Last post from Japan, again (3rd time?) Anyways, I believe I have found the ultimate Japanese gizmo.

I accidentally packed my laptop power cord in my checked luggage and, not wanting to waste battery power before I got on the plane, readied myself for two hour of sitting and waiting with nothing to do. When wandering to find lunch I came across the gizmo.

A coin operated computer. Like a ride in front of a grocery store or an arcade game is coin operated, so is this computer fueled. It's 100yen for 10 minutes which is about equivalent to what I paid in Metro airport for wireless access on my trip over.

In other airport related things, my luggage actually only weighed 37.6Kg (less than what I weigh.) This was good however as I did not incur the over weight charge I suspected I would.

Also as a nice send-off I used the Japanese learned in the last 3 months and had a coherent conversation with the staff inspecting my bags.

Another hour and a half until my flight boards. I've got the usual butterflys in my stomach feeling I usually get when about to fly.

Will I write again before take off... who knows...

Ja Mata Ne.

Alright, so this is it. My last post from Japan. I had a great night's sleep last night and am ready to face what will literally be the longest day of my life. I leave Narita airport at 3:00pm local time and arrive home, the same day, at noon. Basically I have a 36 hour day.

I'm really happy with the hotel I stayed at. It has a great view of Narita airport, but isn't noisy at all. It has wonderfully soft western style beds. (As you can see) High-speed internet. And perhaps, best of all, it has an indoor pool.

After getting up and finalizing packing and doing one last sweep of my apartment I was ready to go. Well, after taking the 6 bags of garbage out that it... yikes. Once I was all set to go I dragged (most literally) my bags to the train. I suppose it's good to know I can carry my own body weight in luggage, but still...

In Shinjuku I found the Narita express bus and got in line. After the bus arrived it took an hour and ten minutes to get to Narita's terminal 1. From there I waited a few minutes for the hotel shuttle to come pick me up. As a bonus, while riding the busses I didn't have to handle my hugely heavy bags.

At the hotel I checked in and got settled in my room and watched some TV (Mmmm cable.) Soon after I decided I didn't stop for lunch and headed for the convenience store across the street for a light lunch.

Once lunch had settled I headed for the pool facilities. I swam in the pool for a while and had a brief soak in the hot top. Unfortunately the heat in the hot top had been turned off and I had no idea how to turn it back on. Still wanting a relaxing hot soak I did the unthinkable... I used the traditional Japanese bath. Luckily it wasn't crowded.

Back in my room I plugged some of my portable electronics in to charge the for today's flight and repacked my bags (they're a little lighter now.) Later on I talked with Sparks for a while (the last time it'll be that easy to do that for a while.) Finally I watched "The Godfather" (with Japanese subtitles) until I fell asleep.

Here I am. An hour left until I check out and take the shuttle back to the airport. Seventeen hours before I'm back on American soil. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little nervous. I have been lead to believe there will be a slight reverse culture-shock. I suppose living in a different culture for long enough will somewhat alienate you from your own.

Finally, I'd like to say thank you to all my family and friends who have offered moral support throughout my trip. I has been invaluable. I don't believe I could have done it without your help. I'd like to thank all the people at NichiDai for making my trip so very educational. Also a "shout-out" to the nice people at FedEx and Holiday Inn.

I guess that about wraps up this part of the story. I'm sure I'll have some follow up posts in the next few weeks. Until then.

Ja Mata Ne.

Sayonara Nihon. Iie, anata ni [ja mata ne] mo iimasu.