Table of Contents
With our vacation now coming to an end, it's time to return home. Just as with our flight to KIX (see Book V ~ Chapter 21 ~ Charms of Changi ~ Nights of Nara) Robert and I will travel together to Munich, while Bea and Brett make their way to their home in England on their own. Temperature-wise, we may have picked a bad time to visit Japan, but in terms of the overall weather conditions, it wasn't too bad. Today, meanwhile, is a pretty good day for travel: It's supposed to be rainy all day, so we're gonna be taking off from...
Rainy Runways
23-Sep-2023
Once again it's time to pack up our belongings and leave an empty room behind, me with my two backpacks quite full of souvenirs by now, and my cute fox umbrella strapped to the side of the Backpack of Flames, where it hopefully will survive the flight home.
Since our flight departs relatively early, we leave before the Ryokan's reception even opens...
...and make our way through the rainy and mostly empty streets of Asakusa towards the nearest metro station.
In these low-hanging clouds, the Skytree reaches right into the clouds. In fact, we can use it to gauge that the cloud layer must be starting around 350m of altitude or so.
As we move down into the metro, I notice they have little water gutters at the side of the stairs, where the water from the road runs down and into a drainage at the bottom of the stairs. At least I hope that's where it goes instead of flooding the metro tunnels.
Once we reach the (blissfully unflooded) platform, we notice that we're in luck and have arrived early enough to catch the Keikyuu Kuukou Kyuukou (京急空港急行 "Capital Express Airport Express"), which runs from here directly to Haneda Airport, from whence our flight will depart. How convenient!
The train is soon too arrive, and although we're two of only a few persons getting on at this station...
...there's already quite a few people on the train from the previous stops, and it only gets fuller as we draw closer to the airport.
This relatively short ride takes us south along the shore, past Shinagawa, Anamori Inari, and to the Haneda Airport, only leaving my newly connected Tokyo territory near the very end (since there's really no sensible way of walking around the airport, what with it being surrounded by water on three sides). Also, while most of the ride is underground...
...starting from Shinagawa, the train operates on the railway viaduct, giving me one last good look of the Radiant Metropolis from the ground level. There's a lot of (mostly residential) skyscrapers in the Shinagawa district, which give way to apartment blocks and smaller houses as we head south into the Oota district. Eventually, the train branches off from the main line towards Haneda at the Keikyuu-Kamata station, and looking south from there we see many skyscrapers again before the train dives back underground for the final approach to Haneda Airport just after the Anamori Inari station.
(Click here to view the video if the website fails to load it)
Of course, it's not quite as simple as just getting off at the airport stop, because Haneda airport is actually so big that it has several stations. Ours is the first one, Terminal 3, which is for international flights. There, we get off with quite a lot of other people, and then take an absurdly long escalator...
...which conveniently deposits us right into the departure lobby. How sophisticated!
Anticipating the usual troublesome delays with my name, we proceed to check-in right away. Fortunately, this time around it goes reasonably smooth, but they still end up printing the wrong name on my boarding pass. Oh well, as long as it works.
It's now 7:15, and our flight does not depart for another hour and a half. As such, Robert and I set out to explore the airport for a bit, starting with the roof terrace, which is kinda wet, courtesy of the rainy weather. In fact, wasn't it also raining the last time I was here (see Book III ~ Chapter 1 ~ The Bad Beginning)? I point out as much, and Robert jokingly suggests that apparently Japan is always sad to see me go.
However, this time around I don't let that stop me from taking a panorama shot of what little the rain allows me to see from here. On a clear day, I'd be able to see so much from here: The skyline of Tokyo the Kaze-no-Tou (風の塔 "Tower of Wind"), the Skytree... but as it is all I can see is the airplanes parked at and near the gates. Interestingly, all but one of them belong to either Japanese Airlines or ANA (All Nippon Airlines), the two big Japanese airline companies. The last one is a Singapore Airline plane, and most likely the one we'll be travelling with.
After that, we set our sights on getting something to eat. Last time I really enjoyed my meal in the Planetarium Starry Cafe, however, this time around we're so early that it's still closed. What a shame.
So we set out exploring, looking for a place to break our fast, a quest that takes us past the Soradonki - the airport's Don Quijote branch, combining "Sora" (空 "Sky") with the first Japanese letters of Don Quijote (ドンキホーテ) to create a bit of a pun - and through the Hot Zone, where nothing has opened yet either.
From there, we make our way through the TIAT Sky Road, which features several dozen model airplanes...
...and across the very scenic Haneda Nihonbashi (羽田日本橋 "Feather Field Japan Bridge"), where regrettably no stores are open yet either.
Eventually, we narrow out options down to one (expensive) Sushi place, and figuring we could definitely do worse than have some high-quality sushi as our last meal in Japan, we decide to go for it - especially since this is one of those places where you can watch the Sushi being prepared right before your eyes.
Also, this is probably gonna be the last time in years that I'll be able to order something by tablet in a restaurant.
This being expensive place has its perks too. For example, in addition to the usual complimentary green tea, we also get a bowl of mixed pickles as appetizers. And in case I didn't mention this before, let me say it now: Pickled food is an art in Japan. There's so many different types, based on ingredients, pickling method, and age that you could fill a book with it. Most Kaiseki have a bowl or two of small pickled bites in them too, and although they're by definition a side dish, they are often one of the main events for me.
And the main dish is also pretty great. Composed of a row of nine pieces of Sushi - most of them Nigiri - neatly arranged on a wide wooden plate, it also comes with a bowl of miso soup. Naturally, I picked a dish that contained one of my favorites: Ika (鰞 "Squid"). Sadly there was no option to get anything with my absolute favorite of Inari Sushi, probably because that's a cheap type of Sushi more suitable for something bought at a Konbini.
After that, we make our way through security...
...and then make our way to the gate on the other site, noting that there's way more open food places here in the transit zone. I'll have to make sure and remember that for the next time.
Passing a Konbini here, I stop to buy myself one last bottle of melon soda...
...which I drink in front of the gate while watching some ongoing Sumo matches at the monitors. Now, normally I'm not much of a sports fan, but Sumo somehow fascinates me. Maybe it's because how quickly the fighters move despite their considerable mass. Or maybe it's because of its connection to Shinto faith, from whence it originated as part of sacred rituals to please the gods. In fact, some Shinto shrines still feature sumo rings on their ground, and the design of both the sumo rings and referees in the matches also reflects those Shinto roots.
Eventually, the time to board our plane arrives, and as we cross the jetbridge we pass by a board that is downright brimming with information.
Shortly thereafter, we find ourselves safely seated in what the safety information identifies as a Boeing 777-300ER, which features Vita-like handheld controllers for its in flight entertainment system. Unfortunately, it turns out they fall short of a proper touch screen.
Anyway, Robert still gets a tag on his seat to mark him as the lucky recipient of a vegetarian meal during the flight...
...and then, the time to terminate this trip to the land of the rising sun has finally come. Now, the first leg of our journey back should take us to Singapore, and during the flight there we should be...
Passing the Philippines
23-Sep-2023
Flight Duration: 6h 15min
Approximate Distance: 5,600km
Average Speed: 900km/h
When I booked our flights, I had specifically chosen Haneda as our airport of departure because I was hoping for a great aerial view of Tokyo. However, since the weather hasn't gotten any better in the last hour or so, I'm afraid that this is going to be a rather rainy departure.
After taking off from the rainy runway, it only takes us only 20 seconds until we're in the low-hanging cloud layer, which is a real shame because with the plane taking off towards the northeast from the southern ocean runway and our seats facing to the left, we would have gotten an amazing view of Tokyo on a clear day. As it is, however, the Tokyo Tower, Rainbow Bridge, the Imperial Gardens, the Skytree, and all the other things contained within the Radiant Metropolis sadly cannot be seen.
(Click here to view the video directly if this website fails to display it)
More frustratingly, the clouds do not only start low, but also reach high, so we don't even get a view of Mt. Fuji, even though our flight path takes us right past it.
It is only near Omaezaki (御前崎 "Honorable Front Cape") that the clouds finally give way and allow us a last glimpse on Japan, specifically Shimada, where we observed the Shimada Magé Matsuri just a week ago (see The Shimada Shuffle).
After that, some snacks in the for of peas and crackers along with a bit of cake is served...
...and after that, we soon find ourselves over open water, nothing but the waves of the Pacific ocean (and maybe a few ships) in sight. Also, the plane once again is subject to quite some turbulence shaking us all up.
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At first, our flight path loosely doubles back down our train travel track through Japan, right up until Ise, at which point the plane takes a sharp left turn - ostensibly to avoid the unlucky fourth island of Shikoku. After that, we head southwest parallel to the islands of Okinawa, and eventually cross over the Philippines just south of Manila. After that, we proceed across the South China Sea, parallel to first the long island of Palawan and then Borneo, before finally reaching Singapore.
(Click here to view the video directly if this website fails to display it)
Lunch is served approximately at the time of our crossing the Philippines. Once again, I opt for the more adventurous option, and am rewarded with tasty beef(ish) dish with a mushroom, egg and rice with Furikake (振りかけ "Shake Addition" = "Rice Seasoning"), along with Soba noodles, New Zealand butter, and a Kurakkaru (クラッカル "Cracker"). Those are probably gonna be my last tastes of original Japanese cuisine, so I take my time to enjoy them... as much as is possible with the plane shaking in all this turbulence. At least I manage to avoid spilling my green tea.
As dessert, I am served an Aisumonaka (アイスモナカ "Ice Waver Cake"), which is apparently the Japanese answer to the question about how to best eat ice cream in an edible container without it dripping everywhere: This is basically a body of ice cream wrapped in a mantle of soft wafer dough. That means you can eat it like a bun, only it contains ice cream as a filling.
We don't really see much of the islands below on account of prevailing cloud cover, but every once and so often there's a gap in the clouds, allowing me to spot an island or a reef in the vast blue expanse below.
After a few more hours of turbulent flight, we finally cross over the southernmost tip of the Malaysian peninsula...
...which also signals the start of our final descent down to Singapore Changi Airport. The landing approach takes us across the peninsula in an arc past the settlement with the melodious name of Perkampungan (Felda) Adela Tunggal Sening & Keleda, then a lot of rainforest, followed by the sprawling estuary of the Lebam River, which we then subsequently follow all the way past Linting and Kampong Nior to the strait separating Malaysia from Singapore. After that, we pass Tekong Island with its yet ongoing land reclamation project, and shortly thereafter touch down on the westernmost of the airport's three runways.
(Click here to view the video directly if this website fails to display it)
Unlike on my last return trip to Munich (see The Changi Chase Challenge), this time around we are in no rush whatsoever to catch our connecting flight, and as such can take our time getting off the plane. So we quite literally let everyone else disembark before also leaving.
Now, once again I have made plans for this long overlay. However, due to reasons, these should not work out quite as hoped for. On the plus note, Robert at least gets to have a good time. I for my part, however, am going to be confronted with...
The Singapore Slight
23-Sep-2023
So, once again - and quite possibly for the last time in the foreseeable future - I find myself at Singapore Changi Airport, with its carpeted walkways and wide open halls, which make this airport quite unlike any other I've ever been to.
And once again, I find myself discovering new details in this huge airport-turned-amusement-park/shopping-center, such as this moon rabbit garden display.
Once again, I registered both Robert and myself for the Free Singapore Tour. However, this time around, there's a problem. Two problems actually, but one is considerably more annoying than the other.
The first problem is that there was only one seat left for the Singapore City Sights Tour, and since I already did that one on my first visit, I booked that one for Robert and settled for the probably less exciting Jewel Tour myself.
The second problem is that this time around they take issue with my passport no longer being valid for 6 months, never mind that it wasn't valid for 6 months two weeks ago either when I did the Changi district tour. So they send me on a cake dance to immigration who also say that I can't enter. The Jewel. Which is literally surrounded by the airport, and the airport has a freacking train line running through it! But they did let me out into the heart of the city two weeks ago! What nonsense!
And so it happens that while Robert gets a sticker for a city tour on his shirt, I am left with nowhere to go during my stay here, kept captive at Changi airport.
Oh well, I suppose there's nothing to be done about it, and the annoyance is somewhat mitigated by the fact that I've already been to the Jewel the last time around (see Singapore Sightseeing). Since there's still some time before Robert's tour departs, we stray around the airport for a bit, noticing that they even have some smaller aircraft right inside.
Looking for some authentic Singaporean food, we eventually end up on the Singapore Food Street...
...where we decide to have some Fun, with Robert going for the Prawn Cheong Fun, while I naturally choose the Mushroom Cheong Fun.
However, before we can have our Fun, we have some fun with the ordering process, which is notably different from just walking up to a counter and placing your order, and instead rather similar to many canteen places in Japan: There's little terminals around where you can place your order and pay in advance, and then have to wait for your order to be prepared and pick it up at the stall. The only problem is: These terminals only take credit cards, and they're also extremely picky about which cards they accept, so it takes us several attempts to successfully pay for our order. Also, there seems to be a "Be A Changi Millionaire" game going on, but neither of us have any interest in that since it's probably just a marketing/tracking trap.
Afterwards, we proceed to stray through the great carpeted expanse that is Singapore Changi Airport, walking all the way from one end of the U-shaped terminal complex to the other and back again, out of Terminal 3, through Terminal 1 and finally into Terminal 2, which easily nets us over 4 kilometers. A welcome opportunity to stretch our legs after a 6 hour flight, and before a 12 hour flight.
Doing so, we come across something new. You may recall that Terminal 2 has recently undergone renovations in 2022 (see A Singapore Stayover). Well, because this isn't Germany, these renovations are already over, and the new and improved Terminal 2 now features an enchanting indoor garden with a Koi pond, which befittingly is named the Enchanted Garden.
Right next to there is the Gourmet Garden, which is less of a garden and more of a food court with added greenery, but still nice. I especially like the hydroponic aquariums with the tiny colorful fish in them.
One place that I've been to before and that now is open again is the sunflower garden, a small terrace with plenty of sunflowers, allowing you to catch a dose of hot and humid Singapore climate before retreating back into the blissfully air conditioned airport again.
Meanwhile, something that's definitely new are these advertisement pillar which are sure to catch your eye as you walk by. That, or trigger a heart attack.
Eventually, we make our way all the way to gate F60, which is the definite end of the line for us, since this is the final gate of Singapore Changi Airport (Terminal 2).
It is now about time for Robert's city tour to start, so we take the Skytrain back to Terminal 3...
...which incidentally passes right through the Jewel, albeit without stopping there. In order to actually enter the Jewel, you have to go through Immigration since that's not part of the transit zone anymore. Still, it's a nice trip to take even if you just ride the Skytrain back and forth because inside the Jewel, the Skytrain passes through the central garden bowl right in front of the waterfall.
(Click here to view the video directly if this website fails to display it)
After that, we make for the set-out point for the tour, at which point we part ways, making arrangements to meet up in front of our departure gate later tonight.
Debating my own options from here, I briefly consider going to the Free Movie Theatre and spend my time watching movies there...
...but since I figure that watching movies is also something I can do both in the plane and then later at home, I instead decide to pay the nearby butterfly garden a visit.
With so many gardens, this airport could also qualify as a botanical garden on top of shopping mall and amusement park. But wait! There's more! On the other side of Terminal 3, there's the evolution gardens. A set of four small gardens spaced from Gates A9 to A13, these illustrate the evolutionary journey of plants starting with mosses and ferns, continuing with cycads, and finishing with first dicots and then monocots.
After that, having done enough walking for the moment, I seek out one of the work stations located at strategic points in Changi Airport and set up my laptop to work on recording and categorizing the last batch of shrine and temple pictures that I took during my final days in Japan while also watching the sun set in the background. Since we're in just 1° north of the equator here, the sun sets very rapidly, and before long it's already completely dark outside.
At the same time, Robert is in the heart of Singapore, enjoying the lights of the city of lions at night, and seeing sights such as the Gardens by the Bay and the Marina Bay Sands hotel...
...before returning to the Jewel, where he gets to enjoy a light show projected on the central waterfall.
Meanwhile, the best I can do is ride the one Skytrains route passing through the Jewel (without stopping), which at least grants me a brief 20-second glimpse of the spectacle.
As I stray through the airport some more, I take note of a few more curiosities, such as water fountains that are not only labeled in Chinese, English, Indian, French, Japanese and German, but also have a water dispenser nearby with options for cold, warm and hot water...
...and also Ella the Robot Barista, for all those who need great coffee.
It is shortly before midnight when Robert and I meet up in front of the departure gate lounge, where the seats are conveniently and cleverly outfitted with USB charging ports beneath the armrests...
...and it is right at the stroke of midnight that we get to board the plane that is going to take us back to Munich.
With that, we say our goodbyes to Singapore. Now, all that's left is the final flight home, and since we're travelling West along that means for the most part of this trip we are going to be...
Flying through the Night
24-Sep-2023 - 24-Sep-2023
Flight Duration: 12h
Approximate Distance: 10,700km
Average Speed: 890km/h
Late though it might be, the weather is at least clear for takeoff, so this time around, we're maybe not gonna see much landscape, but a lot of the city lights instead.
Continuing in the direction of our landing, we take off towards the southwest, which initially seems like bad news, since our seats are facing towards the left, and thus away from the city. However, for reasons unbeknown to me, instead of making an 90° right turn from there to get on course, the plane instead turns towards the left, flying around Singapore Changi Airport in a relatively tight 270° turn, which also gives us a good view on the many ships parked in the strait below. The good news is that this allows us to see all the lights of Singapore - which it turns out aren't all that many this late into the night. The bad news is that this actually steers us away from the major tourist attractions that Robert already visited tonight. Instead, this curious routing quickly takes us over Malaysian airspace, where we eventually pass above the city of Pasir Gudang, seeing the lights of its port district below as we continue northwest.
(Click here to view the video directly if this website fails to display it)
After that, for the vast majority of the flight, all that can be seen from the land below are the occasional lights of cities as we pass over them.
Some time after reaching cruise altitude, food is served, and figuring out how to call this can get a bit confusing. The flight menu calls it dinner, but technically we're at 2:00 local time and 3:00 Japan time right now, so this is more of a midnight meal to us. Anyway, once again I take the exotic option, and end up with a selection of fish, rice and some vegetables, and while this one won't be my all time favorite, it's still undeniably tasty.
Our route back to Germany takes us across the ever-turbulent Sea of Storms (aka the Bay of Bengal), the south part of India, and then along the northeast shore of the Arabian sea. Following that, we cross over Iran, barely graze the Caspian Sea, and subsequently make our way across Turkey, the Black Sea, Romania, Hungary and Austria in that order.
(Click here to view the video directly if this website fails to display it)
Along that ride, I do my best to catch some shuteye, trying to weather the turbulence as best as I can. Occasionally waking up and glancing out of the window, I sometimes see the lights of cities as they pass below, and sometimes only the endless black of ocean.
Roughly 9 hours of dark flight time and reasonably okay sleep later, breakfast is served. Again, the timing gets a bit confusing, because while it would already be noon in Japan time, in Germany time it's only 5:00 in the morning. Once again I go for daring over the generic chicken and am rewarded with a serving of ultra-tasty Vietnamese Beef Noodles that make for a great start into the day. Also, keeping our European destination in mind, there's some Swiss yogurt served as a side dish.
Eventually, as we fly over first Austria and then Germany, dawn approaches very slowly since we're still going westwards at a rate of 80% of the earth's rotational speed at this latitude. As it does, the first things that become visible are clouds, followed by rivers, and finally fields and forests.
We start our final descend as we cross the Inn north of Waldkrailburg ("Forest Stable Castle"), continuing northwest across the forest-speckled farmland that dominates this region, with the mist-covered valley of the Inn remaining visible in the distance. The next notable town that we cross is Taufkirchen ("Baptise Churches"), after which there are a few bigger forests surrounding Inning am Holz ("Inning at the Wood"). Incidentally, by this time we're already over the territory that I covered as part of the Petal of the Tiger almost 4 years ago (see Book III ~ Chapter 11 ~ Project Petal Part 2 ~ The Ruprechtsberg Ride). A bit later, we can see the Kronthaler Weiher ("Crown Valley Pond") in the distance, and shortly thereafter cross the Isarkanal ("Isar Channel") near the village of Reisen ("Travelling"). Finally, we fly low over the village of Schwaig ("Hush"), and then we're already over the southern runway of the airport, where we subsequently touch down safely.
(Click here to view the video directly if this website fails to display it)
After taxiing to the terminal, we experience the final plane exit jam in what I hope is going to be a while, but since neither of us has any plans today beyond getting home and unpacking, we have the luxury to be relaxed about it, and as such once again are some of the last people to get off the plane.
Now all that's left for me is to get back to the Fox Loft and handle whatever fallout my two cats have in store for me there. Easier said than done, however, because unexpectedly that should involve me...
Hiking Home
24-Sep-2023
Coming back home from a journey always feels different. After both New Zealand and my world trip to Japan, South America and South Africa, I was glad to be back after a year or more of absence. After the Philippines, I was glad to be back in a modern country, yet this time around - while I'm still glad that this harrowing plane journey is over - I'm actually kinda sad and wish I could have stayed for longer.
Anyway, here we are in the pristine halls and not all that busy halls of Munich airport, which stand in stark contrast to Singapore Changi airport with its warm, welcoming and bustling flair. But then again, I've definitely seen worse airports, and pretty much any airport is going to have trouble measuring up to the awesomeness of Changi.
We quickly arrive at the baggage claim where our luggage also does not take long to turn up. One quick check shows that my Kitsune umbrella survived without any damage. Yay!
Unlike the last few weeks of Japan, the temperatures here in Munich are much closer to what I consider appropriate for autumn. As such, I am quite happy that I also packed a pullover that I now can pull out and don.
Stepping out of the airport building, both of us have an "Oh No!" moment as we realize what time of the year it is now: It's the time of the world's greatest drug party, and it reaches all the way out here to the airport where they put out an interactive walkway to walk along while listening to a popular drinking song.
Ignoring that, Robert and I head down to the S-Bahn station, where it is time to say our goodbyes, as he takes the S8 that heads over to the east of Munich, where he lives...
...while I shortly thereafter take the S1 towards the west of Munich.
It's now approximately 8:00 in the morning, and the S-Bahn is still pretty empty, though it should get a little fuller as it draws closer to the city.
The ride back to the city from the airport takes roughly 45 minutes, during which we pass by many fields familiar to me from many a cycling tour, the majority of which have been harvested by now.
Eventually, I arrive at the station of Moosach...
...only to learn that due to whatever thing the local public transport company has going on this time, the next bus heading to my home is not due for another 28 minutes, even though it is supposed to be operating at a 20 minute interval.
Now, I could wait that time here. I'm certainly not a stranger to waiting after this long journey. Or, I could screw that and just do the half hour hike to my home from here, never mind that I'm carrying all my luggage. Guess which one I choose?
This last hike is nothing big compared to anything of the last few days, and it's only the luggage that makes it a bit more difficult. However, since the temperatures are actually pretty great for getting a bit worked up, even that does not really slow me down by much. Anyway, this hike complies with this chapter's theme of going West, taking me through the western part of Moosach, across the Hartmannshofer Bach ("Hard Man's Farm Stream") and through the eastern part of Untermenzing, until I arrive at my own little humble abode just a bit south of the Angerlohe ("Village Green Copse")
Incidentally, this route is the single most travelled route of mine. Not only did I cycle it on a daily basis while going to school in Moosach for four-and-a-half years, but this is also the way that I cycle on my way to the office and back. As such, I am intimately familiar with the most relaxed side roads, which take me past idyllic multi-family houses, away from almost all car traffic.
One linchpin of this route is the Glogauer Platz ("Hawthorn Meadow Square"), which is covered by a little park with a little playground...
...and the other is the Hartmannshofer Bach, which is surrounded by a park that serves as a gap between Moosach and Untermenzing, insulating the residential areas towards either side from drive-through car traffic. Incidentally, this is also one of the climate barriers that I know of. Don't ask me why, but during the many, many times I've cycled up and down this route, if the weather suddenly changed one way or another, it was always right here, as if I had crossed over into another zone in a game. Typically, it is a bit colder and rainier on the Untermenzing side of the barrier, which I attribute to it being further out from the city's heat shield. The park gap in conjunction stream probably plays a role in this weird phenomenon too, but since I never managed to become a meteorologist (not that I didn't at least try), the exact mechanics of this are beyond me.
On the other side of that stream, there's my home district of Untermenzing. The building density over here is maybe a little bit higher, but it's still a very nice area to live in, with lots of green all around.
Oh yes, and of course it is not only in Japan that I go hunting around for foxy places. Naturally, I have marked down the location of all fox statues in gardens near my home as well, and one of them just so happens to be located right along my main route.
From there, it's only a short walk through the park where I spent countless hours during my early childhood...
...and then I'm finally back home at the Fox Loft.
Jamie and Toledo happily greet me at the door, and of course they are completely innocent of any damage that I'm about to find in this home of mine.
And that's partly even true! For one, despite me having perfectly organized the cat feeding process for my cat sitter and labeled cans for every meal of every day, my cat sitter still somehow managed to burn through the whole supply...
...after which she helped herself by serving copious amounts of dry feed.
Fortunately, I saw this much coming, since this is not the first time this happened, and so I wisely set aside an emergency stash of cat food so I still have something to feed them today (not that they were not obviously overfed and all) and do not have to go on an emergency cat food run after work tomorrow.
Also, the cat litter boxes are both in a very unhygienic state...
...which is why I can only partially hold it against my cats for peeing near the toilet. At least the tiles are easy enough to clean.
Another thing that falls in the area of only partial responsibility are the fecal marks left here and there which are clearly the result of my poor cats stepping into their own poo in the poorly sanitized litter boxes.
However, something that I definitely can hold against them is shredding part of my cork board and littering the contents all over the place. The pins are naturally especially fun, though I manage to avoid stepping into any of them.
The dislodged Japanese wall hanging meanwhile is no biggie, since I've long since made it so that it is attached to metal nail heads in the wall via magnets, so if it gets torn off the cloth does not rip, and it is also easy to put back up again.
All in all, the damage this time around was relatively minor, and only takes me about three quarters of an hour to fully clean up. Nonetheless, I make a mental note that I really have got to look for a better cat sitter.
And now, to more pleasant stuff: Inspecting all the souvenirs that I brought home from this trip. The biggest one is clearly the Kizzu Anburera (キッズアンブレラ "Fox Umbrella"), while the two things that I wanted most are the vulpine Kuchiire Ningyo (口入人形 "Matchmaking Dolls") and the book Tebukuro wo Kai ni (手ぶくろを買いに "To buy Gloves"). Apart from that I've naturally acquired a few more fox statues, snacks, and keychains, including one from Singapore purchased at the airport. Maybe I haven't stayed a full night there yet, but with all my layovers to date I've still spend over 40 hours there by now, which is more than in some other countries I visited on my travels.
So, after having taken care of everything else, the final thing that I do is use these additional foxes to upgrade my home's Inari Shrine - Ryoko Inari Jinja (旅狐稲荷神社 "Travelling Fox Inari Shrine") from 12 foxes to 20 foxes (and even more if you start counting the foxes on the shelf above).
And with that, my second trip to Japan is officially concluded. It was way too short, but still lots of fun, and I brought many things home to remind me of it. This was definitely my main event for 2023, but it's not the last time I should travel that year. My next trips should to a considerably closer destination however, so stay tuned to find out about it in the next chapter of the Travelling Fox Blog!
