Only one day off between plane journeys, mostly to be spent sleeping in an airport hotel in Ota City, Haneda. It’s about an hour’s walk from the actual airport, surrounded by other business hotels and stores and restaurants aimed at short term visitors. A member of the cleaning staff took pity on me shortly after I had arrived, as I was rewrapping the bike outside the hotel, and helped me to convince the front desk to keep it in the lobby. The hotel staff are very friendly with good English, but also happy to let me try my Japanese on them. Once checked in, I collapse into bed and sleep until afternoon the next day.
A shrine tucked away between the airport hotels…
After running some errands, I find some time for a wander. A few roads down from the hotel is an Inari shinto shrine, Anamori Inari Shrine, the same branch as the famous thousand-tori gate shrine in Kyoto. This one has dozens of fox statues, its own row of tori gates (not quite one thousand), as well as a winding stone tower with views of the neighbourhood. There are multiple smaller shrines and places of worship within the shrine, known as oyashiro. I hastily Google the shrine etiquette I’d already forgotten, then chuck a coin, bow, bow, clap, clap, pray and bow. Thinking about it, I’d probably got that wrong too…
Finally, some good food
After a lot of airplane food and junk snacks, I set out to have my first proper meal since landing and settle on the closest ramen shop. A bowl of shiro miso ramen in the UK may end up costing anywhere from £20-30. Here it’s closer to £5, probably cheaper elsewhere. I have some Sawanotsuru sake as an accompaniment, again only £5, before heading to the konbini to buy some cheap breakfast for the morning.
Tomorrow, it’s back on the plane and off to Kyushu to begin cycling…
A Japan-enthusiast from the UK, with a particular interest in history and the language, as well as cycling, writing and rock climbing.
