Day 3, FF Western Tokyo Homestay, WTRD 48 of 49, October 21, 2017

Last Full Day in Japan

Our last full day in Japan dawned under clouds.   Typhoon Lan was moving north to Tokyo with landfall expected late in the evening of the following day.  We had received the day before, a notice from United Airlines that the typhoon could cause flight disruptions, and that we could exchange our tickets with no fee for a flight out before or after the typhoon.  Our hosts indicated that if our flight was canceled due to weather, we would be welcome in their home until the storm passed.

We checked the weather conditions, tracked the typhoon, made inquiries about earlier flights, and then decided that we would keep our original flight at 4:55 pm, hours before the winds would begin to strengthen.  Periodically, we checked the tracking and speed of the typhoon.  Narita airport is two hours drive by airport bus.  Faster by train, if the heavy rain didn’t disrupt train travel.  We decided to book tickets on the bus.  

Our hosts would drive us to the bus station about an hour from their home by car (30 minutes by train which would include 5 or 6 train changes).

We heard that most of our FFSAC group had rearranged their flights to leave today.  I was a bit envious as I too was anxious to get home, but was also not as concerned as some of them may have been as I think we could have been quite safe in our host’s home which was positioned on the lee side of a tall hill away from the sea.  They had storm shutters to close over the windows.  Their sturdy home had protected them before in typhoons.  We knew it certainly wouldn’t flood, but there were tall trees around their home that could be worrisome in high winds.

Asakusa Shrine

With all of this in mind, we had a leisurely breakfast and left home with Takashi to see Asakusa Shrine and shopping street in Tokoyo.  All of us carried large umbrellas, and we would need them all day as the rain came down.  The trains in the morning were not too busy this Saturday, but by noon, the crowds with their umbrellas were quite large and jammed the walk ways around the shrine.  

No one here seemed too concerned about the impending typhoon.

After we entered through the large gates protected by sculptured dieties, we found ourselves at the foot of a long shopping walking path.  

The shrine was at the end of the path.  

We meandered up the path, our umbrellas bobbing up and down over and under other umbrellas while browsing the store fronts of souvenirs, kimonos, and sweets.  We watched cookie makers filling molds with dough and sweet bean fillings (doll cookies) to bake on a griddle.  

Takashi bought a few for us to try. The cookies were still hot from the griddle molds and they were a delicious snack.

As we approached the shrine, smoke filled the air rising from a fire pit in the middle of the walkway.  The smoke was not from  incense, but from burning paper.  On the side of the fire pit, throngs of people were shaking cans and pulling out a sticks with numbers on them.  

Each picked stick had a number on it that corresponded with  a long wall of drawers.  Each drawer contained a fortune.  If you paid a hundred yen, equivalent to $1.00, you got to pick a stick, and recieved the corresponding fortune.

If the person received a bad fortune, (i.e. be cautious today as you are prone to be in a car accident), they could tie the bad fortune on a tree, and try for a better fortune by contributing more yen, picking more sticks until they got a fortune they liked. 

≥Once they had the fortune they liked, they took that fortune to the fire pit, and set it on fire, inhaling the smoke to infuse themselves with the good fortune.  

The Buddhists here really know how to capitalize on superstition, and the fear of bad luck.

The ceiling of the shrine has some fine artwork that looks Hindu and the shrine itself glitters in gold as faithful, toss coins into the  slotted coin boxes in front of the shrine alter.
After our visit to the shrine, we walked to a restaurant for a noodle and tempura lunch, where we were able to get out of the rain and warm up.  We didn’t linger too long as we were heading to the National Museum, and then home by 4:00 pm.  We saw artifacts considered national treasures back to 2,000 BC.  and as far forward  as the early Edo period.  Here is a glimpse of the insie of the museum.

We  met a young giraffe on the way to the museum

We only had one hour to walk around the museum before starting our multiple-train one hour trip back Takashi’s home.  We are sure glad that he knows where he is going.  We could have eventually figured it out, but we followed him blindly as we were only going to be here a couple of days.


When we returned home at 4:00, Russ and I immediately set about organizing our packing and enjoying some time with Takashi and Yukiko's grandsons.

 Judy M. and Lyn & George with their respective hosts were coming over for a pre-typhoon dinner party between 5 and 6.  Yukiko must have been preparing our meal all day.  Yukiko teaches home economics.  After living in Silicon Valley for several years, both she and Takashi embraced  eating and preparing “American” food. Rarely are chop sticks used in their household.

For appetizers there was a nice selection of cheese, olives, pickles, and sausage, with chips and homemade quacamole, red and white California wines.  The main course was lasagna and tossed green salad and French bread.  Yukiko baked two pumpkin pies with whipped bream and a jello salad with fresh fruit.

We couldn’t have asked for a better farewell dinner with excellent hosts, terrific food, and delightful friends and conversation!

Us with our hosts Takashi san and Yukiko san

We are fascinated by the single cup, coffee drip bag.

Russ shares some travel tips with Takashi and Missouri

It is amazing how quickly we were able to bond with this group of people over a couple glasses of wine, their gracious hospitality,  and an impending typhoon.

All too soon, it was time for everyone to to return to their homes and pack up for the following day.

All is Well with the Worrall Travell R’s in Machida City