Sunday 8 November 2015

14.08.2015 ~ Tokyo

Woke at 08:00 for our last full day in Japan. After more breakfast cake and showering I decided to pack the bigger suitcase so we would only have to pack smaller one tonight or tomorrow morning (just under 23kg phew!)

We went out and were at the high-end part of Harajuku by 11:00. As our rail passes were no longer active we used the subway and got ¥1000 subway & metro combined day tickets which was better & easier than paying for separate journeys. We were aiming to go to 'Oriental Bazaar' in Harajuku but got waylaid by 'Kiddyland' on the way there. Kiddyland is 5 floors of kawaii; with minions at the front door and Snoopy & the Peanuts Gang in the basement. The other floors were dedicated to Star Wars, Studio Ghibli, Hello Kitty, Moomin, Disney, Japanese icons and more. I couldn't leave empty handed so I bought 2 Geisha umbrellas & a Totoro notepad (very restrained of me).

We continued onto Oriental Bazaar which was full or all types of craft from all over Japan... obviously we felt it was a cheat as we went to each place to see/buy the craft however a 'Craft convenience store' such as this is a good idea for most travellers/tourists. I think I'd hoped this shop would be full of cheap souvenir tat like magnets etc from the description I'd read online, but it was all high quality craftsmanship goods which was great to see though the prices were higher than in the towns and cities they originated from.
Back out on the street we bought our standard (and last) FamilyMart lunch before heading into Takeshita Street. Still so busy, no less crowded than the first time we were here. We meandered in and out of some shops looking for magnets (surprisingly elusive) and I bought 3 cute tshirts.



(View from the bottom end of the street)

Once we'd reached the top end we walked to the metro station and went to Akihabara again so M could buy some final games etc. For our last dinner in Japan we went to the 8th floor of a huge shop to a restaurant where I had pork cutlet in katsu kare (which had beef in...?) and M had American steak with Japanese Sauce; we shared fried chicken & wedges; plus 3 drinks for ¥6600. We finished dinner and headed back to ground floor to head to the subway station and it was raining! It had been forecast to rain for the last 4 days but this was the first time it had done it. It was heavy warm rain but with one of my new Geisha umbrellas we were sorted for the walk back to the station.

Back at the hotel it was time for final showers and final packing of suitcase(s) now all shopping was done.

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