Day 34: So much to do...

Day 34 (8 Jan) I rarely like leaving Tokyo once I'm there particularly when the research is on a roll (though always happy to be home of course). Dinner last night was lovely (with some friends of the Hashimotos, who I met in Perth a couple of years ago) and it went a little later than planned. That meant I didn't really get to pack properly the night before and so no sleeping in this morning. That was nice though, because when I looked out the window on my last morning there was just a sliver of the moon contrasting with the morning light. 

Last morning, 6.12am

It was also a reminder that the next morning will be flying over Australia on the way to Sydney and a return to light early mornings. It took about 45 mins to pack everything in I needed to be taking home, and then to breakfast.

We have a bit of routine on the days I depart which involves getting to a nearby hotel where we book tickets on the bus that goes directly to Narita airport. We then either go and see an exhibition or similar or try to squeeze in just one more thing to do. Perhaps it was the weather, (or the late finishing dinner) but we opted to ease up and have a long lunch before we caught the bus. 

6.12pm, here, there and everywhere

We also spend a bit of time planning my next trip which will probably be in July when the upper house election is due. Much of the political talk over the last few days is over the jockeying that has begun for electoral advantage in that election. One of the parties which formed for the December election (for purely pragmatic reasons) has already folded. There is a concern that the LDP (the government) might well gain a two-thirds majority in the upper house as well thus making constitutional amendment a little bit easier. It will be an interesting election (but yes, I would say that). 

By 6.12pm however, I'd reached the airport and passed through customs. It was now just a matter of waiting to board the plane for home. The extent of duty-free shopping in airports these days never ceases to amaze. Luckily they've thought about people like me and there are bookshops too...which is where I always make some last minute purchases. But to reach there, one needs to catch the rail-car across to the terminal, and my last view from the inside is this wall which shows that at 6.12 I can be anywhere and everywhere, at once.  See you in Sydney tomorrow.