Back in action

The human body is capable of many things. An allergic reaction is like feeling your body go into extreme overdrive.

A trip to Nikko for the grand spring festival had been planned today. I ended up spending much of the day in bed instead. The moral of the story: always pack your own flu medication. I had meant to get some from the airport when I left. I had a day (and night) of torture instead.

By dinner I was well enough to venture out again. I know I'm not well when even the mention of food fails to raise the adrenalin.

We ended up at Ringer Hut, a bizarre little chain with a menu that included Champon Noodles, a massive bowl fit for a sumo wrestler. I had a small bowl of noodle soup with gyoza instead. The gyoza were sticky treats, pan-fried to a delicious crisp on the bottom.

We were happily shopping in the Ikebukero 100 yen shop and Shop 99 (yep, most of the fruit, veggies and groceries are 99 yen) when we realised it was past midnight and made a frantic dash for the train station. On the platform we spotted a bizarre incident where a man and a woman were both squatting, he bowing profusely, head almost touching the ground. She was sobbing quietly, her boyfriend standing nearby. It appeared the man had been tipsy/drunk and may have 'accidently' propositioned her. The genuine remorse on his face amidst the seriousness of the situation was something you would never think you'd spot in Sydney on a Friday night.

The platforms were packed and the train pulled up packed like a can of sardines, people's backs squashed up against the doors. People spilled out like frozen peas. We added ourselves to the can and headed home.