Riding the Bullet Train

Most of you know that I love to ride trains. I always look forward to any train ride but this one was really special. It was so smooth and fast and it was just a fun experience. We didn't have any trouble at all navigating to get on this train. But when we got off that one, we had to navigate through the rush hour mass of people to get to the local train to get us to our Ikebukuro station. We had braced ourselves to be packed in like sardines but actually, most of us only had to stand for a station or two and then got a nice seat.
The navigating through the train stations was not easy on Jim but as he has done the entire trip, he pushed on through the pain and did it all. When we got back to the hotel, several of us decided to go to Subway several blocks away that one couple had found. So Jim stayed and rested and we were able to go and enjoy and bring him back some good old American food! We are all packed and ready to head home tomorrow. We don't have great seats but they could be a lot worse, too. We fly from Tokyo to San Francisco and then have about an hour and 45 minutes to get to our next flight on to Atlanta. We will be spending that night in the Wellsley hotel again, before Allen catches his flight on to DC and we drive on to Auburn. It has been a truly wonderful trip, full of all sorts of cultural surprises and insights and just plain fun. I don't think any of us will ever forget it but think all of us are also ready to get home, sleep in our own beds and eat what is for us, normal food! We leave for the airport about 11 AM tomorrow which is about bedtime for most of you. It is a 2 hour bus ride to the airport and then we have about a 3 hour wait before our plane leaves about 4PM Tokyo time, which is about 5AM your time, I think. So you can say a prayer for our safe journey and we look forward to being home and seeing you soon and telling you in person about our great adventures. Love to all.Madge