North Pacific Passage to Japan

The third day we went on our own to some of places we recalled from our time living there: our homes in Gotanda and Meguro, and the shopping areas around Shinjuku and Harajuku.

We took the subway from Akasaka to Meguro, walked up the hill to our old neighborhood and found that the row of four houses that were new in 1985, including ours, had been demolished and there was a new apartment building being constructed on the site. We walked back to Meguro and then on to our first apartment in Gotanda, Imperial Ikedayama. It is still there and looks the same. Nearby, the former home of the mother of Emperor Akihito’s wife had been turned into a small park.

We walked to Gotanda station, down the cherry blossom hill we trudged up every day years ago, and took the Yamanote line to Shinjuku, still the busiest train station in world. An objective here was to find some batteries for my  cameras, so, after a short stop at McDonald's for something to drink, we found Yodobashi Camera. It was just across the street and was the same store in the same place as many years ago.

After purchasing the batteries we walked around the area a bit and then went to Harajuku, the area we fequented many years ago for shopping and church. It was extemely crowded and the shopping experience had gone very upscale with all the high-end French brands represented with huge stores. Then, the subway back to our hotel for a well-deserved break. Later we met with friends for dinner at a nearby tonkatsu (fried pork tenderloin) restaurant.  

The following day we were taken by bus to Narita Airport for the flight back to Houston and then Austin.