haranguing coming from that area. Things took a surreal turn when a Lugia appeared at the Pokegym there, and at least a hundred players got mixed up with the reporters, police, and political activisis.

After a pleasant couple of hours in Hibiya Park, I decided to head back to Haneda. But, I had one more sight to see. Between the park and the station was a Godzilla statue. I visited this statue back in 2014, and I took a selfie that became my profile picture for a while. Arriving there, I realized the statue had changed. This new statue was larger and elevated in such a way that I could not emulate the same selfie despite my best efforts.

After snapping a few shots of the Godzilla statue, I made my way back to Haneda via the Tokyo Metro to catch my flight home.

---

Post-Publication Note (August 2018): I had two prior false endings to my Midlife Crisis Flashpacking series (see my Intermezzo and Empires and Dance: Redux blogs) because I extended my travels twice while working out details of my employment with my future (now current) employer. I returned to the working world in May 2018 with a renewed attitude and a vow to never again allow a job to negatively impact my wellbeing. This entry marks the official end of the Midlife Crisis Flashpacking Trip. Like any true travel addict, I’ll never be done traveling. Taking this career break is one of the best things I have ever done. I’m spending a lot of time daydreaming about my future travels. Stay tuned!

---

Photos

Mt. Fuji
As viewed from my seat on my Nagoya to Haneda flight. Pity it wasn't a clear day. We couldn't see Mt. Fuji during our Tokyo-Omihachiman shinkansen ride earlier that week due to low clouds.

Tsukiji
Sushi for breakfast. This spread cost around USD30. Back row left to right: otoro (tuna), kanpachi (amber jack), another otoro, tamago (egg), ebi (prawn), uni (sea urchin), and ikura (salmon eggs). Front row, left to right: some kind of clam, kani (crab), and anago (saltwater eel).

Hibiya Park
Pink sakura and white sakura side by side.

Hibiya Park
In the foreground are Pokemon Go players trying to get Lugia. The reporters are in the center of the photo wearing blue jackets. There were political activists where the flags were, and policemen (not pictured) to the right. It was an odd scene to see all these people intermingled.

Hibiya
Godzilla statue.

Nagoya
The atrium of the International Design Center.

Mt. Fuji
Another shot of Fujisan from my seat.

Tsukiji
In addition to seafood, Tsukiji is famous for produce as well.

Tsukiji
The scallop, uni and crab claw combination before being blowtorched.

Tsukiji
The yummy result of blowtorching.

Tsukiji
Look at the ice cream in the middle. It's whitebait. As much as I was curious about it, I couldn't get myself to order it.

Tsukiji
Instead, I went for strawberry ice cream.

Tsukiji
Anime van?

Hibiya Park
Police at the rally.

Hibiya Park
These vehicles drove past with loudspeakers blaring.

Comments

[D MJ Binkley]

Japan is on our list
We always enjoy following your blogs. Love sushi breakfast. Sorry you were to early to see the full blooms. Mother Nature does not always cooperate.

[Siewch]

Go!
Japan is one of my favorite places. There is so much history and culture, the people are great, and the food is amazing. For a non-English speaking country, it is shockingly easy to get around... easier than some English speaking countries even.

[alex waring]

Sakura
Yay! I'm glad you got to see the cherry blossoms in bloom during your time in Japan. What an unusual gathering of people indeed in Hibiya Park! I too would probably have gone for the strawberry ice cream!