Technology and Detours

For our last morning in Japan, we checked out late of our strange hotel after I had fun using the clothes steamer that masquerated as a fridge. So many questions, but it was a strange hotel.

We left our luggage at the hotel and caught a taxi back to Diver City as I wanted to explore the Science Museum. But first! Brunch of dipping noodles (tsukamen) whilst the kids took the safer option of Maccas.

The Science Museum was fun; the coolest part was the robotic seal designed as a companion to humans to help with loneliness and speed recovery in the hospital. Research proved it was as effective as a real pet! , The history of robotics was interesting, but the humanoid robot just sat there blinking, a little anti-climatic, although I was expecting C3PO!

The museum was really interesting, like our Sci-Tec but geared towards teens an adults on environmentalism, robotics and space. Paul and I were a tad more invested in the kids who had more shopping and Lego on their minds; so we headed back to DiverCity for one final hurrah.

Soon it was time to depart for the airport, but we needed to scoot back and grab our bages. A misunderstanding with the world's nicest taxi driver as to which suburb our Strange Hotel was in, led to an hour-long taxi ride/cultural lesson/inadverted guided tour of the city. Paul and I found the silver lining amongst mounting anxiety that we would miss our airport transfer but the kids were stoically quiet as they were sick of our so-called 'yapping'.

Thankfully the transport waited for us and the yapping continued throughout the 30-minute trip to Narita, Tokyo flashing past in a sea of lights from its many apartment buildings.

A mix-up with what items we could check in coupled with long check-in lines meant the four hours went very quickly. Boarding the plane couldn't come quick enough as we had missed dinner in all the kerfuffle. After scarfing down our last Japanese meal, we stretched out to sleep.

Turbulence had other ideas, so I started reflecting on everything I loved about Japanese culture.Read more