Today marks our last day in Sendai. After breakfast, we will check out of our hotel and make our way back to Sendai Station. Our mid-morning Shinkansen ride will put us back in Tokyo ahead of the afternoon rush, so we'll have time to lug our baggage to our hotel, then get around town a bit, before shutting down for the evening.
Breakfast was a nice occasion to reflect on what had transpired along the way. We chatted and enjoyed each other's company, before returning to our rooms. There was enough time for a quick trip to the onsen, followed by lots of repacking our luggage. Back downstairs, we pressed onward to the street and headed for Sendai Station. Being almost an hour early, Mona and Kylee headed off, while I stayed with our luggage. When they returned, we entered the station and headed for the Shinkansen platforms. We easily found our train and waited near the boarding area. Once our train arrived, we boarded and quickly shoehorned our bags into the luggage rack. Once in our seats, the train smoothly and quietly pulled away from the station. So long, Sendai!
With only a few stops on the schedule, the train stayed at a high speed. The countryside quickly blurred, and the one hour, 40-minute train ride was over before we knew it.
Now at Tokyo station, we were immediately exposed to more heat than we'd left in Sendai. The temperature was already 82, on its way to 84 for the high. Despite the mugginess, we pulled our luggage off the train and headed through the station. We opted to take the bus, as there was a bus stop immediately in front of our hotel. At the bus terminal, we struggled to find the right bus. The attendants in the area were busy making announcements and directing traffic with batons. I stopped to ask a bus driver, who ask another attendant who finally pointed us to the right bus stand. As the pickup time for the bus neared, I was a little fearful of being able to get on with our luggage. Once the bus arrived, however, we laid those fears to rest. We found spaces for ourselves, and we were on our way!
Before long, the bus approached our stop and we successfully extricated ourselves and our belonging from the somewhat-crowded bus. After checking in, we immediately headed back out to explore the area. We purposefully booked lodgings in Odaiba, the waterfront area of Tokyo, to ensure we'd visit the last stops on our list. First up, we were headed to DiverCity (a large shopping mall complex) to visit Hello Kity, the Gundam statue and store, and take a few pictures. Back on the bus, we rode a few stops before Kylee noticed we had already passed our first stop. Oops! It was a semi-short walk back, and we soon found ourselves face-to-face - or rather, face-to-foot, with an 19.7m tall 1:1 scale replica of the RX-0 Gundam Unicorn from the Bandai TV show, "Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn". The last time we were here, the 18m replica of the RX-78-2 Gundam stood in it's place.
Moving inside, we explored the mall, with stops at Hello Kitty and the massive Gundam Base store. This store featured all manner of model kits from the Gundam series, now celebrating it's 40th anniversary. It was terribly nostalgic, seeing models and character cutouts from TV shows that were nearly as old as I am. Even Mobile Suit Gundam SEED and Gundam SEED Desinty from the early 2000s were represented.
Moving on from DiverCity, we headed off to take a picture at the Tokyo TELEPORT station. After eight years, they'd changed the signs, so I couldn't replicate the pictures I wanted exactly...
We headed back to meet up with Kylee at Flying Tiger, then continued onward toward the hotel. The grocery store across the street beckoned, and we explored the food court for dining options. Sated from a good meal, it was an easy trip back to our hotel. The hotel featured a public bath, so I stopped in for a quick soak before bed.
Tomorrow morning would come early, and we'd find ourselves on our last day in Japan!
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