Journey to Japan: Last gathering and onwards to Manila

Day 14

We woke up earlier than we would have liked, finished our packing, and polished off some remaining snacks, just enough to keep our stomachs from protesting. One last soak in the hotel’s onsen bath was a fitting farewell before checkout.

Together with S and E, we had a low-key convenience store breakfast by the river while waiting for M to join us. Once assembled, we headed to a nearby Brazilian restaurant for lunch, which took a bit longer than planned, the good kind of long, though. Just in time before, I managed to send off my postcards (my traditional way of sending delayed greetings across time zones), and afterward we squeezed in some final shopping. I ended up skipping the tea and spice purchases I’d been vaguely planning. Maybe I’ll track them down in Singapore instead.

Getting to the airport proved more complicated than expected. We got to experience the full Japane traveller special: hauling luggage up and down train station stairs. I really should’ve remembered that tip about enabling the accessibility option in Google Maps to prioritize routes with elevators. Still, sweaty and slightly grumpy, we made it to the airport without any real trouble. Even my overweight carry-on made it through without issue.

Time to say goodbye, for now, to Japan. I really wish I had more time to process everything. These thirteen days felt like a whole season’s worth of impressions. But there’s no pause button yet: I’m off to Manila, another country I’ve never visited. This time, I’ll be putting my full trust in L’s guidance, since this leg of the journey is more about family time than tourism.

Looking back, my time in Japan was so full of new sights and activities that running completely fell off the radar. Partly, that was recovery, it wasn’t until day three that I could walk stairs without pain from the Sendai Half Marathon. After that, we simply walked so much every day that the idea of running felt excessive. Resting in the hotel bath each night seemed far more appealing than logging more kilometers.

The flight to Manila was uneventful. The food was a bit sparse, and I should have packed more entertainment. L spent most of it involuntarily practicing her hip-hop head nodding, repeatedly drifting off and jerking awake mid-air.

Immigration was smooth, and our luggage appeared quickly, a relief after my earlier misadventure in Sendai. Then we were off into the chaos of Manila traffic, riding a Grab to our accomodation. The apartment, perched on the 25th floor, gave us a perfect panoramic view of traffic jams.

After stashing the chocolates we’d brought as gifts in the fridge, we ventured out for a quick supermarket run. Dinner was simple but surprisingly tasty: something from Dunkin’ Donuts, of all places. With full stomachs and travel fatigue kicking in, we called it a night and fell asleep, grateful, a bit dazed, and ready for the next chapter.