The beginning of my final day in Tokyo (except for the next day, Saturday, the day of departure – which I guess doesn’t really count). This started out well, with me leaving the inn and looking around Kamata station for a bit. This is where an elderly woman came up to me and started talking, in Japanese of course. I am sure I didn’t particularly look like someone who speaks Japanese, but her motives soon become apparent. She was miming ‘food,’ and she was saying ‘please’ (in English). I made a little gesture towards my pocket and her face lit up. I got it. I am well acquainted with this kind of thing in Romania. I gave her some money, not much (I usually don’t give to beggars at all, I prefer to give to the organizations that I know look after them) and she thanked me, bowed, and left.

After this unexpected little episode I took a ride to Shinagawa station to pay another visit to my old hotel, the Sakura Tower, in order to pick up a sweater I had forgotten there and to make sure arrangements for travelling to the airport were still on for Saturday. (Yes, I know, you noticed I’d forgotten my sweater at the hotel… well, what can I say; it’s a lesser thing than being lost in Tokyo with no money, as per last night’s episode…)

Later I took the train to Yokohama. If you’ve seen the movie Judge Dredd you’ll be familiar with the term ‘Long Walk.’ It was used to mean the time when a senior judge would leave office and go roaming the wild terrain outside the lawful city and take the law to the lawless. Dead weird concept, and crappy movie – but somehow this came to mind on my walk through Yokohama that morning. Not that Yokohama is lawless, by any means! Oh no, but to me, one who – despite liking digital toys too much – loves walking in nature, it felt strange, and very tiring. There was almost no vegetation by Timisoara standards (our town is Romania’s Park City, for those who don’t know), and that was the reason I felt odd. From Yokohama I went on looking for the ocean all the way to Ishchawacho station (I don’t think I spelt that right…) – but the ocean was nowhere to be found. Unfortunately, the name of this place where the ocean was supposed to be was dictated to me over the phone, and I don’t think I got it right. Still, I walked even more, looking at the people inhabiting the endless rows and columns of concrete, steel and tarmac structures. That was great!

It was getting late now, afternoon. I was supposed to meet up with Chizu again at 4:30 that afternoon at the Triphony Hall, since I owed her money now, due to the mishap the previous day. But it was, in a way, lucky that I did. I guess I didn’t appear to be too much of a fool to her, since she got me a ticket to the final open rehearsal before her performance with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Seiji Ozawa, playing Shostakovich! That was excellent, I really enjoyed it. No way am I a connoisseur of classical music, but I do listen to it and enjoy it.

Afterwards we went looking around a huge department store (which I understand is to close down soon) called SoGo at Kinshicho station, and bought a few small items to bring back home. In my notes on the Palm, I say (about the shopping experience): …Shops, Shops & Department Stores (God, the prices!)… Everything in Tokyo was twice as expensive as it might have been in England, say. And England is one of the most expensive countries in Europe! 

And finally, more food. We went to the store’s food courts this time, and guess what? Nothing like anything I’d ever seen! It was actually very pleasant, not the usual rather tacky-looking environment you get in places that I’ve seen elsewhere (remember Morrison’s, Lynne? J). Just take a look at the picture on the right. Sure, the cute waitress helped improve my opinion too – but it would have been very pleasant without her as well.

After that, I took an extremely crowded 11 o’clock train back to my inn and got a good night’s sleep. Only to awaken in the morning to the day on the plane ahead of me!… I had a wonderful Japanese breakfast prepared by the ladies at the ryokan and headed West…

I stopped over in Germany for a few days, and I had a great time there too. I didn’t take many pictures though, and won’t write up the story of my trip there. Suffice it to say that I loved staying with André, meeting up with Renée, a special friend of mine from Romania, and going out with my other friends from Germany – Michael and Joerg (who is now working in Silicon Valley, how we pity you Joerg ;-).

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed my story. And if you made it thus far, please click here and send me some feedback.