The train staion was a few blocks from the base, and parking is pretty non-existant, so Adam dropped the three of us off and returned to the base. He would walk back to meet us. As Megan, Abigail & I approached the stairs to head to the Fussa Train Station, we met a polite japanese man...actually, all japanese citizens are extremely polite and soft spoken, and the man asked Megan if she would like a magazine for the train. I glanced at the magazine he was holding up, and mentally rolled my eyes. Megan wasn't sure whether to accept the magazine. "J.W." I said quietly to her. "What?" "J.W." the man smiled and happily said "Yes! Jehovah's Witness" in his japanese accent as he continued to hold up the magazine called "Awake". She politely turned down the magazine offer and we proceeded up the stairs. I wish now that I had asked the man if I could take his picture with his magazine. Who would've thought that on my way to the JR Station in Japan I would have encountered a Jehovah's Witness. I am sure that he would have happily obliged me, but it was extremely hot and humid outside, and I still wasn't thinking clearly.
Megan reloaded her Suica card with more money so that she can ride the trains without having to buy a ticket every time, and she bought me a ticket. She later decided that purchasing a Suica card for me made sense and was faster than feeding the tickets into the machine at the turnstile, which then spits it out the other end, so you can use it at the next leg of your trip. The Suica card also is a pretty cool souvenir! Adam met up with us and we passed through the turnstiles, and waited outside for the train. We didn't have to wait long as they come by every few minutes. Music that sounded like a music box would play from the speakers right before the train would arrive, and then play again after the train stopped, and would continue until the doors closed, and the train would depart. It was a very efficient and heavily used system. Just about everyone stands, holding onto the handles hanging from the ceiling of the train or holding onto a grab bar. Everyone is quiet, busily fingering away at their cell phones, or other handheld devices. There are bench seats on the train along the windows, and they are reserved for the elderly, handicapped, mothers with babies or small children and the like. Others could sit there, but if they spotted anyone that fit that description, they would pop up and motion them to take their seat. I brought my cane with me because of the amount of walking that I knew this trip would entail, so I almost always was given someone's seat. They were very insistant. They wouldn't take "no" for an answer! I learned to really appreciate this later on, when I would have really bad mobility issues due to the heat and excessive walking that I would eventually do.
We exited the train a few blocks from Ueno Zoo, home to Ling Ling, the Giant Panda. Well, former home to Ling Ling, as Ling Ling had died, but they still had all of the signs and large stuffed animals to pose with. On the way to the entrance we passe street performers in makeup and costume. I don't know what they were performing, but one young girl was using a long bullwhip, and shredding paper with it between the hands of a poor soul who's job was to hold the paper while she lashed at it. I have no doubt that she nailed him a few times with that whip, and personally, I think I would be looking for a different job.
The Zoo was a fine place with many cool exibits, a park, a shrine, a Pagoda and cool signs that incorrectly still said that Ling Ling was there. There was a round fountain with faucets, so that the public could wash their hands, and unfortunately, restrooms without doors that are basically open for viewing by passersby. The restrooms in Japan were also interesting in that often, there were no true commodes. Just porcelin around a hole in the floor. Fortunately, the nicer Hotels and shopping malls had regular western facilities, occasionally with a Bidet.
At one end of the zoo was an area with large water plants as far as you could see, with massive flowers blooming from these massive leaves. The body of water I discovered later was called "Lotus Pond", so I would assume that these plants were the Lotus Flowers. Beyond this was a monorail to get to the other side of the Zoo. Thank goodness! I was ready for a rest. We got on the monorail (which hung below the rail instead of above like Seattle's does) and it took off. For about thirty seconds. The door opened. We were there. I imagine there was a look of shock and disappointment on my face, but I kept going and didn't complain. We found a luncheonette and ordered what would be our dinner. I'm afraid I don't rermember what all the meals I had were called, and often I didn't know what I was eating to begin with, but it was all a fairly subdued flavor, but good. They always gave you so much food that I would have a tough time eating it all. Occasionally I didn't.
We then made our way back to the train station, and on our arrival back in Fussa, Adam walked back to get the car while Megan, Abigail and I walked around the adjacent grocery store which had a "Mister Donut" shop on the first floor. Megan bought us some donuts, and while Megan speaks a little japanese, the clerk was rattling on a mile a minute. It was obviously a question she was asking, and in a speaking tone that I had heard often in the states. "She is asking if you have a club card so that you can earn free DVD's" I said half joking, not really understanding a word that she had said, but I actually think I was right. I saw a little sign in the display case that was written in Kanji, but did have DVD written in bold text. We went outside as Adam pulled up and went back home. "I think it's time for another rest day" I told them.
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