Don Quijote

As we have driven around Gifu over many visits, we drive, from time to time, past a penguin up on a pole, wearing a Santa hat. The locals call him The Donkey.

This puzzled me. Clearly not a donkey. A penguin!

Eventually, Austin explained that he was the mascot of Don Quijote. The Japanese are fond of abbreviating things (quite unlike Australians :-D ) so call him the Don Qui. Donkey.

Cool. I thought no more about it. Not even what Don Quijote might be. I think I vaguely assumed it was a gambling or gaming emporium

As we were driving around early on in this trip, I asked where the penguin was, in relation to where we happened to be. Austin told me and then said we would have to go for a visit. Lindsey and I said that we had never been and it wasn't an issue. I just wondered where it was.

Yesterday, Austin said we had to go. So we did. And it turns out it is a chain of discount department stores. So much fun. My kind of shopping. I could ignore the clothes bit and potter round in the sections with Bright and Shiny things. Although - I might have bought a light jumper. We couldn't buy much - we have plenty of weight in our suitcases but not much space, even having left all the chocolate in Austin and Kaori's snack cupboard. But I will go to Don Quijote stores again.

We went to a sushi place for dinner. That was fun too:

Lindsey's sushi platter

Kaori's tempura prawns

Our food was delivered by racing car

and by Shinkansen

You order using an iPad type thing

We ended up with LOTS of empty, little plates

Lindsey's Easter Bunny cake dessert

And now we have reached our last day. We are heading home on this evening's flight from Osaka back to Cairns. But first, one last lunch in a shopping mall before taking the train back to Osaka.

Looking down Austin and Kaori's street
at sunset