Anecdote #10: Going Home

April 25, 2008

Day 12: Monday, March 31st
Tokyo

It was raining.

It was a cold rain, an ugly rain, a rain that left puddles in the street. I had a backpack, a purse, and two additional pieces of baggage, and we (all five of us) tried to huddle under my tiny collapsible umbrella. Before long my bags were dark and slick from rain and my shoes were soaked through.

“Why don’t we eat in a café today?” I said to Jenny.

Our last day in Tokyo and we forsook our morning tradition of eating at Senso-ji Temple. (But perhaps it was already broken since Hedy was gone.) I had ham and eggs and toast and coffee. Jenny just had ham and eggs. She was looking through her guidebook and fretting about how much shopping she could squeeze in before her flight. She’d be shopping by herself. My flight was at 1:30—I had no time to shop.

We pulled our luggage through Sensoji Temple toward the subway entrance, Jenny carrying one of my bags for me. Even on a Monday, even with the rain, there were still hoards of people crowding the shopping area. Their umbrellas swayed as they moved. Still, it was less crowded than normal, and we were able to walk down most of the street without having to press through people.

When we got to Ueno station, Jenny and I parted ways.

Haneda airport was less intimidating this time. I felt my way around and had lunch. I got on my flight to Kagoshima and looked at Tokyo as I departed. It was grey and bursting with houses. The ocean was a slate blue.

It was about 4:00 when I came back to Kagoshima airport. It was sunny.