Day 26 in Japan: And home to Sydney



That was that, then. No more watching fascinated on the long train ride into town as young women prepare their faces -- foundation, powder, curl the eyelashes, mascara, another curl, a mascara touch up, all in a mirror that folds neatly into a tiny handbag. No more envying the little thingummyjigs that almost everyone has hanging off their mobile phone (mine doesn't have a hole where a thingummy could be attached). No more relishing the very special pleasure of undestanding almost nothing of what is said or written around us (such as the ads on the metro that might or might not have been for English language school). No more elaborate courtesy in shops and food establishments, or little gifts to accompany purchases.

Our plane didn't leave until mid evening, but we stayed within walking distance of the Riverside Mansions. This meant going shopping for presents in the shopping centre down the road, having a last bowl of soba noodles, enjoying being in suburbia, with even more baby strollers than at home.

For our last train ride we took the normal metro to Narita airport, which cost less than half the airport special, and then we were out of there. Ten hours later we stepped out into the bitter cold of a southern hemisphere spring morning.

And so endeth the post-a-day-about-Japan. Normal transmission will resume shortly.

Posted: Sat - October 11, 2008 at 12:57 PM           |

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