On our last morning in Tokyo, Phil and I got up early and packed. After Phil came downstairs, I went upstairs and took a shower. When we completely cleaned the dining room table, we discovered another forgotten pile of 10 yen coins. We took one last look at the house, turned off the air conditioning and left.
My Sterilite trunk was heavy, but light enough that I could lift it with one arm, so I was sure it weighed less than the airline’s 60-pound maximum. I started to get out of breath pulling the thing behind me, but otherwise Phil and I barely had enough credit left on our IC cards to get to Haneda Airport.
When I checked in, the measurement on the scale told me my trunk was 22.7. I’m not sure if it was pounds or kilos. If it was kilos, and the suitcase actually weighed 48.5 pounds, that would explain why I had so much trouble carrying it.
In the airport terminal I saw a large Japanese souvenir shop. I was a little surprised to see that it had a selection of Bandai plamo and action figures. gundam & dragon ball. I was even more surprised to see that their prices were not sky high. but the only one godzilla The item I saw in the store was a lone t-shirt.
At another convenience store, I discovered that one of the refrigerated display cases contained hourglass-shaped bottles of CC Lemon with Halloween illustrations for 200 yen. I wasn’t sure I could take the full bottle of liquid home, but Phil and I assumed that, worst-case scenario, airport security would let me drink the drink and keep the empty bottle, so I bought a bottle with some of the remaining Japanese coins.
Phil suggested I try scanning myself in the Delta room. If I was denied entry, I would spend 5,000 airline miles to be allowed in. Since I was on Phil’s flight reservation and had already been upgraded to a Delta One seat for the return flight, the lounge allowed me in. So we sat for two hours, occasionally eating dishes of chicken curry.
I slept through most of the 10+ hour flight across the Pacific. Phil looked In Bruges on my recommendation because I hadn’t realized that he had never seen the movie before. Phil then slept on and off during the flight. In Minneapolis we picked up our luggage. My trunk arrived via a separate conveyor belt for oversized luggage, so I got it before Phil got his regular-sized bag. I didn’t even realize until Phil pointed out that while we were walking to customs inspection, a customs agent had called me and asked what was in my trunk. I turned to the officer and opened the case. When he saw the content, he seemed satisfied. He asked me if I had meat. I said no. He gestured for me to continue forward.
After re-checking our luggage, Phil and I walked through most of the Minneapolis terminal before heading to the Delta lounge. The difference between this American room and the Japanese one was surprising. Phil noticed that the food bar in Haneda’s lounge was spotless. The American looked like a typical American buffet restaurant, stained with food remains. We also joked among ourselves that in the Haneda hall we had heard a group of women behind us say that Japan was wonderful because the culture was so polite. However, none of that influence returned to the United States, as no one cares at all about the convenience of others.
Upon returning home, Phil determined that he had lost 7 pounds as a result of eating lean foods and walking 4 miles or more per day. I don’t have a scale so I didn’t weigh myself. Phil is already interested in returning to Japan in early 2026.
