Tokyo with Old Friends

I arrived in Tokyo today and immediately took the train to visit my best friend from college. In fact, I've known him for over 20 years. He and his family (his daughter painted the fish in the picture above) have lived in Japan for over a decade.

But, in order to get to his home, I needed to take a couple of trains.

Trains in Tokyo are fantastic because they are clean, come on time, and can get you anywhere in the city. Of course, when you first stand in line to get your ticket you see a large illuminated map like this...



Fortunately, there was a nearby map that included English. I hopped on the Yamanote line and sped off to Harajuku. Two stops down, two families boarded the train. One was hard core rocker, and the was dressed as conservatively as you can imagine. In a country known for conformity, it was funny to see the two families standing near each other on the train.

I was able to snap a picture of the men.


After changing trains, I finally arrived at my friend's home. It took 2 flights, 2 trains, and 21 hours to get there from home. But, as always I was treated to a wonderful meal and wonderful conversation. He had made a pork loin dish with herbs and didn't even mind me taking pictures of his food. Once I started taking pictures, I couldn't stop. I wandered around their living room snapping away.


There is something so comfortable about old friends. You can be apart for months or even years, and then get together and talk as if no time had passed at all.

Like most ex-pats, they have collected some interesting things from their time in Japan. Here is a picture of a cup collection.


And finally, his wife is a quilter (like mine), so I had to take a photo of her quilts. After a great evening, they took me back to the train station so I could make my way back to my hotel.