Day 20

🇯🇵✈️ Day 20: Rainy Tokyo Farewells and the Long Way Home 🌧️🚄🛫

Last night was unfortunately another fairly ordinary sleep as a cough I’d picked up started giving me quite a bit of grief overnight. I’m not sure whether it’s from being crammed onto crowded Tokyo metros, constantly going between air conditioning and humidity, or just general travel exhaustion, but I’m grateful it has happened at the end of the holiday rather than the beginning.

Tokyo greeted us with more rain again today, although I still wasn’t too bothered by it. We’ve had excellent weather for virtually the entire trip, so we really couldn’t complain. Since the weather wasn’t ideal for wandering too far, we took our time packing up the apartment while figuring out what to do with our final morning in Japan.

Breakfast this morning was pretty uninspiring, consisting mainly of protein bars and protein drinks, so I checked Uber Eats to see if there were any nearby places worth walking to. The most convenient option turned out to be a nearby McDonald’s, although it was located in the opposite direction to where we normally walked towards the station.

As it turned out, this accidental detour became one of the nicest surprises of the day because we discovered an entirely different side of our neighbourhood. The further we walked, the more impressed we became. Even the McDonald’s itself felt noticeably better than many we’d seen recently in the United States.

Continuing further along, we stumbled across Shinjuku Chuo Park, a surprisingly peaceful green space surrounded by towering skyscrapers. Hidden amongst the trees was a beautiful little shrine where local office workers would quietly stop to pay their respects before continuing on to work. I didn’t photograph it out of respect, but there was something really calming about watching ordinary Tokyo life continue around such a traditional spiritual place. The contrast between the modern skyline and the quiet shrine tucked within the park felt very Japanese somehow.

Nearby we also saw the enormous Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, which absolutely dominates the skyline around western Shinjuku. Designed by famous architect Kenzo Tange, the twin-towered building houses the Tokyo Metropolitan Government offices and is one of the tallest buildings in the city. On clear days, its observation decks supposedly even offer views of Mount Fuji. Standing beneath it really gives you an appreciation for the sheer scale of Tokyo.

In the distance we could also see the incredibly distinctive Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower, the striking oval-shaped skyscraper in the photo with the crisscross lattice exterior. It’s actually an educational building housing several fashion, medical and design colleges, and its futuristic appearance makes it one of the most recognisable buildings in Shinjuku.

Eventually we returned to the apartment as our Uber transfer to Shinjuku Station was arriving shortly before 11am. Even though the station itself wasn’t far away, the idea of dragging suitcases through the rain, navigating slippery footpaths and squeezing onto a crowded metro didn’t sound especially appealing.

Just as we were about to leave, Ted suddenly panicked because he couldn’t find his phone. Our driver very kindly pulled over while I ran all the way back towards the apartment, only for Ted to discover moments later that the phone had been sitting in one of his pockets the entire time.

Once we arrived at Shinjuku Station, finding the Narita Express turned out to be easy thanks to a red line painted throughout the station which you simply follow to the platform. We arrived with plenty of time to spare, although one thing that unsettled us was the number of birds flying around inside the station. It felt like something out of an Alfred Hitchcock film, with birds swooping dangerously close to people’s heads while trying to find their way back outside.

The Narita Express itself was very comfortable, although not especially tranquil thanks to the endless overlapping station announcements echoing constantly throughout the platforms. Once onboard though, the ride was smooth and relaxing. What surprised us most was just how far Narita International Airport actually is from central Tokyo. You really appreciate how enormous this city is during that train journey.

This was also the point where Ted and I would temporarily go our separate ways. We both disembarked at Terminal 1, where Ted checked in for his flight with Hong Kong Express. Before saying goodbye, we had one final lunch together at a little spaghetti restaurant in the terminal which was actually really nice. Eventually though, Ted needed to head through security for his flight to Hong Kong.

After saying goodbye, I made my way to the airport shuttle buses between the terminals. Amazingly, a shuttle arrived almost immediately after I reached the stop, making the transfer incredibly easy. When I reached the Jetstar Airways check-in area however, staff advised I couldn’t check in until three hours before departure. Since I was extremely early, I went to the food court to pass some time.

Afterwards I returned to check in again, only to then be told that because I was staff travelling, I actually shouldn’t check in until around ninety minutes before departure instead. So it was back to the food court yet again. I also attempted to find something for my cough at a nearby pharmacy, although that proved challenging as virtually everything was entirely in Japanese with very little English anywhere.

Thankfully when I finally returned to the check-in counters later, the news was excellent: not only had I successfully cleared the standby list, but I’d also been allocated business class. That definitely improved my mood considerably.

Once through security, I still had a fair bit of time before boarding, so I decided to try one of the massage chairs near the departure gates. It sounded relaxing in theory, although by the time it finished my neck honestly felt worse than before. Lesson learned.

This flight marks the beginning of the long journey home. First I’ll fly to Cairns, before hopefully making my way back to Adelaide via Brisbane. It’s definitely not the most direct routing in the world, but that’s simply how staff travel works sometimes.

And with that, I draw this travel blog to a close for now. It’s been a really fantastic trip filled with great experiences, memorable places and some great people along the way. Despite only just finishing this adventure, Ted and I are already talking about where we might travel next year.

Thanks so much for following along on our journey.Read more