Yellow Flowers, San Geronimo Valley

Yellow Flowers (San Geronimo Valley) - Marin County  2023

Yellow Flowers (San Geronimo Valley) - Marin County  2023

Earlier yellow flower posts: July, 2021 and August, 2021.

San Francisco Skyline

Skyline - San Francisco  2023

We left Japan at 5:00 PM on Friday, and arrived in San Francisco at 10:40 AM on Friday. 

We took the Marin Airporter back to Marin County . . . I took the above photo while crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.

Once again, I had a prolonged case of jet lag.

Farewell to the East

Business Class Sign - Japan  2023

Business Class Interior - Japan  2023

We upgraded to Business Class the day before our return flight home. Wow! It was fun being able to follow the Business Class sign to our seats. Although . . . to be honest, the interior was pretty futuristically sterile and not all that much fun. Good food, though . . . much better than usual. 

All the windows in the cabin were closed during the flight, including the landing at SFO - I had to keep track of our location and altitude using the monitor in front of me, unlike our Narita landing.

Farewell to the East (George Wunder)

Monday Dog Blogging

Dog - Japan  2023

Dog - Japan  2023

Cute dogs seen while waiting outside a Kamakura soba restaurant.

Scenes from the Skyliner - 2

Residential Area, Cemetery - Japan  2023

Residential Area - Japan  2023

Top photo: there's a cemetery in the lower right hand corner! Interesting.

Bottom photo: Narita Airport was located in a rural area of Japan*, so the landscape becomes more suburban and forested nearer to the airport.

*Very controversial

Scenes from the Skyliner - 1

City View - Japan  2023

River View - Japan  2023

The line for tickets was so long that we were wondering if we should leave and try to get a taxi. But we persevered and eventually got to the ticket window, got the tickets and within a few minutes we were on the Skyliner. Quite modern, with nice comfortable seats. Fast, too.

I used the Canon G5XII for some last "out of the window" Japan photos. 

Narita Express Suspended / Keisei Skyliner

JR Ticket Office Map

To get to the airport on our final day we had made seat reservations for Japan Railway's Narita Express. Alas, when we arrived at the station platform we found an empty train with loudspeaker announcements that the Narita Express line had been temporarily suspended. Yikes!

We backtracked to the JR Ticket Office. Their advice: take the Yamanote Line to Nippori Station, then take the Keisei Skyliner to Narita Airport. (See helpful map above.) Needless to say, we hadn't planned to do any of this, but we ended up making our way over to track number 15 - with suitcases - and got aboard the Yamanote Line bound for Nippori Station. Luckily, we had taken the train to Nippori several times before, so the route there wasn't unfamiliar.

As I guess we could have expected, when we got to the station the line for Skyliner tickets was really quite long.

Skyliner Ticket Line - Japan  2023

Leaving Japan

Umbrella (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Umbrella, Cocoon Tower (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Photos taken just outside of Shinjuku Station. We were there to take an early Narita Express train to the airport.

I posted some color photos of the Cocoon Tower back in 2014.

Tokyo Rain (Morning)

Rain, Street (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Umbrella, Mom & Kid, Political Sign (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Top two photos taken with an iPhone, the bottom one with a Canon G5XII.

Umbrella, Mirror, Self-Portrait (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Family Mart

Family Mart, Kyodo (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Our last day in Japan started out overcast and rainy. I followed my usual routine and left our rental unit and walked a few steps to the nearby Family Mart. By then the employee on duty knew that I was there for my morning coffee. Fun!

The rain wasn't quite as heavy as my 2016 Family Mart coffee run.

Family Mart Coffee (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Monday Large-Billed Crow Blogging

Crow (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

This one was particularly scary, chasing a little girl away because he wanted to get the bag of food dangling from her stroller. Her mom had to come and rescue her, but it was a while before the bird gave up on the free food idea. 

Kamakura Beach - 2

Woman on Beach #1 - Japan  2023

Woman on Beach #2 - Japan  2023

Lots of beach scenes in K-Dramas and J-Dramas where the views are always picturesque, the beaches uncrowded and the people attractive.

Woman on Beach #3 - Japan  2023

Kamakura Beach - 1

Kamakura Beach #1 - Japan  2023

Kamakura Beach #2 - Japan  2023

We were waiting for a table to open at Matsubara, a soba restaurant in a Kamakura suburb. While standing around I glanced at the map on the iPhone and realized that I was fairly close to Sagami Bay. I took the chance and headed towards the beach.

Wow . . . there I was, down at the beach! My first Japan beach experience since my 1965 adventure!

Kamakura Sightems

Anime Figure - Japan  2023

Doorway "Autumn Day" - Japan  2023

We visited Kamakura in 2008, taking an enjoyable hike around the area. Has it become much more commercial now? Hard to say: maybe it's difficult to really compare one's past faded memories with present reality.

Enoshima - 2

Enoshima Walkway - Japan  2023

Walking over from Kamakura. Crowded. This is one of those places (like Fushimi Inari) that is on a lot of Japan must-see lists. But it was never on one of my lists. I was able to get some soft-serve ice cream here though.

Was probably nicer when Hokusai visited.

Enoshima (Hokusai) -  from Thirty-six Views of Mt. Fuji

Enoshima - 1

Fisherman, Mt. Fuji - Japan  2023

Apartment Complex - Japan  2023

"Enoshima (江の島) is a small offshore island, about 4 km (2.5 mi) in circumference, at the mouth of the Katase River which flows into the Sagami Bay of Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan." -Wikipedia

Photos were taken from a short walkway connecting the Kamakura beach area with the island. To be honest, just the top of Mt. Fuji was visible through the haze, but luckily there's a haze adjustment filter in Photoshop.

Enoshima Railway

Enoshima Train - Japan  2023

Enoshima Sign - Japan  2023

Our next to last day, featuring another unique train, with a visit to Enoshima and Kamakura. It took about an hour on the Odakyu Line to get to Fujisawa Station where we got on the small Enoshima train. Very interesting as part of the line runs on city streets.

Monday Black Kite Blogging

Black Kite (Kamakura) - Japan  2023

Black Kite (Kamakura) - Japan  2023

The Black Kite or “Tobi” トビ as it is known in Japanese is a common sight in the skies throughout Japan. This raptor is thought to be the world’s most abundant bird of prey. Its numbers are healthy and is under no threat.

This bird can be mainly found in Eurasia, Australasia, Oceania and is a year-round resident here in Japan. You can see this powerful looking bird often soaring in the thermals high above coastal areas, rivers and lakes. I’ve also seen them in farming areas throughout the Kansai region of Japan. They are very graceful flyers that soar with ease and turn with precision.

Photos taken in Kamakura near the beach using an Olympus E-M1II and a 14-150mm zoom lens.

Hydrangeas / Here Is The Thing

Hydrangeas (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

Here Is The Thing (Tokyo) - Japan  2023

It was hydrangea season while we were there. The amount of blooms was a little overwhelming.

The Here Is The Thing sign reminds me - a little - of the 2008 German Cafe sign.

Tsuruma Sightems

Tokyo Shoes - Japan  2023

Italian Restaurant - Japan  2023

We took the Odakyu Line from Kyodo to Tsuruma to have dinner with Maz's parents at this Italian restaurant. Fun! So we got to have both French and Italian cuisine during this trip. 

When we left the restaurant we could see Tokyo Shoes across the street beckoning in the dark.