On our final morning in Tokyo, Phil & I woke early and packed. After Phil came downstairs, I went up and showered. When we fully cleared the dining room table, we discovered another forgotten pile of 10-yen coins. We gave the house a final once-over, turned off the A/C, and departed.
My Sterilite footlocker was heavy, but light enough that I could lift it with one arm, so I was sure that it weighed less than the airline’s 60-pound maximum. I began to get winded tugging the thing behind me, but otherwise Phil & I both had barely enough credit remaining on our IC cards to reach Haneda airport.
When I checked in, the measure on the scale told me that my footlocker was 22.7. I’m uncertain if that was pounds or kilos. If it was kilos, and the suitcase was actually 48.5 pounds, that would explain why I had so much trouble lugging it.
At the airport terminal, I noticed a large Japanese souvenir shop. I was a bit surprised to see it stock a selection of Bandai plamo and action figures, Gundam & Dragon Ball. I was even more surprised to see that their prices weren’t marked up sky high. But the only Godzilla item I saw in the store was a lone t-shirt.
At another convenience shop, I found that one of the refrigerated cases contained hourglass shaped bottles of C.C. Lemon with Halloween illustrations for 200-yen. I wasn’t certain if I could get the full bottle of liquid home, but Phil & I assumed that at worst airport security would allow me to drink the beverage and keep the empty bottle, so I bought one bottle with part of the remaining Japanese coins.
Phil suggested that I try scanning myself into the Delta lounge. If I was refused entry, he’d spend 5,000 airline miles to get me in. Since I was on Phil’s flight reservation and had already been upgraded to Delta One seating for the return flight, the lounge allowed me in. So we sat for two hours, occasionally eating plates of chicken curry.
I slept through most of the 10+ hour Pacific flight. Phil watched In Bruges at my recommendation because I hadn’t realized that he’d never seen the film before. Phil then intermittently slept on the flight. In Minneapolis, we collected our luggage. My footlocker came through a separate conveyor belt for oversized luggage, so I actually got it before Phil got his regular sized bag. I didn’t even realize until Phil motioned to me that as we were walking toward the customs inspection, a customs agent had called out to me, asking what was in my footlocker. I turned to the officer and opened the case. When he saw the contents, he seemed satisfied. He asked me if I had any meat. I said no. He waved me on.
After re-checking the luggage, Phil & I circled most of the Minneapolis terminal before going to the Delta lounge. The difference between this American lounge and the Japanese one was striking. Phil noticed that the food bar at Haneda’s lounge was spotless. The American one looked like a typical American buffet restaurant, spotted with food residue. We also joked to each other that at the Haneda lounge we’d overheard a group of ladies behind us say that Japan was so wonderful because the culture was so polite. Yet none of that influence got brought back to America, as no one cares about the convenience of others whatsoever.
Upon returning home, Phil determined that he’d lost 7 pounds as a result of eating lean meals and walking 4 or more miles a day. I don’t own a scale so didn’t weigh myself. Phil is already interested in going back to Japan in early 2026.
