Japan Travel blog 2023
From 31 August to 12 September 2023 we were in Japan with a group of 8 participants.
After a long journey, we arrive in Tokyo, where we spend the first night,
to continue the next day, to Shizuoka, where we will spend the rest of our stay...
On this first full day in Japan we take it easy and go to bed early, to combat our possible jet lag!
Travelling on the Shinkansen is a special experience in itself.....at 320 km per hour
whizzing through Japan.....Fenomenal!
And so the rest of the time will also be full of surprises, with beautiful places, temples,
Mountains and of course a visit to Mount-Fuji..... the icon of Japan!
But also beautiful walks, visit nice restaurants, and above all enjoy a lot....!
Every day a travel report with all the experiences will appear on this blog, with beautiful pictures!
The blog is written by Guide and Medium Ronald ter Heegde.
Day 1:
FIRST DAY IN JAPAN!
On the way to the station we passed the Senso-ji temple, in Asakusa. We placed all the suitcases there somewhere in the shadow (under supervision) and everyone could look around and buy some souvenirs. A very special temple, with beautiful colours (orange) and a beautiful Japanese garden! After being there for a while, we moved on and took the subway to Tokyo Station. That in itself is an adventure!!! After all the train cards had been received, we went to the Shinkansen platform, where we could directly board the train.
While waiting, we talked about all the obstacles we encountered throughout the trip to Japan (departure from Düsseldorf 1 hour late, connecting flight delayed by 2 hours, long customs queues, resistance from all sides, nothing went as planned). eventually made us arrive late in Tokyo.
So I was asked, can you find out where it comes from? I told them that I had already looked at all that stuff, but didn't really find an answer... Until one of the ladies said something, and suddenly I knew what it had to do with! It had to do with 1 person, and I explained it, and it was understood immediately, so I had to remove that bit.... Two other people reacted to this, they were suddenly completely stuck, so I looked at it, and then the true reason emerged, the theme of this piece was jealousy!!!!. So this piece was also removed from them. But the story was not over yet.... This morning at the Senso-ji temple, two ladies asked what their connection was, from past lives. I went to look and saw that they had been sisters for 3 Lives. She was completely satisfied....but there was also a continuation, 1 of the 2 ladies was stuck in the hotel lobby, and when we went to the room she indicated that she was feeling very sad. I looked...and was drawn to those 3 previous lives (as I had to tell them earlier in the day). I saw that they had been very close in 1 Life, and that the (then) oldest of the 2 was kidnapped and never came back. I let them relive it, resolved it, and suddenly the grief was gone, and there was unity again! It is amazing that things happen so spontaneously and can be resolved! This will happen even more during the rest of the trip.
But more on that tomorrow!
Day 2:
SECOND DAY IN SHIZUOKA JAPAN!
After a quiet night, we got up this morning to go on a pilgrimage together! We all first did a test to see what else could be worked on. This took some time, but in the end a lot got done! So we went to the station for breakfast. During this short walk we were surprised by the heat (36 degrees), so we immediately switched gears and went to the Mishima Taisha Temple. This is a real Shinto temple, very special, with a beautiful park around it and a very beautiful energy! Once there, everyone had the opportunity to work on themselves and solve problems... Everyone went their way and when needed I had to explain what they were feeling, this became very clear. Past lives came to the surface and very deep stirrings in the soul. This was worked on very intensively and resolved! As it became clear yesterday, the theme of jealousy also appeared here, and to oppress people, not to be seen / heard.... All very clearly present!!! After an intense afternoon of walking around, working and feeling there, we decided to visit some super nice shops, with the shop opposite the Temple entrance being our favourite! A shop full of Japanese figurines, statuettes, all sorts of porcelain bowls, teacups, teapots, cups, wind chimes, etc., etc., etc. In the next street I had an incredibly delicious ice cream, out on the pavement, but even there things happened that still require attention. And so they "worked" all day long. We slowly walked back to the station to take the train back! And there it became clear how tired everyone actually was, annoyance and impatience arose, which is inevitable, with a group that hardly knows each other, and everyone has their qualities and weaknesses.... When we got back to the hotel, we were still 4 participants in the lounge to chat, so we joined in.... but the other 2 participants quickly disappeared to their room, they called it a day! I stayed and there were good conversations. The irritations were also discussed, and everyone shared their experiences to understand each other better! By expressing this, there was much more clarity about the purpose of the trip. And it creates openness, and everyone is equal, with their own "baggage". This way we can start a new day tomorrow!!!
Day 3:
Family constellation
Something was about to happen...... This was duly complied with, and when everyone was together I explained what was going to happen. On the train I had already asked 2 people to help me with a piece that I could do something about myself. But at the same time I also wanted to show how to solve certain parts.
Another past life had come up for me, which had to do with Japan, where my German colleague played a role and myself, but also our common colleague from Japan! In that past life, we (German colleague and I..) lived as two brothers, 8 and 4 years old, on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island. Our mum had died early, so we lived with our dad. He was a fisherman and every time he went out to sea in a small rowing boat to put some bread on the table. One day he left, and he never came back ... So the care passed to me, for a short time, because suddenly an uncle came and took over the care for us. But....this uncle has made our lives hell!!!! He was very dominant, violent and unloving! And this uncle was our colleague from Japan.... Now this person, in this life, is also a very dominant and violent man, who has a beautiful Gift, but treats his loved ones "inhumanly". Everyone is his threshold ...... So when this came to the surface, I felt the pain and lovelessness of that life again, everything was felt again! So I wanted to use it to resolve in a family constellation! No sooner said than done. I had asked a lady to go into the energy of the Japanese person, and a man, into my energy, as I had to guide it myself. The other participants were spectators.
I will call the Japanese T, myself R, my German colleague L and an employee of the Japanese is M
Immediately after they had entered the energy of both parties, you saw exactly how the energy was displayed, you recognised the people who had to be depicted! T "blew up" himself completely, to clearly indicate dominance: "I am the boss, and you are nothing!". Wow, that was so clear. I confronted T directly, and he didn't like it at all, he showed it clearly, but I tackled his vulnerability, and then you could see how he slowly softened. Meanwhile R (agent) also felt clearly again, and I put both closer together and asked what R felt..... R felt his own strength, and left T aside, T didn't like that but he realised he had nothing more to say and slowly shrank completely. When that happened, I took T seriously again to confront him with his dictatorial behaviour!
And then he suddenly stood up again... I felt that I had to place my little brother in the energy of L, so I asked another lady to take on this role. That is what she wanted, and she went into the energy of L. T immediately turned her back.... but L remained patient and loving, and I really recognised her energy. I confronted T with this again, and soon his energy changed.... I then asked L how she was feeling. She fully understood his situation, but that didn't solve it (yet). So I asked R what happened to him. R felt liberated and free. I then asked: what do you want to do NOW? R wanted to escape but that was not the intention. Suddenly a young man (M) who worked for my Japanese colleague for several years came forward...M had a very difficult time during his time at the Clinic, under this dictator! So this extra was also set up, and it soon became clear that the whole piece no longer had any "charge". So the last bit was an opening for everyone involved to move on with their lives. Only the part between T and R was not finished yet... I asked again what R wanted to tell T, and suddenly R said: I want to thank him.... It made me shake completely, and the tears flowed, because I felt that my piece was solved with this!!! The arrangement was finalised, everyone was powerless and everyone felt what had happened. We chatted for a while, gave an explanation and recovered from a very intense installation!!! I started walking to take a quick look at the temple, and everyone went their own way. After a while we walked towards the station again, because I wanted to take the group to Nara! During the walk I felt that "something" with the setup was not solved for me, so when the person who had taken on the role of T also came to the station, I told him and asked that the last part would be ready to be solved. She immediately went back to T's energy and wanted to kick me in the knee, but I hooked my leg on her leg, and suddenly we both felt it was gone...
Day 4:
Tuesday is a rest day and everyone goes their own way.
Photos of Shizuoka Station and shop.
Day 5:
On Wednesday we travelled to Fujinomiya by train.
Fujinomya is located (as the name suggests, at the foot of Mount Fuji) Once there, we walked towards a temple. Once there, we were surprised by the beauty and serenity of this temple!
We were almost the only visitors walking around there.
After the initial hesitation to ask questions, they were now really asking for help! It was very nice to see. One after the other opened up, and that is why I come to offer the right help. There were pieces that clearly formed a blockage, within themselves but also partly against each other, which was nice to see. As soon as they had expressed the question, the insights came and they started working on that piece. Sometimes I had to make some adjustments, but often people "worked" so hard on themselves that all they needed was confirmation from me! And the peace and beauty of this beautiful place played a very important role in this! In the garden, next to a beautiful waterfall that came directly from Mount Fuji, a marble table with 4 marble seats, looking suspiciously like a mushroom, stood where I was sitting. As if I was at a fair, the participants came to me one by one to ask what pieces they could still solve! Sometimes I joined in to provide even better care, but there was also a lot going on at the table. After a while we moved on. There was a main road near the temple complex, and after crossing it we passed a lunch room serving vegetarian dishes. Went in there. And what almost never happens in Japan,..... we could all sit at a long table. We all ordered our lunch. The food was served, and what delicious dishes are made here. The owner came to the table to tell us that they grew all the ingredients on their own land and on an organic basis.
It was tasty, clean, pure and delicious! What luck that we ended up at this restaurant.
After the (late) lunch we walked calmly back to the station.
At the station you have a beautiful view of Mount-Fuji (unfortunately today he was hiding in the clouds).
And since we still had to wait a while, I put everyone in a certain place, facing Fuji-san, and let them feel. Mount Fuji is a sacred mountain that emits a lot of energy. Well... they all felt it! Because I went by and asked everyone individually what they had felt, and the answers ranged from: strength, peace, vibrations and I thought the most beautiful: Real Love!
After a while our train arrived and we went back to Shizuoka, where we decided to first take a break on our own or with someone else, and then go eat somewhere, because the food in Japan is phenomenal!
Day 6.
We had agreed to go back to Kyoto today. First we went to the Sanjusangen-do temple. This is a temple, which from the outside looks like a very long, stretched out barn. Inside there is a very special exhibition.... When you enter, you first take off your shoes, put them in a cabinet, where you place them on any number, so that you can always find them again. Then you walk through a corridor, and eventually you enter the temple. Impressive ..... just when you see how this temple was built, the structure and quality of construction. You walk through a kind of corridor, on carpet, and suddenly you come to the great hall, and you don't know what you see. 1000 Buddhas from antiquity. Arranged straight up, on a stair platform, 4 rows in a row. With a row of other statues in the first row, which had a meaning in themselves. Everyone was silent about it. After the first impressions had been processed, I let everyone choose a picture of the first row to stand in front of. After a while, I started to ask what they were feeling, and then I was able to give directions and advice to get them started!
After visiting the temple, we went into the beautiful garden to take pictures.
After lunch we walked towards the temple: Kyomizu-dera. A walk of about fifteen minutes.
There are 1600 temples in Kyoto! Hence the short walk.
Once there, I gave the group a choice: there are 2 entrances, one going slowly upwards and the other a little less, but almost at the top there is a very steep staircase, making for a pretty hefty climb.
But unanimously they chose the stairs...! It was extremely busy in Kyoto on Thursday, so we decided to take the other route to escape the crowds a bit. Well, never mind, just as busy. There are all kinds of souvenir shops on that street, so we had to wait a while for the buyers. After a while, we moved on and entered a street with all sorts of traditional old buildings, in the style we recognise in Japan. Nice!!! There is a Starbucks branch in one of these buildings!? I saw a beautiful courtyard at the entrance of this building and went to take pictures of it.... Behind me there was a lot of activity, and I stopped for a moment to give everyone the opportunity to enter the Starbucks.
Suddenly a young man comes, he looks me very intensely in the eyes, and kept looking (me too) and suddenly got a smile on his lips from ear to ear, so I started laughing too. But meanwhile my soul was burning...he had touched something in my being....
And it became clear as we walked a bit further, suddenly I felt what was behind this:
It was a greeting from Paul, a good friend of mine who also had a very strong connection to Japan....
I say had, because he died in a motorbike accident 19 years ago!
So I also got a nice present!
We moved on and ended up in Gion, which is the Geisha district of Kyoto. We had a drink first in the first restaurant we came across.
They also sold delicious green tea soft ice cream there! The birthday girl treated us all to the delicious ice cream and we enjoyed it. Next to that restaurant was a sort of museum shop, about the old traditions that are still celebrated. Walked around there for a while, and then on to the Geisha district which was around the corner.
There I told them a few things about the history of the geisha and the misconception that we Westerners have about these companions. Certainly there are houses that offer "extra services", but a real Geisha is trained to be a hostess and to keep the visitors busy for a whole evening, playing games, making music, but above all as much Sake as possible for the visitors (usually businessmen) to pour in, because then they earn enough to maintain the house. The story was over and we kept walking, but one could go overhead there, so I said: let's go into this alley, then we will also get to the river there, and we won't have to go through that crowd of people.
I thought of a clever solution...but it turned out that we were simply sent into that street, because a story appeared there...bizarre!
One of the ladies had pain in her hip and asked me what it meant. I went and looked and saw that in a previous life she had lived there in a geisha house as a maid and been beaten by the boss every day, so she now felt the memory of that life.... .. She started to cry and then felt the pain come back. I took her to a house and asked her what do you feel here? She was not feeling well at all, and felt the fear and pain....I went into the garden of that house and saw her sleeping in a corner somewhere, thrown away like old rubbish. That was her place... outside, alone and in all weather conditions, she had to stay there, because she was Nothing, Nobody! Tears of course, and the moment she recognised it, I had to remove it. but that didn't complete the story... Another lady also knew everything, and she had also been there, but as a geisha... they all had a terrible life, because the boss was a terrible person, he kicked ladies, beat them and abused them.... So the question was asked, who was that man, do we know him in this life?
And it turned out...... I had been that man!
They recognised this immediately and became calmer, but even then it was not over, there was much more to come!
We walked a bit further and more and more came to the surface. Another lady (also M) from the group also reacted to this story...she turned out to be my wife, and saw everything, but decided not to do anything about it and run away from it.
So she was now confronted with her frustration that she had against me during this trip... I felt nothing else so I could stay with myself, because I had to help them!
I challenged her (even M) quite a bit about her past life behaviour, but she didn't want to express it. So I kept triggering her, also with the energy of that man, who I was in that life....(I almost hated myself)
Finally she dared to say something, and started to release her frustration, she got very angry and started to shout and finally released her feelings....
Throughout this piece I kept saying, I was an incredibly big arsehole in that life! But I have already processed all that!
Two more people were involved in that story, but it was less intense. We were standing on that narrow street, on a corner, and every time cars would turn we were terribly in the way, but I felt we had to stay there. The group was very impressed, and at one point we moved on, as if in a daze.
We went back to Kyoto station and back to Shizuoka, where we all went out for a good meal, and it was fun! When we got back to the hotel, we all sat down in the lounge in a work area to talk for a while. It turned out that the other lady (M) from this story felt a connection to our youngest participant (A 18 years old) so I went and looked again and saw that I used M as a sex slave in that life, and from that child was born ....you guessed right, it was A!!!! But because of the intensity of being a slave, M left her child abandoned somewhere, as she could not accept that this had happened!
Now in this life A is very much looking for a base, her family has moved abroad several times, and therefore never really felt at home anywhere! She had no BASE! By digging out this piece, she also felt that she lacked stability, security and love! So the 2 (M and A) were put next to each other, some small issues were resolved, and then they got to hug each other... both had tears.
It was another day of heat, tiredness, hustle and bustle, insights, solutions, that ended with a silver lining
Day 7:
Last night after it all, I sat in the workspace downstairs for a while and thought about what we should do the next day (i.e. today).
Suddenly an inspiration came: I had to send the group, each one individually, on a trip through Shizuoka, to get even closer to themselves!
So this morning I gathered them all together and explained the idea...
They were "tasked" to walk, follow their feelings and write them down, but they were not allowed to have contact with the other participants, they really "had" to do it ALONE!
And they "needed" to be on the road for at least 4 hours! When they felt it was "done" they could come back to the hotel, where I would wait for them in the special meeting room, and then they would have a consultation based on their experiences. They all got a pen and paper, and they could start their mission!
I was staying at the hotel and wanted to work on the blog, but there was a technical problem with my website, so I couldn't do anything. I decided to go to Starbucks, have a coffee and a sandwich. No sooner said than done.
I was sitting just as one of the participants came in, I was curious what would happen, but she walked past me, only nodded once and stayed very close to herself!
When her coffee was finished, she moved on, nodded again outside and continued on her way.
The theme for this day was:
Today is the first day of your new life path!
I sat there for a while and then went into a big shop and did some errands there.
In Japan you have to shop with a basket, so I did. But at the checkout I noticed something...
You put your basket on the counter, the cashier takes everything out, taps it at the till and puts it back in the basket, you pay and the basket is put on the other side of the counter. Then you find out that they have removed the handles...???? strange Chinese, those Japanese!
I went to some other shops, and when I had everything together, I went back through all kinds of back streets to the hotel. When they got there, they were the first to return from their trip, with and for themselves. So we sat down in the meeting room and I listened to what was experienced/felt and gave answers so we could move forward with it. I'm not going to write here what was said and felt, but everyone gained a lot of insight and that was exactly the point!
I will write one thing... there was a participant who also took a break and had a cup of coffee, and while he was sitting there something very special happened, his/her soul was seen to be opposite this person sitting in the chair, and suddenly that soul jumped back into the body, which was very clearly visible....
The most bizarre things happen during this trip, and that is why we are here, in Japan!
Another very productive day, with a lot of wisdom and insights, ended with the person in a nice pub, where they also serve delicious dishes....SUBARASHI! (awesome!).
Day 8:
After coming up with all sorts of scenarios, we drove to Kyoto again, by train.... to visit Kinkaku-ji Temple, known as the Golden Temple!
Arrived in Kyoto, immediately bought the bus passes and went straight to the Golden Temple.It was very busy everywhere, lots of tourists, lots of Japanese people out and about, because yes, it's the weekend!
We arrived at the Temple and walked towards the entrance, where we noticed that there was a lot of security, we were led into a kind of lock and came to a tent, where our bags were checked and we had to go through. , to other tables, where we were measured with an X-ray machine.... Strange.
But we were not fooled. We went into the park, and everywhere you look, beauty shines. Beautiful trees, bushes and moss on the ground between these trees and bushes.
You walk through the greenery for a while, and then you have to go around a green strip to the right, and suddenly you are face to face with the golden temple!!! What beauty, and what peace and pure energy you feel there!
That's where you take the most beautiful photos, so everyone took photos. Then I gave them the "mission" to simply walk, observe and feel. If something happened, I stood still and walked forward to see what was happening. Again, everybody got insight and questions were solved in the places where people stood still. Two people stood firmly together like Siamese twins, reaching, feeling and dissolving.
It had to do with a life where they were twins and had died in a huge fire....they were asked who I was in that life. I started to empathise and came up with the answer: your father!
And what was the reaction? 1 of the 2 had already written it down when they entered the park!
Later I came to a place where one was hanging over a fence, and another one was standing there, but was completely stuck.... and there was a security man who didn't understand what was happening, while the one who It was sure that it had already been explained to some extent that it had to do with a form of therapy. but he didn't understand. I come up, I push my umbrella into the back of the person hanging over the fence and grab their shoulders to bring that person back. I took things away, and suddenly you saw the change... the guard looked at everything, but saw and understood nothing... Went to the other, talked for a while, I'll get it out, and it was established away....You felt the guard's reaction...Disbelief, admiration and amazement! We will have talked about the city for a long time afterwards!
Everyone had felt something, done something with it, and we were at the end of the route and the exit!
We walked slowly down the stairs, on our way to a delicious soft serve green tea. Because of the many security guards, we were redirected, but that meant we couldn't eat an ice cream, so we had a conversation and eventually we had to go and get our ice cream and eat it. We did this in a kind of waiting room, where it was quite cool... (in Kyoto it was still 35 degrees today) So we had to eat our ice cream very quickly, because it melted under our hands...
On the way to the station, it was clear that everyone was tired and exhausted, so we bought some food at 7Eleven to eat in the Shinkansen. When we arrived in Shizuoka we parted ways, I went back to the hotel, showered and then sat in the meeting room to catch up on the blog!
At one point some participants sat down, talked and touched a bit, with M stating that he still felt something with A (mother and child left vulnerable) I felt some things, but it was resolved between M and A. Must be. I said tomorrow first, but I picked up the phone anyway and called A to ask if she could come over.
It happened, and the three of us sat together and explained M's feeling to A. This created a beautiful dynamic. A is our youngest participant (18) and we let her tell us what her grief was, because it was clearly present. She opened up right away and started telling us everything that really bothered her... because of her openness, we were able to reach her and give her tools to deal with it better. She understood and felt much better after our conversation. Still a lot of construction work going on, but the first (big) steps have been taken!
Only 2 more days and then this pilgrimage to Japan is unfortunately already over! Keep reading to the end, who knows, there might be something for you!
Day 9:
Last night I asked in our group app for suggestions on what to do today. It was indicated from several quarters that they wanted to go to Fujinomya again to see Mount Fuji..... So a time was set, what time we would meet this morning, and after a breakfast session at Starbucks (no, I don't take commission for advertising) left by local train to Fujinomya.
During breakfast, I sat at the table with M, and she told me that there was something going on inside her, and I went to look into it. Which resulted in a very clear "mission" that I would have her do, and feel, later that day. But on the way to the platform, I had an inspiration that I had to check with everyone if the soul agreement they made with themselves was still correct... exactly the advice I had given M! When we got to Fujinomya, I had them all sit on a bench, explained what the intention was and then took them one by one to a quieter place on the platform. There I asked them what was still bothering them, or something they were still struggling with to clarify what their soul contract really was. And for some it went smoothly, and for others it took a little longer, but in the end the result was that they felt better about themselves.
In this piece, there was a confrontation with 1 participant which felt very annoying at the time, but which could later be taken as a lesson by this participant....
It was so intense that I decided not to help this person anymore...? But after everyone had their turn I asked this person if there was anything I could do and they said YES, so I tried to find out what was needed...and at some point something happened. , which this person responded to a lot. emotionally, and then her soul was opened.... I saw immediately what the problem was. She was told that her Soul had a twist, and that it could therefore feel very bad. .... She managed this correctly and was happy that she finally understood why she was sometimes so stuck. I asked if she wanted it solved, and she emphatically said: YES!
I made sure the twist on the soul changed, and suddenly you saw it change. She was very happy and felt great!
What a beautiful result!
After this, I went to ask myself something. All my life I have had to fight with women....in my work now, in my work in the hospitality industry, and in daily life. Sometimes to the point of despair. Now I got an immediate insight and could let go of that part right away!!!!
Everyone was happy and we boarded the train to go to the beautiful seaside resort of Atami. When we got there, it was very full everywhere. We wanted to eat and drink somewhere, but everything was full. Finally found a small tent, where all dishes and drinks were prepared with cheese...??? A bit strange, but good!
When we arrived at the beach, everyone went their own way, and I stayed on the boulevard to enjoy the sea. At one point, I saw 1 participant (C) who had found a big stick and very deliberately walked towards a rock wall to smash the stick into many pieces...!? He put all his efforts into it, and I saw his relief...but he was not done yet. There was a stick somewhere on the beach, and he picked it up, went into a sort of jetty, where all sorts of people were diving from, and went all the way to the front, where he threw the stick with a lot of force into the sea. As he walked back, you could see the relief and strength radiating from him! Slowly it was time to go back, and while waiting to cross the road, a statue caught me. I walked forward and everyone followed me. When I read the text on the statue, I got all kinds of information again, and a number of people felt that there was a lot going on. Still working on this and solved it. This was about: changing negative feelings/ideas, and turning them into LOVE!
Back in Shizuoka, some of them went out for dinner, but the others went back to the hotel to shower and change, including myself. It has been over 30 degrees every day, wonderful, but showering twice a day was very desirable.... Then we had a delicious meal in a hotel restaurant, and talked, laughed, toasted the beautiful journey that was (almost) over.
Day 10:
A "loaded" day for the world, but an "exciting" day for the participants of this beautiful trip.......
At the start of our trip in Japan, they were all given a list of different themes that could be a burden to you. Each theme was tested to see what percentage of the burden was present.
Today measurements were taken again.....
One by one they came to my meeting room and I tested them, WOW what changes!!!!
A lot of hard work has been done, and it showed in the tests!
But some things also became clear that had not yet been revealed.Two people, who had difficulty understanding things, told me more about themselves during the conversation with me than they had done so far. And suddenly everything became clear!
I could tell exactly what it had to do with, both had been contracted at birth because the umbilical cord prevented them from being born in a "normal" way! The tears were flowing, including me.
They finally understood why their lives turned out the way they did.
But I could also offer them a solution...a rebirth is planned for both of them, as soon as I return to the Netherlands!
(L) said to me later: I feel like a house has fallen off me!!!!
Also (W) was much more open, happier and relieved!
What a journey! What a beautiful and rewarding job I get to do!!!!!
In the afternoon I travelled to Shinagawa with (M) and (H) to accompany them to Haneda airport.
We were able to provide even more clarity on the train and had lunch at Shinagawa Station. Until it was time to get on the train to Haneda. I said a very warm goodbye, waved goodbye and then I had to go back to Shizuoka. When I got there, 3 people were waiting for me to have a drink together. I was dizzy from only eating sandwiches that day. So we sat down at a Burger restaurant and I had a delicious, fresh burger, with fresh fries and a great glass of Japanese beer!
Dag 11:
Last day in Shizuoka.
We had to check out before 10am today, so everyone was up early and down in the lounge.
We talked for a while, explained the trip to Tokyo and then it was time to say goodbye to the hotel.
A very simple hotel, with good beds, all with private bathrooms, close to the station and very nice staff and owners! The farewell was very cordial!
Of course at the station, again at Starbucks for breakfast!
Did some last minute shopping and then got up to take the Shinkansen to Tokyo.
When you arrive at Tokyo Station you really get a culture shock.... 1 big anthill!
Every day around 6 million people walk through it, to and from the various train lines, the subway and their work in Tokyo.
We immediately went in the direction of Narita Express (train to Narita airport) and placed our suitcases in lockers there and walked around a bit. First had something to drink and eat and then go exploring. We arrived at the Yaesu exit, the place where we (A and I and a previous group) camped outside for a whole night 3 years ago, because we had boarded the wrong train and there was no return train. Because after midnight the train service stops and the station becomes hermetically sealed! Nevertheless, it was an unforgettable experience!
At one point we came to an exit on the Marunouchi side of the station. We walked out into the sun and enjoyed the exterior which resembled Amsterdam Central Station.
After sitting there for a while admiring the beautiful reception hall, we went back to the lockers, packed our suitcases and went downstairs... within 10 minutes the Narita express arrived, again we said a very warm goodbye, everyone on the train, waved goodbye.... and I was alone again!
I also took my suitcase out of the locker, went outside and took a taxi. Since I didn't feel like dragging my suitcase anymore, I was exhausted!
This trip we travelled more than 3000 km by train, walked several kilometres and talked a lot.....
When I got to my Ryokan (family hotel), I first took the necessary things out of my suitcase, took a shower and lay down on the bed, where I fell asleep almost immediately...
Written by Ronald ter Heegde.
Translated by DeepL