SAPPORO TO TOKYO

Perhaps the most important topic of the day was the useful meeting President Joe Biden had today with Chinese President Xi Jinping.  The ultimate danger of the Russia-Ukraine War is escalation to nuclear warfare, and just China and the U.S. agreeing to restore military-to-military communications was a key step in preventing another war to end all wars.

Well, maybe new House Speaker Mike Johnson is the right man for job, for he was able to avert a government shutdown.  

• Legislation passed 336 to 95, with opposition by 93 Republicans and 2 Democrats.  Sounds like a bipartisan solution to me.
• The bill, which now goes to the Senate, which will pass it on to the President who will sign it:
• Extends funding until January 19 for certain appropriations, and the rest of government until February 2. 
• This will give lawmakers more to to rant and rave.
• No poison pills.
• The House right flank is pissed, but has not made any calls for ouster.
• How smart is all this?  Well, Business Insider said Congress just found the dumbest way to avoid a government shutdown.

Yesterday was a long train travel day, taking more than three hours from Sapporo to Shin-Hokadate, then the bullet train another four plus hours to Tokyo.  Fall colors were virtually non-existent, and the best shot I got was a photo down the street as we made a turn into Sapporo Station, to be met by my Blue-bar Pigeon and his friends.

Had one bento meal on the first train, and a second on the Shinkansen.  These generally cost from $5 to $20, with the ones below around $8 to $12 each.

We found our way to the Tokyo Westin by catching the Yamanote Line to Ebisu Station.  The hotel is undergoing a major retrofit to end early next month.  I remember so well when it opened in October of 1994 nearly thirty years ago because I spent a night or two here during the first week.  I think I've stayed here at least 25 different times, and maybe 50.  A bit expensive, but convenient for my purposes, as the Limousine Bus to and from Narita Airport starts and ends here, we are adjacent to a large shopping mall, a Japan Railway Station is in walking distance, I can store my large suitcase here as I traipse about the country, and their Executive Lounge is good.  Except for now, as it is in a temporary location and barely passable.

We thus decided to take a short underground walk to the Mitsukoshi food center and order some otoro and tako sashimi, beef bento and seaweed salad to consume in our room.  The Club allowed us to carry our drinks back to our room.

We awoke in the morning to a view of Mount Fuji.

The breakfast area has been upgraded and the buffet remains outstanding.  Yet, in comparison to those we have experienced in Bangkok and Singapore, perhaps now only average for the Orient.  There was something special about the Fairfield breakfast in Sapporo that in some ways might be superior to the Westin.  I now have three stages to my buffet breakfast.  First, a bowl of noodles, with course two depending on my mood and the final entré a melange of what is available.

I should cut back on the third stage because these breakfasts are seriously increasing my weight.

We decided to rest today, perhaps a little shopping, then a fugu restaurant for dinner.

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