Theres a burger chain from Hawaii called Kua Aina. It gets good review from a number of sites that I read. This particular location opens at 1100am. Other locations open earlier and some serve breakfast as well.
Per my MO, I am here before they open. It gives me some time to reflect on the trip as it comes to an end. I also ponder on what else I need to do before getting to the airport
I order their best selling avocado burger. It is dress simply with tomatoes and lettuce aside from the avocado. Theres nothing else. It was a good burger but it didnt knock my socks off. I did enjoy the fries. By the looks of them, I thought they would be like InNOut. I was expecting hard and crunchy but there actually the way I like them, crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.
Hamamatsucho Station is a place near the Tokyo Prince Hotel where we stayed on the initial trips. It is also the closest Yamanote stop to Tokyo Tower.
When we stayed here, this was a common walk for us to get to and from the station. There are a few subway ststions near the hotel that run on the Hibiya Line. However, there are times when you need to go underground and other times above ground to get to where you are going. Other times, it doesnt matter.
This is Zojoji Temple. As close as both Tokyo Tower and Zojoji are to the hotel, I have never visist the tower and this is the first time to the temple
Some of you might be thinking this looks familiar. And, it is if you watched The Wolverine movie that came out in 2013. This is where they had the funeral scene and you saw people arriving in their cars pulling up to the entrance
Supereceded by Sky Tree in height and purpose, Tokyo Tower is an iconic part of the Tokyo skyline.
Just to the right of the tower is the Tokyo Prince Hotel, part of the Prince Hotel chain. They have locations all over Tokyo. They even have 3 hotels around Shinagawa Station. 1 of the 4 legs of the tower buts up to the grounds behind the hotel. It was always visible from our window when we stayed there
Enough time spent here. I need to get back to the hotel and grab my luggage.
Time for an early meal before the long flight back to the US.
After perusing the menu, this set special looked good.Choice of entree, drink, and dessert
I choose the omelete rice with fried shrimp and an iced coffee
Anmistu with fruit, ice cream, red beans, etc to close out the meal.
My flight is at the gate. Its the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. In order for me to fly this new plane, I have to make a connection through LAX. Coming here, making the same connection was something that I almost regretted. There have been some problems with this airplane on a number of its maiden flights. Namely batteries overheating and causing emergency landings. News were quiet on any other issues so I was somewhat confident in its reliability. However, a few days earlier, there was a report of a 787 from Narita to SFO that had to diver to Honolulu because of engine issues. Sobering
I was impressed with the insides of the plane in coach class. It felt like I had a little more leg room for starters. Updated infotainment system for each seat. A USB charging prot next to the monitor is a great plus in my book. No more worrying about running out of charge during a long flight. Nor do you have to carry extra charged batteries
An abundant amount of headspace from the oval structure of the fuselage. However, the overhead space seems to remain the same. For short people, they may have problems trying to close the bins due to the extended reach.
A good tail wind makes the flight returning much shorter than the parting flight. It was evening when we took off and now we are beginning to see the light of day as we approach the west coast of the US. Fortunately, an uneventful pass through LAX and I was quickly bound for SFO. So ends another trip.
