It’s only a ruddy kingfisher

Deciding what to do on your last day of a full on holiday like this trip to Japan is tricky. You obviously have to do some of the obligatory souvenir shopping, which I hate and am really bad at (don’t expect a gift) but you have to decide how you are going to spend the rest of your day.
You could rush round, trying to see everything you haven’t done, or you could kick back and relax, or just feel a bit sulky that you are going home.

We opted for something in between.

The Long Suffering Husband is a bit worried that he’ll suffer from post holiday blues when he gets back. This is a trip he has looked forward to for a long time but we are both tired. We’ve been to seven places in Japan, walked 170 miles, and climbed mountains and tall buildings. We needed a bit of a rest but didn’t want to stop completely and it was a beautiful day.

When we looked at the ‘must do’ things in Tokyo, we discovered that we had done most of them that interested us. I had no intention of driving around Tokyo in a Go-Cart dressed as a Minnion, spending a day in an arcade (even though my son had recommended the Taiko drum game) or going to a Maid Cafe. We did want to see the Sumo wrestlers but they were out of town and the museum wasn’t open on a Saturday. My boss told me not to come back unless I’d taken a selfie with a Sumo wrestler, which I am a bit worried about because I’m really ready to come home.

So we chose the zoo. We both like animals and we thought it would be nice. Tokyo zoo is in Ueno Park and has three Giant Pandas, having had a successful breeding programme and a live birth in 2012. It’s a very cheap zoo to visit. Actually, we were struck by how little you had to pay for most  attractions in Japan (except Tokyo Tower). Children under 12 go in for free, as do disabled visitors  and their carer.

I have mixed feelings about zoos. I like animals. I love seeing them and I always start out feeling excited but soon I start to look in the animal’s eyes and I can feel that they’re not happy. I know people who like zoos say that they do a wonderful job of conserving animals but I can never quite get away from the feeling of sadness.

We had seen the pandas, the bears, the polar bear, the tiger, the elephants when I started to think I needed to leave. We were standing in the bird cages when I saw a kingfisher. I’ve always wanted to take a photo of a kingfisher but when I see them by the canal they’re too quick and all you really see is a bright blue flash.
“What’s that?” asked the LSH, pointing to a bird in the next cage.
“It’s only a ruddy kingfisher,” I replied.  

It made us laugh.

 It was lovely to see the children getting so excited to see the animals. I think I’m more of an anthropologist than a zoologist and Japanese children are particularly lovely. They look cute, are well behaved and indulged and liked by their parents and they are all in training for carrying their huge school backpacks from a very early age.

This holiday has been a great experience. We will be glad to go home for a rest but will miss these friendly, happy quiet ordered people. I have noticed from social media that people at home are still furious and they’re absolutely livid if anyone asks why they’re angry.