On Wings of Icarus

Venturing Farther Afield

They all walked off together without any idea of what they wanted to do or where they wanted to go. It really didn't matter because it genuinely felt like they'd already had a great day and whatever happened after was just icing on the cake. When they arrived at the new, modern station they formed a huddle in the middle of all the people walking past and engaged in a brief consultation about where to go next. They were planning everything on the fly and it seemed natural to do so.

"Guess it all depends on whether we want to go shopping, drinking, people watching, taking a long stroll or something in-between. What do you guys think?"

"Hmmm...tough decision. Any or all seem appealing but maybe that's just because I don't care what we do," Janet offered her opinion with a thoughtful gaze and eyes pulled to the back of her head.

"I'm up for a long walk by the river or something similar. Tokyo is so pretty at night with all the lights and people going about their nightly business by the way. That's what I could go for now," Sandy blinked several times.

"How can we deny a pregnant lady's wish, guys?" Paul grinned proudly.

"Sumida River is not too far off...," Matt looked at his phone, "...there are walking paths where we can stretch our legs for miles. Don't know what you guys think of that."

"Have we been to Sumida before?" Sandy glanced at Paul with one brow raised and a slanted mouth signifying a question, "I can't recall if that's ever been on our radar."

"No, never, I'm pretty sure. It's where ferries and fancy dinner cruises go along the river and what not I think."

"That's right," Matt confirmed, still looking at his phone. "Are you guys up for a cruise on the river? It's super nice but slightly expensive."

"Sounds wonderful but we do need to save money when all's said and done. Last weekend we committed to that end goal and we're definitely going to stay on course through hell or high water. It's important because we don't want to get into the habit of spending more than we make," Sandy stood firm and unwavering on that point.

"Too many expats get into the habit of saving nothing, which is one of the main goals of traveling overseas in the first place. So, even if you don't have any plans of going back home right away it's always good to have some extra money in your pocket," Victor placed his own financial situation in that category because he'd struggled to save any money since arriving in Japan after buying every electronic gadget under the sun, depleting his resources in a major way.

"That's entirely true and one of the main reasons people end up dead broke after a long stint in Asia. Next question is: which station do we need to get to?" Paul looked to Matt for the answer who'd been appointed navigator by virtue of the fact he had the phone in his hand already.

"Ryogoku Station is right in the middle of the action near the boat tours booth which I think i'll be crowded but what the hell, eh? It's a great opportunity for people watching and maybe picking up a few glimpses of riverboats and serene scenes of inner peace in the inner city," Matt laughed at his own clever quip.

"Inner peace? I could go for a bit of that. Not that I'm particularly stressed or unhappy with our current situation but couldn't hurt to have a few more good things going our way. So how do we get to Ryogoku Station anyway, captain?" Paul moved closer and tried to catch a glimpse of what he was looking at on his phone.

"It's not too far...40-45 minutes by train, one hour on the outside. Just hope the trains aren't overly crowded but they probably will be at this time of night," glancing at his watch before looking in the direction of the train station.

"That Niko girl was pretty cute. I think I'll send her a message and see if she replies. Do you think she was into me at all?" Victor asked Paul but Matt answered first: