Day 25: More temples, more rain, and return to Tokyo.

Day 25 (30 Dec) Due to fit in a couple of more temples and heading back to Tokyo on the 4.06pm Shinkansen to Tokyo. I suppose it's one way to spend your birthday. At 6.12am I found myself watching the news again, perhaps trying to reclaim the deficit I felt after so many days away from news in Matsuyama. Turns out, labour union participation was at its lowest in some years, 17.9%. Probably reflects the growing insecure workforce as well. 

NHK local news, at 6.12am

Looked out the window again and yes, it was raining again. Nonetheless, Jinko was determined to head out to these particular temples. During her most recent visit, she had discovered that, for a small cost, you could have one of the resident priests write a message from the temple for you. She was determined to get two more...I could have hung out in a coffee shop reading books from the secondhand bookshop I didn't get to...; anyway...

A parfait...how could one possibly eat this art?

We also had to checkout by 10am so it was an earlier start than usual. 

We got ourselves to the must see temples, a couple of some historical interest, so useful stuff, even in the rain and after wandering through one of the shopping arcades (and I did get to have a coffee at least) we decided to head back to the city, do some last minute souvenir shopping, since it is an expectation to bring back something from your journey. I went in search of more KitKats and found some of a green tea variety amongst others. My birthday parfait though, was perhaps the most photogenic parfait I have ever come across...seemed almost wrong to eat it. But I did...happy birthday to me...etc. 

Winter reads, movies and music
recommendations; reading AERA
at 6.12pm on the Nozomi shinkansen.

We boarded the shinkansen at the appointed time. This time of year, most people are heading out of Tokyo to spend the new year with family and relatives, usually based in the prefectures outside Tokyo. 

It was just the right time to be heading back to Tokyo, rather than the other direction. At 6.12pm, we were just 10 mins out of Tokyo and, of course, I was reading the latest news magazine...

Tokyo was predictably sparse when we got back...to have dinner, of course.