Friday, May 5, 2017 We Fly Back To South Korea

Friday, May 5 (Cinco de Mayo) Got up at 6:45 to shower, wash hair, get ready to depart from Tokyo.  It turned out to be a relaxing, unhurried, day.  We checked out of Akihabara Washington Hotel. We went to the Family Mart, where Mary got me two strawberry yogurts. She got a banana and a cold frapiccino coffee thing.  We sat outside the shopping area and ate our goodies. We went to our subway station around the corner from the bookstore, right by the river.  We got our luggage down all 48 steps and got on to Ueno Station, only two stops away.  Mary found an elevator to take us back up to the train that goes express to the airport.  The TV over the door indicated which terminal has which airlines, so we were able to disembark at terminal 1 with no trouble.  Also, we arrived plenty early so no hurrying.  We asked an airport person where “Asiana” was, and he said, “Counter H.”  Perfect!  We waited in line to check our baggage and get our boarding passes; not too long. Then we walked right passed security, because there was no line!  How can you recognize security if there is no line?  We made it through security and customs smoothly.  We strolled to our gate where there was no hurry going on around us. 

 

shops in the Tokyo airport -we were chillin'

     We watched them service and unload the plane. Next thing you know we were boarding; relaxing flight.  We deplaned and Mary put her Korean chip into her cell phone and we went through customs.  The guy who stamped my passport did not stamp it on the same page as my previous Korea visit stamp; irritating. Oh, well.  We looked at the board and found our flight number, so we could pick up our luggage.  We walked clear to the far end of the terminal to the USO counter.  They found a reasonably priced hotel with shuttle service from and to the airport. Hotel June.  It is about 15 minutes from the airport.  We got a room with two beds, and Mary is letting me have the softer one.  It has a sitting area with couch, computer desk, and a dvd/vhs player.

     Mary made a phone call and checked her phone for the nearest train station; it was, apparently, right nearby.  She said to relax, take a walk, get something to eat, as she would be back in about three hours.  She is going to her base to get my other suitcase, I left at her place last Sunday morning and bringing back a bit of overnight stuff for herself.  I fly out tomorrow evening, departing Inchon at 8:30 pm.  The last hotel shuttle departing for Inchon tomorrow is at 12:30, which is also check out time.  I guess we will be spending the afternoon at the airport!

     I wrote some more in my journal, then put on my shoes and got the won Mary left me and walked to the Quickee Mart.  I got some garlic butter popcorn, M&Ms, and bottled water, then came back to the room and tried the popcorn.  It was a little odd tasting, but I prefer my popcorn unflavored/seasoned anyway.  So, I have been writing in my journal, but am almost out of pages, so I got some paper from the lobby and brought it down to the Hotel June Restaurant, in the basement. I left a note in the room door, letting Mary know where I went.  The restaurant opens at 6:30, so I went down at 7:00 pm.  The waiter showed me which items on the dinner menu were not actually available.  Everything is breaded except steak, so I had the steak, rice, orange juice, and tea.  He was very helpful. The steak and rice were top notch.  Mary has not arrived, so I guess I will head back upstairs.  It is 8:00 pm.  I flossed my teeth and was in the middle of brushing, with that awful Colgate toothpaste, when the phone rang.  It was Mary.  She only arrived back at Suwon 30 minutes ago, so she is going to do some laundry and go to bed.  She will try to be here around 8:00 in the morning.    I told her no worries, as we were both tired.  I got in my jammies and figured out how operate the A/C.  I discovered there is bottled water in the small refrigerator in this large room. Good night.

Sunday, April 30 arrived in Japan

We stayed Saturday night at the Novotel in Suwon. This was due to I would not be able to claim my drivers license at Suwon AB security until 6:05 a.m., and we needed to get going prior to that time in the morning to go to the Inchon Airport to fly to Japan.  We got up real early and caught the bus (airport limousine) to Inchon Airport.  We waited in a very long line to check our bags and get our boarding passes, but we were soon relaxing near our departure gate. The flight to Japan was about two hours.  We landed at Narita Airport.  Then we found a money exchange place and we got some yen. Then we went down the escalator and got on the Sky Liner train to the north part of Tokyo. We had reserved seats.  It was a relaxing trip into the city.

Sky Liner sleek and comfortable

When we got to Ueno Station, we transferred to the subway and headed to Akiba, two stops down.  We were disoriented as to N-S-E-W and went out the wrong exit, so we walked up the street and asked for directions from a very helpful hairdresser.  We were looking for Akihabara Washington Hotel.  It was pretty nice, and they gave us damp washcloths at the front desk to freshen up before our trip up the elevator to our room on the 7th floor.  We had a great view from our window.  It was overlooking the river, a shrine, a pedestrian bridge, and two or three train tracks.  It was awesome!

See the blue pedestrian bridge at the bottom of the photo.
It proved a quick way to cross the river from our hotel.

After we checked in and rested a short bit, we ventured out and found this multi-story electronics place.  It was packed with people and a sales person every eight feet or so.  They were selling all kinds of computers and peripherals.  They kept playing fast tempo music "Mine eyes of seen the glory of the coming of the Lord . . . Glory Hallelujah . . ." with occasional singing by a children's choir in Japanese.  Mary kept singing to the music, but she sang "The Brady Bunch!" theme.  She kept saying it was the Brady Bunch song.  Anyway, about one-fourth of the first floor was every design imaginable cell phone covers and iphone cables.

Yodobashi-Akiba

a small portion of the cell phone cover selection

 We found an escalator and went up one floor and made a magical discovery.  Office and paper supplies! OMG! The cutest sticky notes, sticker applicators, clamps, scissors, post cards, note books, 2-pocket portfolios, staplers, adhesives, pencil bags out the . . ., roller stickers, origami paper, rows of pens and pencils, character erasers, blah blah and blah!  That is where we spent our money!
Then we went around the corner and discovered the largest selection of luggage known to man.  Fabulous stuff!  We spent at least 20 minutes perusing the luggage.  To our surprise the had no zebra stripe luggage.  Then we decided we had had enough stimulation and headed back downstairs.  We went out the side door into a covered walkway that was wall-to-wall French pastry establishments.  This is where Mary fell in love.
It was Club Marion, with all the delectable stuffed crepes.  The photo is in the side bar to the right-->.

This is the cover art on the two-pocket portfolio Mary purchased.
It is Sumiko Gurashi.

These crepes came in a variety of combinations including such yummy ingredients as bananas, strawberries, chocolate, whipped cream.  I think we then went on to dinner across the street at a fine Japanese restaurant.  It was relaxing and tea was divine.

Then we shopped a little on the way back downstairs, before heading back across the street to our hotel.  Busy, busy!