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Finally back home - 36 hours after flying out of Los Angeles! (Los Angeles to Tokyo to Singapore to Brisbane).
Between LA and tokyo, I decided to lift my window shade to see what we were flying over (expecting it just to be cloud or water) and I saw a little island. It had a mountain with snow on it. I lifted the shade all the way up, looked ahead, and saw the Alaskan Peninsula spreading out before me! With snow covered rugged mountains as far as I could see, and after a few minutes, one HUGE volcano. Subsequent research revealed that it was Mt Veniaminof (Google Maps Here)- an active volcano. It was surreal to think that I was flying over Alaska to get back to Australia from the USA...
In Narita airport in Tokyo, I had a big walk around the airport and found a GREAT sushi place near Gate 33... anyone else know it? I guess I can't say I know what 'genuine' sushi is having never been out of the airport in Japan, but this seemed pretty close... you sit at the counter and there is a row of old Japanese sushi chefs yelling at each other and cutting and rolling sushi so fast that it's a wonder they don't cut off fingers. I ordered a whole plate - and it was a little bigger than I'd pictured, but I made it. It was surely the best sushi I've had ANYWHERE... (well, out of Brisbane, Vancouver and Singapore, which are the only places I've had sushi that I can remember). I found out though that they tend to hide lumps of wasabi in the sushi itself. I now have what I would call a 'Wasabi Headache'. I wear it as a badge of honour.
