Above: Narita village with the fair in full swing.
I had breakfast in town. I had done most of what I wanted in Narita so spent the morning in bed checking commercial flights back to Auckland and also attending to emails, admin and bills. There weren’t any real viable flight alternatives.
I checked out just before 1100, once again, leaving my pack at reception. I wandered around Narita’s old town. There was a drumming fair on which was quite good to watch for a while. The alleyways were busier today; not as much live seafood as I remember but there were eels being gutted. They pin/nail the eel’s head against a board and gut it, splay it before cutting them up and putting skewers through them for the grill.
I thought I would spend the rest of my available time at Hana Noyu spa again before heading to the airport. Only in Japan can you get female bathhouse attendants in a spa filled with dozens of naked men. Oh, by the way, anyone with tattoos aren’t allowed in most Japanese bathhouses due to the connotation it has with organised crime.
Once again, there was no room for me on the flight. While I was still at the check-in area, my friend Daisuke who worked up on the AKL-NRT flight showed up. I had organised to stay with him tonight and save on accommodation (even though I had insurance paying for this). He had injured himself during turbulence on the flight up and needed light treatment. We made our way to his hotel and grabbed dinner together with another crew member.