Japan ‘23 Day 7: Yokohama
Today is my last full day in Yokohama and my last day to see Takako, so we met again at Yokohama Station. We walked around a shopping center there and found an Asian Fusion restaurant for lunch. I had fried fish with a vinegary dipping sauce and a mixed salad with citrus dressing. We sat by the windows and ate and chatted, then spent about an hour walking around inside the mall, window shopping.
Takako suggested taking a Sea Taxi around the harbor. She had never gone before and thought it would a different way to see the area. Around 1:00 pm we took a Sea Bus, called the Sea Bass in English, around the harbor to the Port area. We walked around a series of parks. It was a beautiful day and many families were out strolling with their little kids and walking dogs. We walked through another famous shopping center called the Red Brick Warehouse (in Japanese, Aka-Renga Soko) The center consists of two large red brick buildings that were originally Yokohama Bay Customs Inspections Houses in the 1920’s. Now they are filled with shops selling local specialty foods, crafts, and souvenirs.
We ended our afternoon walking to the Metro station and stopping for tea and sweets. I tried a chestnut Mont Blanc. Originally a French dessert, it has taken on a life of its own in Japan. There is a spongy cake, topped with a whipped cream and chestnut, and then covered with a piping of chestnut paste that makes the whole dessert look like a plate of spaghetti. I really love chestnut and whipped cream, so this dish was heavenly.
Saying goodbye to Takako was hard. She is very stoic but we were both sad to end the visit. I hope that I will be able to return to see her before another 5 years roll by. In the meantime, we will continue our weekly Skype sessions.
I spent more time walking around the Port area and did a bit of souvenir shopping. Then back to the hotel to refresh. I wanted to go back to Smiley Smile, but when I walked by, it was closed. I ended up going back to Baird Beer. A recast of the Fiji/England rugby quarterfinals was on. I hadn’t seen the game, so I watched and had a snack and a beer. I walked around a bit afterwards, enjoying the pleasant temperature and quiet streets dotted with bars and restaurants. I will be sad to leave Yokohama tomorrow, but looking forward to the next leg of this adventure: Nagano.
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