The £16-a-night hostel is amazing. For the money, you really cannot ask for more.
5 storeys of large rooms filled with 20 capsule bunks. They have a privacy curtain, a light and plug socket, and a firm, springy mattress topped with a lightweight duvet. Honestly, for so cheap, I thought it would be awful, but it’s clean, tidy, and spacious… enough.
I’ll point out that in the UK you don’t even get a scrap of dirt in a field for that money. Bringing your own gear, erecting a temporary shelter, and getting rained on is more expensive in the UK than a very comfortable hostel in Japan—mental.
However, at night there was a serious battle going on for the Japanese title of supreme snorer. It was louder than Grandma’s plug hole coming from each end of the room.
I didn’t really care; I was absolutely knackered and slept 10 straight hours, waking at 9am perfectly refreshed and ready to live in Japanese time for the rest of the holiday.
But before indulging in Japanese life, I had some work to do. Two hours in Tully’s coffee shop freeloading WiFi and the obligatories were done. Then it was time to wander Akihabara.
I know Kai wants to find some tools, and Aimi has been sent on a mission to find a PlayStation 1 game, so I set off wandering. I think I found shops that will tick off both those quests, but I’m not 100% sure I can find my way back.
But I did get myself an HDMI mini cable for my goggles. As soon as I walked into that shop, I knew they would have what I needed. Mini HDMI to full size, full size to mini, mini to mini extension, joiner, right-angle joiner, right-angle extension joiner. Honestly, if there was a version in existence, it would be represented here…
I walked around Akihabara just checking out the shops. For a while, I was debating whether to buy a portable speaker to replace the one I’ve had for 10 years that recently died. I tried several in a huge electronics department store and know which one I want, but a quick Google shows it’s cheaper in the UK, so I’ll wait till I’m home. Also, I’ve never seen so many wireless earbuds; honestly, there were aisles of them!
Then, a little late in the day, I found a sushi place tucked away, and for the second time in 2.2 days I’m having sushi. Fucking love sushi. And there wasn’t a Westerner in sight—no wonder it was so good.
Then I did some more wandering and explored a few multi-level stores. There are loads of skyscrapers 7+ storeys high that have zero windows. They are just wall to wall with anime character models, trading cards, and all sorts of paraphernalia. I found models of anime big-boobed girls in maid outfits next to fighting Gundam robots, next to Airfix models of motorbikes.
I set myself a few tasks, and while I decided to buy the speaker back home, I got a pop-up umbrella here. It’s massive and folds away really small, which I’m happy about. I also tried to find a sketchbook with plain paper, but no luck. Plenty of ruled or squared notebooks, but no (nice-looking) plain ones. I want one because I know we will be going through a load of train stations, and we found out that they all have stamps you can collect. It will be fun finding them all.
Later on, I got myself a decaf coffee and went and stood on the corner and people-watched. Very specifically, I was watching the girls that dress up in maid outfits and then proposition themselves. I wasn’t watching them like that, but I was interested in the protocol of what happens. They are all dressed in cute/sexy outfits and handing out flyers. Maybe if the chuggers (charity muggers) in the UK dressed sexy, I’d take a flyer from them… I’ve got loads now, and there are no bins in Japan.
Without internet, I’m finding it a bit tricky to find my way around. In the UK, if you are at a big train station like Clapham Junction or New Street, then all the trains are under one roof, or at least adjacent to each other. The train stations in Tokyo can be on the surface, on a raised line, or underground, and also the stations are completely discreet, sometimes hundreds of metres from each other.
Wandering around in circles, I came across a sort of mini, old-person rave going on in an underpass. There were some REALLY enthusiastic Japanese middle-aged men up on a stage singing and amping up the crowd of about 50 people. I couldn’t resist and started waving my arms around in unison, and was smiling ear to ear by the end.
Then I went and did laundry—no, that’s not the name of a maid I picked up—I’m just properly middle-aged.
