December 1, 2007
9 hours in Japan
En route to New Caledonia I found myself with a 9 hour layover at Tokyo Narita airport. Having never been to Japan I was keen to explore. Tokyo itself was just a little far (90 minute train journey), so I opted instead for the 20 min train journey to Narita. From the train station it's a very easy walk to Naritasan shinshoji temple and gardens, passing many shops selling delicious but unidentifiable (to me) sweet and savoury snacks. I resisted temptation to drop into the English pub!
In a tiny park just off of the main street I found the customary sparrows and starlings, though to my surprise the sparrows were all Tree Sparrows...
... while the Starlings were my lifer Grey Starlings.
I have no idea how the temple here ranks against other temples in Japan, but I was duly impressed.
Noisy flocks of Brown-eared Bulbuls were my next lifer, and alongside the familiar Carrion Crows were a few huge-billed Jungle Crows.
In one particularly productive clearing, a bird flock included the charming Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker.
The local Great Tits are much drabber than our European counterparts.
One or two Oriental Turtle Doves were sitting motionless in the trees. Saves me an expensive twitch to a Scottish island one day!
The line-up was completed by the distinctive local race of Goldcrest, Long-tailed Tit, Japanese White-eye (lifer) and a couple of skulking warblers which after some internet searching was able to confirm as Japanese Bush-Warblers - I didn't even know there were was more than one species in the genus Cettia.
Before leaving I managed a flock of Oriental Greenfinches, and two unidentified flyover thrushes. An attempt to bird along the stream at the edge of town was abandoned as the rain set in, though the detour did yield my lifer Daurian Redstart.
Back at the airport I celebrated the day's successes with with some delicious sushi.
Japanese warning signs are so much cooler than ours.
Press the wrong button and you could get more than you bargained for on a visit to the toilet!
