A memory of a Business Trip with some my private favour to Japan

I had Friday morning in Takayama. I left the hotel just after 8am and went to see the Miyagawa Morning Market in the centre of town. Since it was a weekday, there were more tourists, especially from another countries, than locals. Well, I was one of them. The road along the river was lined with stalls selling local vegetables, fruits and folk crafts. From there, we crossed the bridge, turned right and walked along the old, beautiful black street with many tourists. Some of the buildings are still private homes, but most are souvenir shops and restaurants for tourists. After that, we went to see the remains of Jin'ya, an old government office that was used for about 300 years from 1692 to 1969. There are no other government buildings from that era left, making it a valuable site. We returned the way we came and took a break at a coffee shop along the way and had some tea. Finally, we went to Takayama Showakan. It is a valuable place that conveys the atmosphere of the town from 50 to 70 years ago. Some of the places were replicas of old school classrooms, shops, and hospitals, and it was interesting to see similarities to the same period in my country.

After going around the city and collecting my suitcase that I had left at the hotel, I left Takayama Station at 5pm on the Hida Express and changed to the Shinkansen at Toyama and headed for Tokyo. I arrived at Tokyo Station just before 10pm and changed trains from there to check into my hotel in Kinshicho.

Saturday morning has come. My rather long stay in Japan is coming to an end. I want to do some shopping so that I can make it in time for my flight back home from Narita Airport at 6:15pm. I left the hotel around 9am and took the train from Kinshicho Station. There were no large shopping malls along the Sobu Line, so I decided to go back to Tokyo Station and take the Keiyo Line. I got off the train at Makuhari Toyosuna Station just after 10am and entered the huge shopping centre in front of me and went to the food section. I went shopping with the intention of enjoying a large Japanese supermarket, or rather a grocery store, which I may never see again. I bought things that my colleagues, including Janet, had asked me to buy, such as mentsuyu (dipping sauce for noodles), white soup stock, and kelp. I also used up the remaining balance of my Welcome Suica here. I had some time left, so I window-shopped at other stores.

I left Makuhari Toyosuna Station just after 1:30 p.m., changed trains, and got off at Chiba Station. I left the ticket gates, got a reserved seat ticket for the Narita Express at the counter, headed to Narita Airport, and arrived at the airport station just before three o'clock. I left my carry-on bag at the airline counter, completed immigration, and had a look around the duty-free shops. As the departure time approached, economy class passengers were called to the boarding gate, so I showed the attendant my boarding pass and entered the plane. My plane took off with many memories. I would fly over the ocean for about ten hours. After the in-flight meal, I slept soundly. The plane landed safely, and I took a bus back home. The carousel for domestic flights at my local airport is somewhat famous for its flashy tourist advertisements, but the one for international flights was a dreary sight with nothing but a conveyor belt. I'm sure I'll have a lot of fun telling my older sister and coworkers about this.