Leaving Tokyo

Tokyo Satuday 29th March

Leaving Keiko and Ken we headed back to the YMCA where the DEAR conference had invited us (well, Margot) to make a guest appearance at the evening meal. it seems Margot is a star act  in Human Rights and Citizenship circles (check out the DEAR website for details) here in Japan. The food was great and we had some interesting chats with various delegates but payback time came when we had to address the assembled throng. Yes, "we" as Peter too had to justify his existence. His simple recipe of working as a volunteer for 30 years and marrying the boss went down well and everyone was really chuffed that we had come to Japan to celebrate our anniversary.

After the meal the DEAR staff took us off for a meal, as always an amazing selection of exotic dishes including as a special treat,  fishes testicles. Valiantly we swallowed them - Peter even chewed and claims they were quite tasty, though up to that point he was not aware that fishes had them. (Some don't of course, as we just ate them).

Then back to the R&B for a good nights rest.

Sunday 30th March

Our last day in Tokyo and we headed for the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace, the only part pento the public as the Emperor still lives there. Its an impressive structure across from the Central Business District but divided by a 6-lane highway that at weekends is closed except to cycle traffic. This is great but 6-lanes does seem a bit excessive particularly as joggers still have to share the crowdwd pavement with other pedestrians. We are sure the cyclists would not begrudge them a lane or two.

The three 0ld defesive walsl of the palace are enormously thick and surrounded with a wide moat but inside the gardens are wonderful. Unlike Ueno which was still looking a bit bleak, the gardens here were beatifully manicured and beginning to blossom, and not just with cherry blossom. The only anomaly is a rather tacky 1950s concert hall that seemed rather out of place. As with allthe temples and shrines we have seen thiswas wellattended by Japanese visitors partly no doubt becasue of a shortage of local parks. As well as tourists there are always lots just having a picnic or getting away from the traffic.

Leaving the Gardens we followed the cycle way round to the main gate and bridge into the palace, a favourite photo-opportunity, and then on to Hidaya Park where we watche a wedding reception, thistimein wester-style dress.

It was well past lunch-time so we wandered on in to town and found a restaurant under the railway viaduct and gave our stomaches a break with a filled croissant and a fishburger. We still had sometime before meeting Yukifor thetrainto Osaka so we nipped back up the TMG tower (we are getting pretty good with the subway now- the day we leave) to see if Mount Fuji was visible. It was pretty hazy but, with the help of the display boards, Peter reckoned he could just make the outline out on the horizon. Margot was stillsmarting from the Bar harbour Whale Watching Incident of 1995 andrefused to admit it. Time will tell.

After meeting Yuki and collecting our bags we went to the Shinkasen station and got on our bullet train to Osaka. The line gives a great view of Mount Fuji but of course by now it was dark and , to date, the Japanese government has not got around to illumninating it with neon.