Triumphant Return to Tokyo!

 It's been a couple of years, and some things have changed. But one of those things is definitely not our unstoppable thirst to travel to Japan!

After one too many transfers from Arlanda airport in Stockholm, and an immigration line a mile long in Copenhagen, we hop on our SAS flight to Tokyo.

Long hours on the flight are passed with much amusement

Wine doesn't hurt

 Our first order of business upon arrival (other than some rest, god forbid) is to acquire lodging. Luckily, we've got a 'Tokyo Insider' living in Shin-Matsudo, so we wearily drag ourselves there.

The glorious sight of Shin-Matsudo's humble urban farm

All you can eat daikon stand

 We drop off our bags and spend quite some time catching up and enjoying the company of our buddy Marcus. As our luck would have it, he also happens to be quite the LCHF nerd, and offers us up his extra groceries.
This is particularly notable as the groceries were assembled into a Liver and Tripe Omelette.
How's that for a post-flight meal?
We bravely venture forth for yet another meeting; our friend Christer, from Sweden!

Christer & Anne in Kashiwa

We designate a familiar rendezvous point, good ol' Starbucks, and chit-chat about our adventures, our intended, and his completed.
We have previously met Christer about only a week and a half before! So funny to see eachother on the other side of the world again quite so soon.
We were happy he had time in between classes to see us, as we were on a tight schedule, and said our goodbyes while heading to our next important meeting.

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We find ourselves in Matsudo station, attempting to pick our friend out of a large crowd -  we're here at the right time, where is she?...
- all of a sudden -
BAM!
Anne is hit with a tsunami of flowing black hair and an excited squeel as two slender (and alarmingly strong) arms pull her into a death grip.
It's none other than the amazing HIROMI!


She takes us to a little place she knows that serves up what we crave most:
GRILLED MEAT

The conversation flows from one topic to the next, one minute about travel, the next about aspirations and business ideas. All the while, sizzling meat serenades us and the aroma of grilling wafts by our noses.

Wonder Women

Happy Feet

Reunited with our BFF Hiromi!!

 

OISHIKATTA!!!

 

 We are blessed to wrap up our evening (sometimes, with our eyelids half closed) with an astonishingly great dinner with Hiromi. At this point we have been up longer than we can even manage to keep track of, and grudgingly shamble home.

Succumbing to sleep, we desperately dream of our beds while on the subway, and on the walk home. However, I cannot resist one more critical meeting I must make before the day is done.

The meeting of YAKITORI and MY MOUTH.

I had not practiced my Japanese for two years. The woman at the Yakitori stand was my first victim.
Despite all, we were able to acquire two delicious sticks of tender, salty and satisfying street food.

Ahhhh, it's good to be back.

 

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