Day 8 & 9: Last Day Shopping and Departure

The beginning of the day started with me packing my luggage as I was in a groggy state of drowsiness …

In the morning, Eugene and I checked out of Shiba Park hotel and left to visit Ikebukuro. We saw some cute mascots dancing near the station and interesting owl statues outside. Then, we went to Animate Ikebukuro Head Office, where I bought some anime posters and a Misaka Mikoto figurine. We had lunch at a nearby sushi restaurant. After that, we explored the large shopping malls near the station. Unfortunately, the whole area of Ikebukuro was catered much to women so there was little stuff to buy.

Thereafter, we split up and Eugene went to Shibuya while I headed to Akihabara. The prize I had won last night at the arcade must have ignited my shopping spirit as I went on to buy even more anime figurines at Akihabara. Even though I was alone at Akihabara, I was able to find the places I was looking for becaue my friends had brought me here a few days prior. Venturing alone in a foreign country felt like an adventure, although it was only for a few hours.

In the evening, I joined back to the rest of the group at Shibuya. I bought some snacks there as souvenirs for my family. Then, I had ramen for dinner. Thereafter, we return to Shiba Park Hotel to retrieve our luggage. We said our goodbyes and the girls left for the airport, while Eugene and I checked in at a capsule hotel at Tokyo.

The capsule hotel was surprisingly a nice place to stay overnight. It has the basic facilities such as toilets and shower rooms. Although the bedroom is small, it was warm and cozy to sleep in, and I could even watch the TV and use free Wi-Fi there. The walls are thin though, so just have to bear with people snoring.

Morning of my last day at Japan arrived and Eugene and I had to head to the Narita airport. We did some last minute shopping there and board the plane. It has been a great week for me in Japan. Even though the weather was cold and harsh, I was happy to visit wonderful places like the Meiji Shrine, Art Museum, Shibuya and Akihabara, and enjoyed many foods like ramen, temdon and tonkatsu curry rice. I will very much like to go to Japan again.

It is now time to head back to Singapore. Japan, let us hope we can see each other again. Goodbye!

– Zhao Siu