Aki up with the lark to ready herself for rowing. Kath and I rose around 0830. Rather uncomfortable night…Kath kept falling down the gap in her sofa bed. My mattress is akin to the bonnet of an armoured vehicle! Just five nights to go!!! Walked across town to find breakfast…the cafes in Shimahara station were packed with luggage wielding tourists, so we ventured out the other side of the station complex and found a cafe that did egg and cheese danish pastries in a huge office complex.
Walked on eastward to the river…there’s a boarding dock there but no information as to sailings…not in English at any rate. Caught a KK line train to Kamata…we were following the map Aki had left us in order to find the fabric shop Kath wanted to visit…unbeknownst to us there are two Kamata stations, and we were at the wrong one. Had to walk across Ota City to find the correct station and get our bearings…it was hot work in the spring sunshine.
Got there eventually and Kath bought about £50 worth of material, some destined for her Hexham sewing buddy. Got a train back to Shinagawa and dumped the purchases at the flat, and awaited Aki’s return. She’d had a good time on the river but that it was choppy and hard work.
We ventured out once more mid afternoon, taking a stroll through the neighbourhood. Jumped on a No.96 bus to Azabujuban…a pleasant district to the west of the city centre. Aki had designed the interior of a restaurant here back in the 80s, but Nanao, the chef, had had to close it recently due to redevelopment plans…however, her husband ran a tiny bar around the corner, and as luck would have it he was just opening up…
...he recognised Aki and ushered us in for a quiet drink…he is 85, runs the bar by himself (closes up at midnight these days!), smokes 40 cigarettes and downs half a bottle of whisky a day!!! We had a chat for half an hour then went in search of dinner. Very nice little Japanese restaurant in the vicinity…got a bit giddy on the sake. Caught a No.96 bus back to Shibagawa…Kath was in bed by 2030…
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