Day 16 - Sunday 12 April - Tokyo to Canberra


Shinkansen from our hotel room in Shimbashi
Shinkansen and view from our hotel room in Shimbashi

Tried to get out the door early (by 9am).  It didn't work.  Was more like twenty past by the time we checked out.  We'd decided to go to Tokyo to dump our bags for the day, but this meant not stopping in at Maccas for breakfast.  So we got to Tokyo and dumped bags, and made reservations for the NEX, but then couldn't find any food.  That's not to say there was nothing there (there was heaps), but Stu was feeling overwhelmed and of course there's the fussy eaters heh.  So we ended up wandering aimlessly around for about an hour.  Was really not fun.  In the end decided to go to Ueno, and we got some pretty crappy food in the park. 

First stop was the science musuem.  It was 600 yen, but they also had a dinosaur exhibition, which was 1500 yen for entry to both.  Decided to give that a miss as 900 yen seemed an awful lot just for dinosaurs.  Had a bit of fun wandering around the science musuem.  Their 360 degree theatre was pretty cool.  The exhibits weren't too bad, a bit like a cross between the Powerhouse Museum and a natural history museum.  But it was a little bit jumbled up in terms of layout, and very little in the way of English subtitles (aside from computer screens here and there which had translations).  We didn't have time to see the Japan exhibit building, just the global building. 

Automatically opening umbrellas
Automatically opening umbrellas 

Animal display in the museum
Animal display in the museum 

Tasmanian Tiger!
Tasmanian Tiger!
Photo by Natto 

WWII aeroplane
WWII aeroplane 

This circular room represented all forms of life with a
This circular room represented all forms of life with a "tree of life" on the
ground showing how they were related/evolved/separated 

Dinosaur
Dinosaur 

T-rex!
T-rex!
Photo by Andrew


Wandered back to the station and then headed across to Harajuku, because Stu and Nat wanted to check out the cosplay kids.  "Meh" was about my reaction to it ;)  It was very crowded and not that interesting. 

Cosplay kids in Harajuku
Cosplayers in Harajuku 

Stu getting a free hug
Stu getting a free hug

Then headed back to Tokyo to get our bags and hop on the NEX.  Was kinda sad saying goodbye to Tokyo.

On the Nex to Narita airport.  I was really sad to be leaving at this point
On the Nex to Narita airport. I was really sad to be leaving at this point

At the airport we spent the last of our yen on bits and pieces and massages in the airport's way cool massage machines (still 200 yen for ten minutes hurrah!).  Finally left Japan about half an hour late.

Relaxing in the massage chairs at the airport
Relaxing in the massage chairs at the airport
Photo by Stu


I decided I wasn't going to try and sleep, so watched "Bolt" first up (not too bad) and then Frost/Nixon (pretty good).  At this point I thought I could maybe doze a little, so slept for maybe an hour or two.  They turned on all the lights at 3:45 Japan time which cut into my sleeping :(  Over "breakfast" (of a couple of small danishes), finally got to watch the other half of Enough Rope that I started watching on the way over. 

Transferred planes at the Gold Coast.  Decided their duty free prices were pretty good.  Although they only had one bottle of cointreau in the entire shop :(  Immigration at Sydney took about three minutes, and customs we just walked straight through, no inspections no nothing.. boring! ;)  (although Stu did get a quick pat-down search at the Gold Coast). 

Outbound and inbound planes at the Gold Coast
Outbound and inbound planes at the Gold Coast 

Sydney Harbour
Sydney Harbour 

Paramatta Road totally deserted early Easter Monday
Paramatta Road totally deserted early Easter Monday

Checked in at the Qantas domestic checkin at the International Terminal (and got the grumpiest check-in attendant ever, which didn't help my already tired/hungry mood >:( ), which let us get their free bus across to the domestic terminal.  So tarmac tour for free! :)

767 on the free tarmac tour between terminals
767 on the "free" tarmac tour between terminals

Went in with Stu to the Qantas lounge for a few pieces of toast and orange juice, before getting a Dash-8 down to Canberra.  Melita picked us up at the airport and we came home.

Leaving Sydney airport
Leaving Sydney airport 

Sutherland
Sutherland 

Ansto at Lucas Heights
Ansto at Lucas Heights 

Federal Highway - nearly home!
Federal Highway - nearly home! 

The Dash-8 we flew back to Canberra in
The Dash-8 we flew back to Canberra in

And that, as they say, is that :)

Steps walked today: 9692 (plus 6140 Monday)
Photos taken by me: 299
Photos taken by Stu: 72