Tokyo
The Final Day
Wild, Hot, Fast Shopping
The Sizzler Photo Op
Leaving Narita
Got in some great blog time. I am currently caught up with the photos.
Had our final breakfast at Keio.
Went shopping. (much to tell. ask Kevin)
It's 11:50 a.m. Tokyo time.
Jim out.
See you later today in the states.
Love, Jim
We all made it back safely after about 14+ hours of travel.
Here are the details of the final day…
Sunday Morning
Our final breakfast together in the Keio Plaza
My executive room. Isn't it just like Mitzi to get us even better rooms for our final night in Japan? I am in the early stages of packing.
You can see the cacoon building on the left.
Of course we would have the best table for breakfast on the final day.
Isn't the flower arrangement beautiful?
Sunday Morning Shopping Adventure
We have learned that when you ask Mitzi if she would help you find something, she will do everything in her power to be sure you get it. I asked earlier in the trip if it would be possible to get a Youmouri Giants baseball cap and she took us on a special trip to the Tokyo Dome. Jose and I said we wanted to see more Japanese prints and so this morning she was going to take us to another print shop. Kevin had also found a place with Giants hats nearby (he did not buy one when I did and had been regretting it ever since) . He tried to go there yesterday afternoon but got lost, so Mitzi was also going to take us there.
On the streets. On the move.
View of the subway station.
View in the other direction
Throngs of Sunday shoppers
Mitzi took us to this great place called the Oriental Bazaar which had all the shopping we needed. Five floors of great stuff. Much to Mitzi's surprise this group was filled with power shoppers. Five men and a woman. Who knew?
Love this print of Mt. Fujii. But it was not for sale.
The gentleman who sold us the prints
We also found a great print of one of the streets of Osaka we had shopped on. We even had Mitzi confirm it. We bought it to give to Mitzi as a thank you gift.
Kevin had headed off the find the Adidas store in hope of finding Giants hats. With our short time for shopping over we had to push on.
More Japanese shoppers at a major intersection.
Back to the subway station.
Our quest continues.
Score! Mission accomplished. Yesterday Kevin had the concierge find a place where the hats were. He tried to walk there but never made it. The sports store was on the fifth floor and we took an elevator up. They had held them since yesterday and Kevin bought them all about 300 yen each. Two were kind of small. Oh well.
We are on the move again
Lone shopper
Jose and Jim on the streets of Tokyo
One last flight of stairs.
The building in the back was where we had dinner on Saturday night.
There they go.
Map of the Shinjuku area
Shinjuku Nomura Building. The name of building we ate at on Saturday night.
We still had to take the picture near the Sizzler, but no one wanted to do it now so we went back to the hotel. We were all totally soaked from the heat. It may have been the muggiest day of the trip. Most of us took showers and put on a new set of clothes. We were all supposed to be down and ready to check out at 12 but only a couple of us made it. We hung around waiting and finally Mitzi got us all checked out. There was a ceramics show going on at the hotel and I bought a wind chime with morning glories on it.
The Sizzler photo.
I know it would be crazy, but we left the Sizzler photo to the last minute. We were ready to dump the idea but Mitzi insisted we do it. We flew out of the hotel and across the street and got 'er done. Apparently Superintendent Jack O'Connell loves Sizzler. He is definitely a meat and potatoes guy. So Deb thought it would be fun to take this group shot.
Thank You Mitzi.
We loaded up our luggage and piled on the bus for the two hour ride back to Narita. On the way we presented Mitzi with a card and thank you gifts. We could never fully repay her for all she had done for us.
Mitzi loved it all.
Check in at Narita. JAL check in was super smooth.
Last Japanese lunch. I had the Tonkatsu Udon bowl that Mitzi had. I win!
Final Good byes
We are on JAL Flight 062 to LAX
Final group shot. The one with Mitzi in it is on another camera.
Hugs all around.
This says it all.
Friends forever.
Keio slippers and an Asahi. Now that's good livin'
One final ice cream cone.
We boarded Flight 062 and headed back to the states though each of us left a part of our heart in Japan.
The trip was absolutely perfect in every way. Thank you to all who help to make it happen. Every one who has been said it would be life changing. It definitely was.
