Final days in Tokyo .. sayonara

Sunday:
We wandered into Asakusa for a breakfast of fried eggs and toasted cheese sandwiches and coffee that would put hair on your chest! Asakusa shopping area and the nearby Sensō-ji temple were still teeming with humanity, so we headed away from the chaos.

Its overcast and rain was highly likely, but we went wandering through the streets anyway. We stumbled onto quite temples and shrines along with lots of small shops. Gayle purchased some more souvenirs along the way. It was pleasant to stroll through suburban streets taking in regular life. We got to Ueno, where there is a large train station, just as rain seemed imminent, so we took the metro back to Asakusa and returned to our apartment. It was rainy on and off all afternoon, so we just picked up snacks and drinks from a 7/11, and this served as lunch.

In the afternoon, we walked up near Skytree Tower in the rain - we had umbrellas from the hotel at least. We went to a craft beer place, Gahahouse, for a predinner drink. We then visited our friends restaurant, Trattoria Takahashi, catching up with Miwa and Kazu whilst they were working. Kazu prepared a lovely meal - pizza, carbonara pasta, and great wine. It was great chatting with Miwa, and we even met two of their kids. We also chatted with a couple of nice young guys sitting next to us.

After a very enjoyable night, we walked back to the apartment to help digest our dinner, a great fun night.

Monday:
We dined at Tully's once again - the breakfast hotdog and coffee, what a country! I will starve myself upon returning home 😄 We took a wander around Sensō-ji temple, and the crowds were intense, with lots of Chinese tour groups.

We love to visit different neighbourhoods while in Tokyo, so today we visited Köenji, known for its second-hand clothing stores. We took the Ginza subway line to Kanda and then the Chuo JR train to Koöenji; it took about 40 minutes.

Once in Köenji, we wandered around a number of second hand stores and I almost bought a vintage leather jacket - it was half a size too small but it was only ¥4300 ($45) - tempting. We did stroll through a covered shopping street where Gayle bought some jewellery and another carry bag. We had our last Mos Burger for lunch - yes, I'm starving myself upon returning home!

In the evening, we took the Ginza subway line to Asaka-Mitsuke to have cocktails at Sky Gallery Lounge Levita once again. The views are just so good, and they make a mean cocktail! After three cocktails, we were feeling both loose and hungry, so we went down to the 2nd floor, where there were a number of restaurants to choose from.

We settled on Asian Bistro, which was a mix of Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. The place was buzzing on a Monday night with a couple of big tables of salarymen out eating and drinking with their colleagues. We ordered Vietnamese spring rolls, some fried chicken, and an eggplant curry, and it was excellent. Gayle had a white wine listed as guzzling wine - what else could one ask for!

Afterwards, it was an easy but busy 14 stop ride back to Asakusa and a stroll back to the apartment. I'd taken an umbrella, but it didn't rain.

Tuesday:
Our final day in Tokyo and the weather has turned quite a bit chillier, a brisk 16c maximum today. We had our last breakfast at Tully's whilst doing wordle. We have bought some iced coffee and pancakes in a pack for tomorrow's breakfast as we're leaving the apartment at 5.30 am.

We took a ride on the Ginza subway line to Nihombashi, a business area not far from Tokyo station, and wandered through Yaesu shopping centre. It's a large underground shopping mall with plenty of food options. We did some gift/souvenir shopping at a Can Do store - what a name.

We then checked out the food options before settling on a conveyor belt sushi restaurant. I love a good Japanese process for smooth dining. First, you get a ticket from the reception machine and wait for our number to be called. Then, once called, you scan your ticket for your table number and seat yourself. All food and drinks are ordered on a tablet at the table and delivered by the conveyor belt. The food was really good and afterwards, you scan your ticket at the self-service payment booth, pay and off you go!

We returned to our apartment, stopping at a 7/11 to pick up chocolate to take back home tomorrow. We got our bags packed and ready to go.

Our final dinner was at Saizeriya and 'home' for an early night ... we have a 5.30am transfer to the airport.

Sayonara Tokyo until next time....もっと詳しく