Misadventure in Walking in Tsukuba / つくばで散歩？

On another day off Mikako suggested going to the Railway Museum (she knows I've been wanting to go there for a long time). So I called my friend who recently went there, unfortunately I got an answering message. But hey, I have a computer at home. I checked the net, made sure that the museum was open and off we went. We headed to Akihabara and hopped on the Tsukuba Express to Tsukuba in Ibaraki Prefecture. The museum should be right across from the station. I figured there would be signs but there were no signs posted anywhere. So, I went to the information counter and asked which way to the Railway Museum. The workers there looked at me like I was an idiot foreigner and said, "Do you mean the one in Saitama?" Saitaima? Oh no! Tsukuba is the site for the Tsukuba Expo Center. The Railway Museum is in Omiya - in Saitama Prefecture in the opposite direction. There is no steam engine on display there, but there is a rocket on display. It was too late to head to Omiya so we decided that we would walk around Tsukuba and check out the Expo Center. But first, it was time for lunch. There wasn't much choice so we settled for pork cutlets at Saboten. Then we walked to the Expo Center. Guess what? It was closed!! We then walked around the park (there really wasn't anything to see.) It was too late to go to Tsukuba Mountain. So we decided to head home. It's as if we went to Ibaraki Prefecture just to eat some pork cutlets. We could have done that at home as there is a Saboten shop near our apartment. Oh well, an adventure is an adventure! I still have the Railway Museum to look forward to (if I don't go to the wrong town!)

また別の休日に美香子が鉄道博物館でも行くかと提案しました。僕はずーと前から行きたかったのを美香子が知ってた。つい最近友達が行ったので、一番早い行き方を聞こうと思って電話した。でも留守電だった。家にパソコンがあった！鉄道博物館を検索し、今日は休館じゃないかを確認、そのまま出発。駅のすぐ近くと分かって、早速秋葉原に行ってつくばエクスプレスに乗った。つくばに着くとサインがあると信じ、でも無い。案内所に行って聞いてみました。働いてるネーさんが僕を変な目で見て、”鉄道博物館？さいたまの？”さいたま？あっ！さいたま！つくばにあるのはエクスポセンターの科学館だ。鉄道博物館は埼玉県の大宮にあるわ！！だから鉄道はどこにも展示されてないな。展示されてるのは大きなロケット。今から大宮に行くのも無駄だし、決心して、今日はつくばを散歩する！その前にランチを食べる。選べるレストランも少ない。決めたのはとんかつ屋の「さぼてん」。食べ終わったら、科学館に行く事にした。。。でも今日は休館だった！仕方ないから公園内をちょっと歩き回った。な～んもね～。筑波山に行くのも時間がなさそうだし、もう３時半過ぎてたので。そのまま家に帰った。結局茨城県で「さぼてん」のとんかつを食べに行っただけになった感じ。ま、冒険は冒険なので。今度こそ鉄道博物館に行くぞう！

Pork Cutlet from [Saboten] / 「さぼてん」のロースカツ