d-Wizz Hankuk Travel Diary [2005]
Day 34 (2005-08-29) / Day 35 (2005-08-30) / Day 36 (2005-08-31) 
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Day 35: 2005-08-30 (Tuesday)
Tsyuoko prepared a traditional Japanese breakfast of grilled fish for me at my request (I said that I wanted to experience real Japanese culture and food). She also made some sandwiches for me to eat while travelling.
I left the house with Iwao and Tsyuoko at about 0800, and we first went to Tsyuoko’s sister’s home, as she had also prepared some sandwiches for me! When we arrived there, her son told us she was on the toilet, so we waited a few minutes.
We did not have much time though, as my train was due to leave Fuji at 0834, so after about three minutes her son again called out, but she was still busy (possibly engaged in a scatological event). So he found the sandwiches and brought them out. I took a photo of him with Tsyuoko and Iwao, and then we left to go to Fuji station.
I was on my way to Machida, where I would meet Sarah DeSousa-Roque, a friend who previously attended my home church in Brisbane (Moore Park Baptist Church at Indooroopilly). She and her husband Paul had gone to Japan three years previously to work as English teachers.
As the train pulled out of Fuji station, I looked in the direction of Fuji-san, and caught a fleeting glimpse of it about five minutes later – not a clear view by any means, but the shape was easily discernable.
I used about three trains to get to Machida, where Sarah met me at 1110. We changed to another train and went two stations further. Sarah decided to catch a taxi to her apartment, rather than walk about fifteen minutes, because of how much luggage I was carrying.
When we arrived, Sarah helped me to organise my bus to Narita airport for the next morning, then she showed around briefly before she had to leave for work at 1215. I used the computer for internet & e-mail for about one hour, then I decided to go out and explore.
I walked 1,700 steps back to the station, then I caught a train back to Machida, and another one to Shinjuku. Sarah had suggested I could visit Subiya, which was famous for the large TV screens, so I found a train going that way. I noticed that the train continued to Tokyo, so I decided to go all the way there.
Upon arrival at Tokyo, I saw the “Tokyo Central Post Office” across the street, so I went inside and bought a stamp. I had a quick look around, but I noticed time was running out, as I was due to meet Paul back at Machida at 1800, so I needed to leave Shinjuku by 1720 at the latest, and it was approaching 1600 now. I did not look around Tokyo as much as I would have liked; I just went back into the station and got on another train going the opposite direction – back towards Shinjuku. I got off at Subiya to have a look at the screens. They were impressive, but not as big as the one I had seen at Seoul station on 2005-08-06. I watched the screens for a few minutes; one of them was showing the current Japanese Top 10 music chart, which was dominated by J-Pop (Japanese pop music – not to be outdone, Korea also has “K-Pop”) and hip-hop songs.
I went back to Shinjuku and took a few photos outside, including one of a row of vending machines. The startling feature of the photo is the total absence of any people in the shot – an extraordinary occurrence, given that it was taken at 1705 hours on a Tuesday – the middle of rush hour – near the reputed busiest subway station in the world!
I had to keep moving, as time was getting close, and I arrived at Machida at about 1755. I went to meet Paul at the arranged location and he arrived a few minutes later. We went to a restaurant and Paul began to order the entreé. Sarah was still working, but she was due to meet us at the restaurant in about 40 minutes. We began to chat (in rapid English!) about what we had been doing with ourselves, particularly for me regarding my trip to Korea, and for Paul & Sarah about their time in Japan. We also talked about our experiences away from Australia, and some of our thoughts about living in a different culture.
As we chatted, a few more courses of the meal were served. Sarah eventually arrived and joined us. We were sitting in an enclosed “booth”, with a table for (probably) 6 people inside. It was comfortable and cosy; a rather pleasant atmosphere.
I showed Paul & Sarah a few of the photos on my camera. Paul took the camera and photographed his mouth close-up. He’s always been a bit of a prankster. He said I should erase the picture, but I kept it – and now my readers can also share the joke!
The discussion took on a scatological slant for a short time after Sarah reported an interesting experience while going to the toilet. Another patron had gone to use it and received a surprise, as Sarah had forgotten to lock the door! I asked Paul & Sarah for their comments about squat toilets, adding that I preferred them to Western sitting ones (I didn’t say why). They strongly disagreed with me, but said they sometimes had had no choice but to use a squatter, and that it was an “interesting” experience.
My rule of not discussing scatology in restaurants was at the front of my mind as this brief exchange took place, so I quickly changed the subject. Although I wanted to pursue it further, I did not plan to unleash my scatological philosophies on Paul & Sarah at that time.
We had a group photo taken as we left the restaurant, and then we walked back to Paul & Sarah’s apartment. They recommended that we have an early night, as I had to leave at 0600 to catch the bus to Narita in the morning. So we all went to bed within 30 minutes of arriving home.
Day 34 (2005-08-29) / Day 35 (2005-08-30) / Day 36 (2005-08-31)
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