東京への訪問

For a long time, Ken and I have said that we want to go to Japan. It is somewhere that has been on both of our bucket lists.

We have also said one cannot go without the other for the first time in Japan.

This trip has sorted that.

I will talk about the entire trip but I will do it over several posts.

I will talk in this one about Tokyo.

The next post will be about Osaka/Kyoto/Nara/Universal Studios.

The next after that will be about Hiroshima and Miyajima.

After that it will be Macau.

The last post will be about The Great Wall of China, The Forbidden City, and Beijing.

Hopefully you won’t get too bored by the end.

Happy reading!

Day 1
Today was our first full day here in Tokyo.

We left the hotel and lugged our baggage half a mile to the original hotel we had booked. We had our flight changed to a day earlier and this hotel had no space (the irony of this is that when I booked the hotel I had originally booked for the wrong day and changed it). Oh well, at least we found someone and we didn’t have to pay for our first night here. The travel company made a change to our booking without checking with us first if it was fine so compensated us enough to book another night.

We were told we couldn’t check in until 15:00 (which is standard) and we asked if we could leave our luggage until we checked in. They said it was fine which was good (imagine trying to get on trains and walk around with it all!!!).

We started on our hunt to find some food and drink and a SIM card. We saw a SIM card at the airport but they are generally more expensive so we decided against it.

We headed to the train station and found a Starbucks so Ken could get hydrated. Once he had finished, we headed to the train so we could go to where the Shibuya Scramble Crossing was.

We had to change trains at Shinagawa – which was nice and straightforward. It was just crossing a platform. The train stations in Tokyo are notorious for the confusing exits they have at each one.

We decided to head towards Shibuya Sky so we could see how much the tickets were to go to the viewing deck. We got to the 14th floor and booked our tickets. They were ¥2,200 each. We were told that the outside viewing platform was closed because of the weather and we could only stay inside. That was fine. We just wanted to see the crossing. We were both a bit underwhelmed when we saw the crossing. It looked way too empty (they say that around 1000 people cross at any one time) from what we were expecting.

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As we were walking around, someone said over the tannoy that the outside deck was open. We headed towards that (thinking the way we went would be better and we’d be some of the first there – how wrong we were) and when we got there the queue to check our bags was pretty long. It moved really quick. You had to pay Y100 to put your bag in a locker as they weren’t allowed on the outside deck. We got outside and there were piles of snow. It’s no wonder it was closed.

We had a walk around up here for about an hour and got some pictures. They have a corner where you can take selfies but people kept walking in the way of others. It was a fun (yeah, right) task to try and get some pictures.

Once we were done here, we went and got a brew and then headed outside to have a walk around to see if we could find some food.

We headed to the crossing so we could be THAT tourist who takes pictures and videos whilst crossing it. We totally don’t feel bad about it either.

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Once we were on the other side we saw some go-karts that looked pretty cool. Ken wanted to do them. I couldn’t do them because you need an international driver’s permit and I don’t have a full license. They looked cool though.

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We carried on walking and Ken spotted an IKEA and we had a hot dog and then carried on walking so I could find a drink and some more food. We found a phone shop and asked if they did SIM cards but they didn’t. They did tell us where we could get one.

As we were walking there, we saw a store that was full of vending machines. These weren’t for food or drinks though. It was for toys/figures that they absolutely love here. There were tons of them in here and tons of people inside too.

We went and had BK and then walked towards where the electronics store was and Ken spotted the travel SIM cards so we got one each. It was ¥5400 for 50GB of data for 30 days. Of course, we had to look around the store too. I wasn’t in there as long as Ken though. I went outside and just people-watched. I managed to see some women in kimonos. The Japanese stereotype was realised right then.

Once Ken came out, we went and found some food for him. We went to a place he pointed out on the walk to the electronics store. We went in and you had to order from a machine, pay in cash and then hand your ticket to the attendant who then gave it to the kitchen.

We sat down and Ken poured some water and then he jumped like I had never seen him jump before. There was a cockroach on the bench. Nasty things that they are. I couldn’t help but laugh at him. We got his money back and then left quick sharp.

He then got a cheese coin that he had seen earlier in the day and after this, we headed upwards to see what was around. We ventured to a street that had brands out of our price range.

We went and found a 7-Eleven for us and a Starbucks for him. We sat inside and I had some food and he had his coffee. At one point I did fall asleep as I was shattered. I seem to be suffering from jet lag this time around – I don’t usually though.

We then headed back to the crossing so we could see the neon lights and the crossing had become incredibly busier than earlier on today. We hung around and just watched. I got some videos of the crossing in use. There were a LOT of people this time.

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After we were done here, we wandered and came across the Shibuya dog.

At first glance, the small Hachiko Statue near Shibuya Scramble Crossing may not appear particularly impressive. It’s only upon hearing the story of the actual dog that you can really appreciate its significance. In the 1920s, this Akita dog would journey to Shibuya Station to wait for his owner to arrive back from his daily commute. One day his owner did not return from work, having suffered a fatal cerebral haemorrhage. This did not deter Hachiko though, who returned to the same spot to wait for his owner every day for the next nine years.

The dog has gone on to become a symbol of enduring loyalty nationwide, and the statue in his memory serves as a fitting meeting point for city residents.

We crossed the road and found an amusement arcade. We went in and the machines were end-to-end and almost all were in use. It was weird to see. It is an obsession here in Japan. People were just so focused on playing the games and not much else. The machines had a way for you to pay without getting up and they even provided charging ports for your phone. They definitely want you to stay there as long as possible!

We went from here to Family Mart to get some chicken that Ken had seen on Instagram. After we were done, we headed to the train station to head back to the hotel.

On our way back, we just took in the sights and sounds around us before going to check in (It was around 21:00 at this point). We checked in, dropped our stuff off and then went to find some food from the convenience stores.

On the way out, we stopped at the hotel kitchen to get some drinks. They didn’t have as good a selection as the Quintessa. For me the only good option was water. They had a “sports drink” at this one and Ken had some and said it was good. I tried some. It was absolutely disgusting. I don’t even know what the taste was but it wasn’t good. At least Ken got to have a laugh!

On the way back to the hotel, we saw an emergency ambulance that was going so slow (we also saw several earlier in the day and they were also slow) and joked that it was the ambulance that was requested at the start of the week.

Today was good, and I still can’t believe we are in Japan!

One thing I did notice here was how quiet the trains were. The Japanese don’t talk on public transport and I’m not sure if this is a respect thing or not. Other places could do well to learn from the Japanese on this.
Total steps: 14,653

Total miles: 6.68

Below are some pics from today
Day 2
Today wasn’t quite as early a day as yesterday. I was super tired so had a lie-in. We’re usually up and about by about 9 when we travel. Today I was out of the hotel around 10. Ken was already in Starbucks at the station so I just met him there.

Our plan today was to go to a 4 storey Starbucks Roastery that Ken had seen on Instagram. It took about 40 minutes to get there. We had seen on Instagram that the streets around this area were lined with cherry blossom trees. There is a river that runs alongside the street and the trees are there. We both thought it would be cool to see some of the trees in bloom whilst walking to get coffee.

We got to the area (Meguro City) then started to head in the direction of the Starbucks and walked along the river. It was lined with cherry blossom trees but they weren’t in bloom. It’s a shame they weren’t. The pictures would have been even more amazing from there. It was still a nice walk and some pretty cool views.

The river water was so clean and clear. We were both impressed. I stopped often to take in the sights and sounds of the area and to take as many pictures as I could. I let Ken walk ahead of me and every so often would see him turn around and then stop (he’s gonna be sick of that soon) and wonder where I was.

We got to the roastery and when it is busy they have a ticketing system in place. You have to scan the QR code, register for a place in the queue and then wait for your number to show and an email to arrive to say it is your time to enter. Once we had done this, I walked across the bridge and along the river. Ken said he turned and wondered where I had gone and he managed to catch up with me. We stood/sat in the sun for a little bit and then Ken went to look around some more.

After about 10 minutes I went in the direction he had. I couldn’t see him and I walked down the street and wandered into a Don Quijote store. All I can describe it as is a TK Maxx on some serious steroids. It was super bright too. Ken said if you can’t find what you need here then you won’t find it anywhere. He’s right. We decided we would come back after we visited Starbucks.

We got back there and went in and were both amazed at what we saw. The place had 4 floors and had its own roasters and bakery. They did all the bean work on-site and also did all the baking for the store on-site. They also packed and bagged the coffee to be shipped out.

Ken said he had to wait 15 minutes for his coffee because of how they did it here – all handcrafted. He paid nearly double here for a coffee than he would back in Peterborough. He said it was all part of the experience though.

We got a lot of pics and videos here. We went to the top floor and sat outside (albeit cold – I know, I never get cold but I did here. Deal with it!) and just listened to the sounds of the store and the surrounding area. It was pretty nice to sit there and listen to all of this.

On the way out we took a nice slow walk down and we were both still in awe at the stuff going on in here.

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After we left here we headed back to the Don Quijote to see what they had that we could buy. Some of the stuff was cheap – others not so much. We saw a barrel with 350 sweet mints in it and that was expensive as hell. It was just shy of ¥31,000 (at the current exchange rate this was about £160). It was imported so it was expected to be expensive but not this expensive! We carried on walking around. I got some Biscoff biscuits and some Root Beer. They only had 3 cans otherwise I would have bought more. It turned out to be about 95p per can too. Way cheaper than I would pay if I found them in England.

After we were done here we went towards the station and decided that we would head to a Starbucks that Ken had seen in an Instagram reel that was posted this morning and the cherry blossoms were showing.

It was about 45 minutes to get there and a couple of trains. On the second train, I was falling asleep and the person next to me didn’t seem overly impressed and kept nudging me. The person sitting next to Ken wasn’t impressed with him either. His cup was making noise and she kept looking at him giving him an evil look. People… UGH!

We headed in the direction of the Starbucks and as we were walking Ken looked down a street and, lo and behold, some cherry blossoms were starting to bloom. We were hoping we would see them on this trip but were starting to think we were too early. Of course, we got our obligatory pictures of the trees. All the way down the street it was lined with blooming cherry blossom.

We stayed in Starbucks for one drink and then decided to head back to the hotel – not before making fools of ourselves though. I started to watch an Instagram reel and the volume was at the max and I couldn’t lock the screen quick enough. Ken started to laugh and was loud with it. We decided we had to move quick to get out.

Today was a good day. Ken got his expensive roastery coffee and I got my Root Beer. We both got to see the cherry blossom that we didn’t think we would.

We decided to have somewhat of an early night as we have to be up early to go meet a guide to see some hill or something!
Total steps: 10,871

Total miles: 4.92

Below are some pics from today
Day 3 > Mount Fuji
Today didn’t start off so well for me. I woke up in the night feeling really sick and was worried I wouldn’t be able to do anything. Thankfully I started to feel better right before we were due to head out.

We decided back in Blighty we would go to Mount Fuji today. We headed out of the hotel to catch the train that we needed. Sadly for Ken, Starbucks was shut. I said we should just get on the train to where we were meeting the guide and see if we could see one there. We did that and we found a Starbucks. There was a little confusion over how many shots he would have in his coffee. He used Google Translate to say an extra shot and for some reason they thought he meant 5 extra shots. I’m not sure how well that would have gone down.

We left the station (it’s confusing because it seems like there are a million and one exits) and then made our way to the meeting point. We were super early so just had to hang around in the cold.

We were lucky as the weather was really nice for us (minus the temperature) the whole day. We got some good clear views of the scenery on the drive and of Mount Fuji. We were sat on the wrong side of the bus though as Fuji appeared to be mostly left and centre. I did manage to get some shots as we were driving.

There were several times the guide would point it out only to then hold up a sign to describe something she was talking about thus killing any chance we had of the good views. Oh well, it turned out later in the trip that this wouldn’t matter.

The guide was really nice and friendly and helpful and gave us some snippets of information about Mount Fuji and Japan in general.

She said the mountain was referred to as the number one mountain in Japan and treated like it was a deity. She said they use several Kanji characters to represent the mountain and what it symbolises. She was also saying in Japan that property is at a premium because of the lack of space across the four islands (Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, Shikoku). She said for a 70m2 condo, you could pay over $500,000 because of the premium in Tokyo. She said in the cities outside of the capital it was roughly half of that. It’s crazy how expensive property is.

Our first proper stop (I don’t count a pit stop as a proper stop) was the First Station of the mountain. We couldn’t go up any higher because of the snow they have had recently. The roads were blocked and were not passable. We had about 20 minutes here to walk around and take some pictures. If you see something that you want a picture of, chances are a hundred other people have had the same idea and you have to just get in where you can! That’s exactly what we both did. It paid off because we got some good shots here.

As we were getting ready to leave, some people pointed out my trainers and just said “Adidas” a few times. We were then on our way to the bus and Ken and I were stopped and asked to pose for pictures. I was wearing shorts and a T-shirt, Ken was wearing jeans and a T-shirt. I don’t think they could fathom we weren’t cold. Some other guy asked if he could have a pic with me. I obliged and then we got on the bus.

We then headed to our second stop which was a series of lakes/gardens where we could get some good views of Fuji. The views from here were really awesome and postcard-worthy. We tried to maximise our time here and take as many good shots as we could whilst we could. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, was trying to get the same kinds of shots and people would just push past each other to get the shots they wanted. We had to do the same – even though people would get angry.

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We were here for about 30 minutes before we needed to leave for lunch. We waited an extra 15 or so minutes for someone who couldn’t be bothered to turn up on time. The guide said at the start that if anyone was late they would be left behind. It’s a shame this didn’t happen as it would have totally been warranted!

We went and had lunch. It was a chicken broth kind of thing. I said I didn’t want it and Ken had it. I just had the westerners’ food. It did me. The egg, however, wasn’t so nice. I was expecting it to be warm at the very least but it was cold. Yuck. Most of the rest of the stuff I had was warm at best too. I was done here and then headed out. Ken said he had seen a place where they did a stamp (this sort of thing is big in Japan – or so we were led to believe. This was the first time we had seen them. We both stamped our jotters and then headed outside to take some more shots of Fuji before we had to leave.

Our next stop was to the cable car at Hakone. Here is where they have sulphur pits and they have a speciality food here. It is a black egg that is cooked in the sulphur. It is a massive business here. The few shops that were here sold them and I saw several of them had said they had been sold out. The smell reminded me of the volcanic areas in Iceland.

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We then headed back to the bus and to our last stop of the tour – we had a slight issue on the bus. Some moron in the seat in front asked Ken not to cough on him and Ken was very restrained and told him he had at least covered his mouth. I was impressed Ken didn’t kick off. I wouldn’t have blamed him though – it was at Lake Ashi and we got on a pirate ship to sail from one end of the lake to another to pick up the bus. The ride on the ship took about 20 minutes. I loved it. I loved being outside on the deck and I love water. I love the cool scenery around the waterways too. It was a win-win-win for me.

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After we got off the ship, we met up with the guide to get the bus to the train station at Odawara. This is where we would get the Bullet train back into Tokyo.

We went into the station and up to the platform and there was a train there. As we were standing there, I heard a train speed on through and I said to Ken we should go to the other platform to try and get some videos of it passing through the station. I have seen it in videos myself but the speed of it can’t be fully appreciated just from a video. It was amazing. No sooner was it at the station before it was gone again. I managed to get a video and all 16 carriages of the train had passed by me in 8 seconds. The speed and the sound and the turbulence it leaves behind is something else. I love trains and this was no exception. Ken managed to get a video too. After seeing about 5 or 6 pass through we decided to go to the platform we needed and get on the train back to Tokyo.

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Over here in the west one thing you learn about Japan is that their trains are ALWAYS on time to the second and we saw some were delayed. It was a shock for us as we didn’t expect to see this at all whilst we were here – but it was more common than you might think.

On the train, we only had unreserved seats. These are in carriages 1-6 and 14-16. We got on at carriage 6 and then walked through to carriage 14 and found some seats. The speed of these trains when you are on board is something else. The ride itself is really smooth too. I have an app on my phone and watch that allows me to track routes I do when I cycle and it has an accelerometer with it. I managed to clock the train going at 184mph. It was really cool.

When we got off at the Tokyo station it was really busy. I hated it. So many people. So many people getting in the way too! We headed towards the JR lines to get the train back to the hotel. We were trying to get out of the barriers but couldn’t. Luckily someone told us we needed to put our train ticket in to open the barriers – we were trying our Passmo card to get out and it wasn’t working.

We got out and then got on the train to Kamata. When we got here, the barriers wouldn’t let us out. We went to the desk and he asked where we got on and we had to show him our bullet train tickets. He took them off us and neither of us was impressed with this! We wanted them as a souvenir and he said we couldn’t keep them so all we have is a pic of the ticket.

We started heading towards the hotel and some woman was putting on a singing show there. When she saw us she started saying stuff in English and looking at us.

Today was a really good day and I’m glad we did Fuji and the Bullet train. I’m happy I also managed to get a video of the bullet train at speed.

Total steps: 11,678

Total miles: 5.35

Below are some pics from today
Day 4

Today was a bit of a lazy day. I wasn’t really up for doing a lot as we had to be at the airport overnight for an early morning flight to Osaka.

I got up at about 09:30 and then had a shower and we went to the station (via Starbucks of course). I left Ken to have his coffee and I went for a wonder. I found where the stamp was for the station and we both got one.

We then headed to the train to go back to the area we saw the cherry blossom the other night. We also found a stamp at this station. Our hotter purchase was worth it. Ken saw somewhere to get some food and I just wandered around outside. To be honest, I was enjoying hearing all the sirens.

Ken came out and we walked down towards where the Starbucks was in the cherry blossom area. Everyone seemed to have the same idea about taking pics of the blossom. It’s so strange that it’s just this one street and a side street that have blossoms blooming already. So strange.

We then went to the shrine that was there and it was pretty cool to see. They had people queuing up to ring the bell and pray to some sort of deity. There were also donation boxes for some sort of fortune. I’m not sure what it is.

Once we were done here we decided to head back to the hotel so we could get some rest and finish packing for Osaka.

We stopped at the station so Ken could grab a brew. I decided to have a wander instead.

Ok the way back to meet Ken I had a couple of waffles. Cheap and really tasty. The cinnamon one not so much though. It had a bit too much cinnamon powder for me.

We got back to the hotel and I packed my stuff and did some laundry and went for a wander to a couple of convenience stores to see if I could get anything for the airport.

I was able to get a couple of hours kip (even though the room was a sauna!!!) and then we left for the train station to head to the airport. I thought my luck was in when the price was around ¥400 to Nippori station and then ¥450 for the Nightliner ticket. Google Maps had said it would be around ¥1900.

We got off at Narita Airport and we tried to go out but we had to tap our Passmo card alongside using the ticket. The Nightliner trip was another ¥1005. Grrrr.

Anyway, enough of that. Time to rest before we check in and head to the gate.
Total steps: 7,782

Total miles: 3.68

Below are some pics from today
Day 5
Today has been a lazy day and the day that I needed. We have been constantly busy so far on the trip and I just needed a little bit of downtime.

I didn’t get up until about 09:00 and said to Ken that I was just going to mooch around the hotel that day. I had to do some laundry anyway so that was the excuse I needed to not do a lot.

I managed to get all the laundry done that was needed which was a bit of a weight off. I wanted it all done before we were going to leave for Hiroshima.

I also spoke with the reception and got us a seat booked on the transfer bus at 05:00 to Haneda. The best part is that we don’t have to catch the train and it costs absolutely nothing for this shuttle service either. Result!

Ken needed to look for a case for his camera (he lost his at USJ when we were there) and I told him where the nearest Bic Camera was and he decided to head there. I told him I wasn’t gonna go with him as I just wanted to chill today. Once I had everything from the laundry done I decided to head out towards the station as I like to just sit and watch the trains. I thought I could scan my Passmo card and just sit on the platform and do that. The platform at Kamata didn’t make for a good vantage point for this.

I got on the train to Shinagawa and then jumped on the loop line and decided to do the entire loop to see how long it was and how long it took. It took about 80 minutes and was about 20 miles in length.

Once I got back to Shinagawa I spent about 30 minutes here just at the end of the platform watching and videoing trains coming and going.

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I got back on the train to go to Kamata so I could head back to the hotel via Mr Waffle. I decided I wanted to catch up on some shows from back home.

I got to the gates at Kamata and tried to leave but it wouldn’t let me. I checked my card and it showed a balance (unlike the other day when it wouldn’t show anything). I spoke to the attendant at the gate and he checked the card and said it was ¥150 I needed to pay. Not bad for going into the network and spending a couple of hours on the network.

When I was coming back, I got a video from the front of the train and showed how the speed is perceived at different zoom levels. The video below starts at 5x zoom and then drops to 2x zoom before dropping to normal zoom. It’s crazy to see how the speed changes based on this.

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Once I got back to Kamata I went and got something to drink to wash down my waffle and then went back to the hotel.

I started to watch Ambulance on BBC iPlayer and partway through Ken came back. He said he had a bit of a headache and wanted to rest.

I relaxed for a few more hours before we headed out to get some dinner. We got to a restaurant (of sorts) and found out they didn’t take cards so we had to leave and get some money and then went back to it. I had some pork and rice. I asked for the pork with no sauce and no vegetables. They struggled to understand at first. Finally, a worker who spoke English came out and I explained it to her and I got the food without sauce or vegetables. It was nice to have some hot food. The rice was really nice. The pork was actually nice too. Probably not nice enough for me to have again as I don’t mind eating junk food whilst I am travelling.

We came back to the hotel to chill and pack for our trip to Hiroshima.

It has been a really nice day just chilling and not having to feel like I had to maximise the time I have here. Sometimes those days are needed to catch up on relaxation and laundry and whatever other chores you need to do when you are on a 3-week trip.
Total steps: 8,227

Total miles: 3.90

Below are some pics from today
Day 6
Today was a bit of a weird start to the day. I had such a weird sleep last night. I felt like I had slept a full night and I thought Ken was going for breakfast when I heard him move. It turns out that I had been asleep for about 90 minutes. I love those kinds of sleep. I had so many hours more to sleep. Result.

I woke up numerous times in the night and it was about 09:00 when I finally got up. I went to have a shower and as I was in the shower my music stopped and then I heard this weird siren and my phone fell off the shelf onto the floor. I got out and looked at the phone and it was an earthquake early warning message.

Whilst I was in the shower I felt the shaking but wasn’t sure what it was. That message confirmed it. I quickly finished showering (just in case anything happened) and then asked Ken if he got the message and he said he did. He said he saw the water in the bottles slosh around when it happened.

We decided to head out and grab a coffee and then go to Kawasaki so I could see if I could get some glasses. The glasses here are cheap and I found a pair that included the frames and lenses for about £45. I found out from my prescription that I have bifocals and they said that it would take 2 weeks for the glasses to be made. Such a shame as they are so cheap.

We came back to Kamata and had coffee and I went and pottered about and Ken went back to Starbucks.

We chilled at the hotel for an hour or so and then we decided that we wanted to go to Shinjuku since this was our 2nd to last night here. We went for the train and went from Kamata to Shinagawa and then from Shinagawa to Shinjuku. We got on the train and I was pushed into the carriage as there were so many people wanting to get on the train. I ended up halfway down the carriage because of how many people got on. We got to Shinjuku and, my goodness, Shinjuku is a maze of a station. I think it took us about 10 minutes to find our way out of the station. When we got out we weren’t prepared for how neon it is. It is neon everywhere. It’s really cool. We saw a ????Bic-a, Bic-a, Bic-a, Bic-u Camera???? and I said to Ken he should go in looking for the rigid case for his camera. They didn’t have them in stock and told him of another store that had them in stock.

We went to that one and they had what he wanted and he was happy that they did. His camera is now safe… until the next loss. We left and then carried on walking around admiring the neon lights. Ken saw that there was a glasses store close by and we went to check to see how long it would take to get some glasses and this one said it would be a week for bifocals/varifocals. We were both gutted. Cheaper glasses and a quick turnaround time. It would have been good if we had done this at the start of the trip.

We went back outside and looked around some more and we wanted a 7-Eleven to get some drinks and some food. After we got them we saw someone singing in the square opposite and Ken said he was going to stand in the corner so he could get himself on the big screen. I managed to get him on it right before the singer stopped and the screen went off.

Ken said that there was a big screen with a cat on that played every 15 minutes and I said we should go to it. He got the trusty map out and we went and hung around for about 5 minutes before it started its little show. It only lasted about a minute. It was cool to see it on the neon signs. There was a diagonal crossing right there too and there were so many people – not as many as Shibuya mind. I got a video of the crossing and then of the cat.

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Ken spotted a Starbucks and we went there to grab a drink and mostly to get warm. The weather has taken a turn with the wind and it is freezing. You know it’s cold when I put on a jacket and some gloves. I was glad to get inside and get warm.

We left there and went to Ovoid Yokocho to see the narrow street with the red lanterns. It was really cool to see. I started to feel sick so had to head back into the maze below ground to find a toilet. It took me about 5 minutes otherwise find it. I got a message from Ken asking where to find me and I described it as best I could and he said he was going to go back to the hotel as he couldn’t find it and didn’t want to keep walking around. I said that was fine and that I would just meet him back there.

I went to go get the train and it took me another 5 minutes to find the JR lines as I needed the JY line to get to Shinagawa and then to the JK line for Kamata. I got up the stairs and onto the train and I looked and saw Ken. I wasn’t expecting to see him at all. It was luck that the train was still there and that I was at the right door.

We left and the train only went as far as Shinagawa and we had to wait another 5 minutes for another train that was packed. We finally got to Shinagawa and got on the JK line to Kamata. We had the full train experience for the third time. It was crazy. Some drunkard got on after me and just stared at me for part of the journey so I turned round. It was creeping me out. We finally got off at Kamata and just headed straight to the hotel. It was cold still and we were both tired.

I did some laundry so I don’t have to do much when I get to Beijing or home. I can’t wash t-shirts as there is nowhere warm to hang them and I don’t want them drying in the room.
Total steps: 15,375

Total miles: 7.09

Below are some pics from today
Day 7

Today was our last full day here in Tokyo and Japan. We didn’t really have a lot planned other than me going to see my friend whom I met at a hostel in Cairo.

We left around 10:20 and went straight for the train. It was a 90-minute journey to get to where we were meeting.

One thing I have noticed about the trains in Tokyo is that it takes a long time to get anywhere on them. They are super frequent and reliable but take forever. The journey itself was about 30 miles but taking 90 minutes is just crazy. We went from Kamata to Kanda and then changed to get a train to Kokubunji. Ken said that since the Studio Ghibli museum was close by he would go to that after meeting my friend.

I met my friend and we all went to Starbucks. She was super impressed with Ken and how he loves Studio Ghibli and they chatted about that. Ken left and then went to the museum and I stayed with my friend for a couple of hours and we just chatted about anything and everything. We realised I first met her 18 months ago. I didn’t think it was that long ago though. It’s crazy how fast the time goes. She bought us this Sakura cake and it was delicious. It was light and fluffy. I should’ve started on them the day I got here. Haha.

We left and she went to see her husband and I went to meet Ken a couple of stations down the line. He said he couldn’t get into the museum as he needed to book tickets about a month in advance and they didn’t have any available for the next month. Madness.

We left Starbucks and headed back to the hotel to get some food and to start packing for tomorrow. I finally got my kebab and it was really nice. We got back to the hotel and I realised I had a lot of coins that I needed to spend. It was about ¥2000 in total. No wonder my wallet was so heavy. I guess this is why they say you should get a coin purse for use when you are here.

We went and found somewhere for Ken to get some food. It was a nice place. I had 2 portions of sweet and sour pork and some rice. Portion sizes are in the picture below.

For both portions of pork and the bowl of rice, it cost me £7.50. Not a chance I’d get anywhere near that much food at a place back home. After we were done here we went to the 7-Eleven so I could get some chocolates to bring home.

We got back to the hotel and I started packing and I am almost certain my bags are overweight. I guess I’ll find out at the airport tomorrow. Wish me luck that they are either: a) not overweight or b) they let me off without having to pay anything for the extra weight.

I think I am going to have to game the system and take stuff out and leave it with Ken then get the bags weighed and then put the stuff back in. I have packed some stuff in Ken’s bag and I hope that will keep my weight down. His checked bag only weighed about 14kg on the way here. I don’t think it’s gonna be much more than that on the way back.
Total steps: 6,413

Total miles: 2.96