Farewell to the Grand Cherokee, and home

□ Day 17 (28 Feb) Vancouver → Air Canada AC001

At last the time came to return to Japan. First we went to the Jeep, which had worked so hard with us. The total charge for the coin car park reached $42. A bigger expense than expected. The last run to the airport. A final refuel at a petrol station before Vancouver International Airport. We wanted to give it a wash, but there was no car wash, so we couldn't.

Then we arrived at the Alamo rent-a-car lot. As we unloaded the bags, a staff member came over. We showed him the broken bumper. And seeing it, he said: "No problem!!" Wow, generous. We weren't charged an accident excess either, and the return was completed without any trouble. Jeep Grand Cherokee, thank you for all your hard work. The final total distance was 6,304 km.

We checked in, cleared baggage checks, had breakfast, spent time shopping in the duty-free area until boarding, and got on the plane at about 1 p.m. The flight home was about nine and a half hours. Because we were chasing the sun, it stayed overhead the whole time until about 15:30 on 1 March, Japan time. The weather was good, and over Alaska we could see Mt. McKinley below.

□ Day 18 (1 Mar) Air Canada AC001 → Tokyo

We crossed the date line and it became 1 March. The plane passed over the base of the Kamchatka Peninsula, Sakhalin, Hokkaido and the Sanriku coast. The Sea of Okhotsk was covered in drift ice, and we could clearly see Sakhalin's snowy mountains and wide plains from the window. Then we landed at Narita Airport. Japan, for the first time in a while. Seeing so much Japanese writing was a relief.

We had plenty of time until the night bus from Tokyo Station, so we killed time at the airport, using the internet on a laptop and napping. I think we were pretty tired. After that we went to JR and boarded the night bus.

□ Day 19 (2 Mar) Tokyo → Nagoya

When I woke up we were already at the west side of Nagoya Station. Wow, how nostalgic. Getting off the bus, the first thing that caught my eye was a Yoshinoya sign. Come to think of it, there were many Japanese restaurants in Canada, but I don't think there was any gyudon. The trip ended with a Yoshinoya beef bowl. It really sank in that we were back in Japan.

— The End —