• Let's cost-go

    May 25 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    This morning began with a throwback. For those of you who remember, partway through our Europe trip, Phill’s belt broke due to too much food. Well, history has repeated itself.

    As we were getting dressed this morning, we were both reminded of just how much we’ve been enjoying Japanese cuisine. But we rallied, and once we were ready, we headed off to the first stop of the day: Costco.

    Anyone who knows us knows that the true love of Phill’s life isn’t Bec, Aidan, or even the cats. It’s a Costco hot dog. So, with plans to explore Kawasaki later in the day, we made the very important decision to stop by.

    We walked from the station (because it was going to be a big eating day), and eventually arrived at the holy lands. After wandering around and standing in a very long food line, we finally got the goods: pizza, a hot dog, and a bulgogi bake.

    Phill declared the hot dog better than the ones at home thanks to its lighter bun, 10/10. Judging by the photos, he’s never been happier. The pizza was your standard Costco slice, solid. And the bulgogi bake? Incredible. The pastry was chewy and the meat was rich and decadent.

    Anyway, back on track. We headed into the main shopping district of Kawasaki, window shopped a bunch of stores, and then moved on to the main event of the day.

    Since neither of us wanted to support the Japanese pet cafes, we did the next best thing (thanks for the suggestion, other Bec): we visited a Lovot Café.

    What’s a Lovot? Great question. It’s a robot designed to provide companionship and nurture a sense of love and emotional connection. They’re small, spherical robots that move around, respond to touch and voice, and use sensors to interact with people and their surroundings. They weigh around 4.5kg and are actually heated, so they feel warm.

    While we waited for food, they brought one of the Lovots over to our table for us to hold and interact with. Afterwards, we got to spend time with a group of them. The experience was… interesting? They were adorable and super impressive in how they responded to people and speech.

    After our 2-hour session, we made our way back to Akasaka and went for a decent walk around the neighbourhood before winding down for the night.

    Step count: 21k.
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