Today, as I’ve already inferred, it’s rained all day. The shops are obviously used to it, because they all provide little disposable plastic bags for everyone’s umbrellas, and/or special areas you can leave them outside. In Wellington, of course, umbrellas are a rarity. Not that it doesn’t rain there, it’s just too windy for them to be practical.
The government building next door to our hotel has an observatory on the 45th floor. We went up there first thing, before the weather closed in. The place is swarming with volunteers to explain what you can see out the windows. We had a tiny little old lady come over and help us out. Apparently of all the huge high rises in the local area, only one dates back further than fifty years. Incredible. We were supposed to be able to see Mt Fuji but it was hidden by clouds. Because women were considered dirty in Japanese culture they were forbidden from climbing Mt Fuji up until 100 years ago. Women still struggle for equality here. For example, there are hardly any female politicians.
In general, I’ve been very impressed with the Japanese. Everyone is very polite and helpful. They bow, sometimes deeply from the waist and for a long time. (I have no idea what the protocol is for this. ) They seem to understand civic responsibility. I can’t think of any graffiti I’ve seen, or rubbish. They are all well groomed. Even if they aren’t wearing a navy business suit, they’re still as neat as a pin. There’s none of this fixation on individuality or freedom that leads to me! me! me! selfishness. With a population of 125 million people, they have less than ten gun deaths a year. Plus, they drive on the left. And – no tipping! Is this the perfect society?
The viewing deck also has a grand piano, somewhat bizarrely, which local amateurs queue up to play. And they are really good.
After leaving the observation tower, we walked off in the direction of town. Unfortunately, the rain got heavier and heavier, and we were getting soaked, in spite of Simon buying himself an umbrella, so we abandoned our search for a very famous pedestrian intersection and made our way back to our hotel.
We planned on mooching in the bar for a couple of hours but sadly it was closed for Golden Week celebrations, so we had to sit awkwardly in the cafe until dinner.
We decided to try Teppanyaki for our final night in Japan. I was worried that we’d get food thrown at us which is what I dimly remember from such meals in Wellington, but actually the chef was very well behaved, and we had probably our best meal of the trip. Don’t tell my vegan daughter but the wagyu steak was divine.