28 February 2010

Emily (and therefore, I) woke at 6.30, but Nick was flat out for another hour. The view from our window was very tranquil in the early morning light.

Breakfast was also disappointing: a small grilled fish, rice and a few bits of vegetable stuff. Emily filled up on bread and fruit again.

We checked out then went for a wander around the hotel environs. Emily refused to walk up the track to a viewpoint so I stayed with her as she mucked around on some play equipment while Nick went. He came back to fetch us as he wanted us to go up too. Emily was happy as soon as he put her on his shoulders. It was lovely up on the hilltop with views over the inland sea.

Shikoku was nearly lost in haze. It felt very Mediterranean, with loose white rock, pines and evergreen shrubs. The sun was really strong and Nick got burnt on his forehead. Back down by the hotel, Emily wanted to take us for a ride in an old golf buggy.

We went to the small pier to get the pirate boat back to Tomonoura, and were surprised to see a creature that we are pretty sure was a tanuki (raccoon-dog), drinking rainwater from a puddle and tamely allowing people to pose for pictures with it.

Back across the water we had a look round the main part of the old quarter, then had lunch on the quayside by a huge stone lantern.

Emily was again very popular and many people were filming her and taking photos with her. I think she got fed up with saying 'cheezu' after a bit. One old chap came over and told Nick that he was born the same year as Mickey Mouse (1928), hence his rather lurid jacket.

After our meal it was time to drive to the airport. We wanted to avoid the narrow streets so Nick asked for directions via the expressway. We ended up spending ages in heavy traffic before we got onto the near-empty toll-road. Miraculously we still made it to the airport by the time we'd planned, during which time Emily dutifully had her nap as hoped. We had miscalculated anyway and had an hour and a half to wait after check-in. We went out onto the observation deck and saw two planes arrive, but it is a really quiet airport so that was it (how they can have the cheek to charge for the deck beats me, though we did cough up just so that we could enjoy the fresh air and escape the over-heated terminal). In the departure lounge I saw a good Japlish sign; I can't actually work out what it meant to say.

Emily was really good on the flight; I kept her entertained a long time by showing her playbacks on the camera. As we approached Tokyo, Fuji was silhouetted by the dying light.