Getting There

July found me on a train crossing the Willamette River.  

To that place that locals love to take photos of the carpet. Portland International Airport. So of course, I did that. 

Knowing that it would be some time before I would get a meal, I searched for something to eat.  Portland Bowl at Tamale Boy. It's great how flexible they are with their dishes. This is black beans, rice, mixed greens, tomato salsa, eggs, Monterey Jack cheese and guacamole sauce. Next time I will skip the eggs. Other than that, it was like a nice salad. And not expensive.

The plane to Canada was late. It's a Bombardier Q400. It is interesting to fly in a plane this size. A little noisy too.  

But the views are very scenic when the clouds clear. Mount Rainier with a couple lakes in Washington.

It's not easy getting photos through plane windows. So I'm always happy when my zoom picks up an image like this. Snowy Mount Rainier, even in summer.

And Vancouver International Airport. Time for another carpet photo. 

Finally boarded my plane and starting to roll out. 

Several hours later I make it through Narita International Airport's Immigration and Customs. Deep inside the train station there was a bamboo tree with tanzaku wishes for Tanabata. 

Once again waiting for my N'EX train. I didn't think to get a photo of Narita Airport's carpet. Maybe next time?

I found Bourbon Choco Anpan cookies while waiting. These are the same thing that was given away as prizes at the Moi dix Mois ~La Kitchen Knife Aristocracy~ shows. So I had to try them. Compared to the other Bourbon cookies, these ones were a bit dry. I prefer the Kikori no Kirikabu, Tree Stumps to these. But they are much harder to find.

So I was off on my journey back to Tokyo. Compared to March, the fields around Narita were green.

A Very Long Day

Last day of this trip. Waiting to take the N'EX train to Narita International Airport. Getting a little caffeine before the long journey begins. One thing I discovered this trip, there are a few decent cans of coffee in Japan. I don't remember if this was one of them. It was a long day.

On my way to Narita I continued my little tradition. Kirin's Salty Litchi. I found that this is actually really good when it is hot out, possibly because it helps replace salts in the body? Also the melon pan from Boulangerie Asanoya is really good. 

I caught sight of the gnome again! Some day I will have to go see him.

And of course, Sky Tree.

Crossing the Naka River, which runs next to the Arakawa river in this area. That may be the Katsushika Harp Bridge in the distance.

Finally another day of lovely weather, and I had to leave. I really wanted to stay longer. This, I need to do. Some day.

All I can say about my flight back to Canada was it was not good. I was feeling fine but unable to sleep thanks to other passengers. Some who even upset the flight attendants. I do have this photo of how I was able to get my Moi-même-Moitié obi back without it being crushed in a suitcase. It is nicely made and I love the color.

A couple hours in Vancouver International Airport. I got something to eat and drink at Vino Volo. Both were delicious, but the wine only increased my sleepiness. 

But I survived it all. Waiting for the small plane to take us back to Oregon. One of these days I will spend more time in Vancouver. Those mountains look enticing.

Those mountains from the air. From what I can find online, this is the North Shore Mountain Range.

A look heading over the islands off of Washington State.

Mount Baker in Canada, seen from the air over Washington, United States. Impressive.

Heading down the Puget Sound.

Below is Seattle.

Washington State and Canada in the distance.

Passing by Mount Rainier.

Another wonderful view of Mount St. Helens.

Mount St. Helens and Mount Adams. This is why I get a window seat on this side of the airplane.

And finally Oregon's Mount Hood. I need to go visit it this summer.

Reaching the Columbia River with Mount Rainier and Mount St. Helens on the horizon. On our way to safely land at Portland International Airport. And the end of this trip, all done in one very long day.

Portland to Vancouver to Narita

 

I have to say the best part of this was the flight from Portland International Airport to Vancouver International Airport. Because the weather was good the views were amazing! If I ever have to go to Vancouver again I would consider flying Air Canada if the weather is decent. From Mount Hood to Mount St Helens and Mount Adams up to Mount Rainer and beyond, it's worth it. Seeing Mount St Helens from the air was one of those moments that was above my expectations.

Because the flight was late there was no time to check out Vancouver's airport. First we had to walk a long way to Customs where we had to turn in a customs form along with answer questions. This was repeated at Narita Airport in Japan. Then it was another long walk back to the gates where we disembarked. Very tiring but not a long wait to get on the plane for Japan.

The plane was not bad and service was good. Although the food was mediocre. I remembered to pack a few granola bars which saved me. I did watch "The Martian" finally. Not bad but so obvious when they had a body double for Matt Damon. I probably got an hour of sleep since I did not bring a neck pillow and the two guys next to me were rather talkative with each other. Including singing Disney songs.

Into Narita with another customs card and a long very hot wait to get through it. I did have an interesting conversation with a Canadian woman so that helped since I felt a little dizzy in the heat. Finally done with customs and off to exchange money. Narita was packed with people, serious zoo with everyone going in every direction. I had trouble finding the line for money exchange because people were just standing everywhere blocking everything. All I could think is "Tokyo you are so not ready for the Olympics". Got my money, had a slightly futile exchange with woman at Keisei Railway desk. Her English was great, she just didn't want to be that helpful. Down to train station and so many people getting tickets at machines I passed on getting a commuter card. Transfer at Aoto (thanks to the helpful station masters for pointing out the right train). Finally arriving at Ningyocho Station. Found the elevator right away and out the right exit and walked several blocks in the stifling heat to the hotel.

So glad I found it without getting lost since this was my first time in Ningyocho and the area it was in was mostly concrete apartment buildings and offices. Checked in, found my room, then out to a konbini which was only a block away. Food and a two liter bottle of water. Bought a lot of those during my stay since most of the time the temperatures hit 35°c and 70% humidity. August in Japan. Ready to sleep I found out the bed was harder than sleeping on a tatami mat. Sleep was not going to be something I would get a lot of during my trip.

So while the views at the start of the trip were extraordinary, it was a very difficult start to returning to Tokyo. Not as drastic as the last time but off to a difficult start. If you are wondering what happened the last time, the posts are here for my experiences during the Great Tohoku Disaster in 2011. I am glad this time I did get to see these amazing views like this one of Mount Rainer.