26 August 2009

We met Jill and Minako and kids for a trip over to Odaiba. Neither of them had used the boat from Shibaura before and really liked it. Emily was in ecstasy as there was so much to see and comment on (planes, boats, birds, bridge etc).

As soon as we arrived we went straight to the mall for lunch. Luckily there were still some tables free at the food court; Jill and I got noodles with tempura, and Sophia and Emily both ate very well. Given Emily's usual reluctance to eat when we go out, I was surprised and pleased. She managed to get her hands on Haru-kun's MacDonald's fries and wolfed a few before I snatched them away, to her chagrin.

Afterwards we took the children for a walk along the waterfront. Emily soon dropped off to sleep but the other two were full of beans. We went as far as the 17m Gandam replica 'robot' that has been erected in the park. It is supposed to represent Green Tokyo, but I fail to see why.

Minako had to leave early, but we continued on to the small man-made beach near the pier. Emily and Sophia had fun there for half an hour, though it was hard to stop them going out into the deeper water, and we were especially nervous because there were a lot of jellyfish around.

After a while we headed indoors for some refreshment at the cafe, while Sophia finally gave in to slumber.

Emily and I took the boat back, but Jill was planning on using the monorail, so it was time for making our farewells before they left Japan for good on Saturday. It was a sad occasion, as we have become good friends, and won't see them again until at least our next visit home.