We started the day with the last onsen of the trip, which meant that we definitely lingered longer usual. After another delicious Western breakfast, we checked out, made our way up to Miyanoshita town, and took the bus into Hakone-machi, boarding the Odakyu Romance Car which swept us back into Tokyo.
We returned to Citadines and dumped our backpacks as it was too early to check in. After consulting a map, we decided to head back to Shinjuku, to the Keio Plaza Department Store, which has a ticket booking and departure point for the Limousine Bus service which we wanted to take next morning to the airport. Dragging our luggage around Shinjuku station in order to take the Narita Express back did not sound like a great idea on the return leg.
We found the ticket counter and booked our seats. Thereafter, we met my cousin Ajay again for lunch, this time at an Indian restaurant in the Takashimaya Complex.
Over lunch wetried to figure out what to do with our last day. Our options included going back to Harajuku and going onwards to Aoyama, or visiting Odaiba, and we still had not seen Akihabara, Meiji Jingu shrine and Roppongi.
We decided to definitely visit Akihabara just to see what it was all about, after all it is a big part of what Japan is known for in a microcosm, even though we were not looking to buy anything. Thereafter, we thought we would visit Roppongi and see how the haves live it up in Tokyo. The other places would just have to be part of the next trip.
We headed into Akihabara, or as it is known the world over - Electronic City. This is manna for all the techie afficionadoes out there, all the latest gizmos and gadgets with bells and whistles and the proverbial cherry on the top.
Akihabara is also known for its "maid cafes", and these young girls were out in full form advertising their establishments. The other main attraction is the barrage of "manga kissas" or Japanese comic book shops.
We browsed around some of the shops and then when we had overdosed on spec sheets, we decided to move on. We had got a good taste of the Japanese love affair with all things electronic.
We made our way to Roppongi for the evening, and walked around, ending up at Midtown, the new impressive conclave with residential apartments, commercial spaces, shopping malls, restaurants and bars, etc.
We had an early dinner at an Indian restaurant in the Midtown complex and made our way back. After some last minute packing, we turned in early for the journey to the airport the next morning.
After breakfast, we would take a taxi to the departure point for the Limousine Bus to the airport near the Keio Plaza Hotel where we booked the bus tickets. The journey would take about an hour and all to soon we would be on our way back to Hong Kong.
As I went to bed that night, my mind was filled with the images of all that we had seen and done. Japan has captured my heart in a unique way, and the last thing I recall before dropping off to sleep is the absolutely powerful belief that I will be back.
