Japan Adventure #12

I made it to Narita in plenty of time, and there is a nice shopping mall area outside of security, so I went to grab some lunch and a few souvenirs in order to get rid of the rest of my Yen. The food court I found had several options, but there was a good Japanese Noodle stand, so I got some Soba noodles in soup with Tempura on top of it. It was quite tasty, and I’m pretty pleased with myself at how good I’ve gotten at eating noodles with chopsticks. There are displays on the table that definitely have some more good Engrish, including calling the Garden Gourmet the “Garden Groumet” in one place on the menu but not the other, and “please refrain from bringing food into the table.” I wanted to take a picture, but the signs were under a rubberized coating on the table, so I got some strange looks when I removed the placard to take pictures.

Security was security (except that I didn’t have to take off my shoes – I’m pretty sure the US really is the ONLY place that makes you do that particular bit of security theater – I didn’t have to do it in London or in Stockholm, or in Vancouver). To kill time until boarding, I sat and read the “Daily Yomuri” which is the English version of the local newspaper that they gave us every day at the hotel in Hiroshima. It’s nice, because you get the Japanese perspective on world news, along with some selected stories forming a double-page special edition within the paper from the Washington Post and the New York Times.
Shortly before I boarded, I saw a bird hanging out in the terminal. I had to show my passport again before I was allowed through the boarding gate, and then it was time to head back home. Nothing to report about the plane ride really, other than I got to see a fantastic sunset both while we were taxiing and then from the air after we took off, and I had a bulkhead seat. I still didn’t sleep, but I think that helped me get over jet lag quicker. It was an interesting bit of time traveling I did, since I left Saturday at 4:05 pm, and arrived back at Dulles on Saturday at 2 PM, despite traveling for 12 hours. Dulles has recently opened a new area for international customs, but unfortunately they still use the mobile lounges to get you from the gate back to the customs area, and it takes at least 2 of them to empty a 747.