The hostel WiFi password is “checkout10am”, just in case you didn’t know. I made sure to be out on time, but still feeling a bit sluggish, I luxuriated in a lie-in. I had been up late chatting to a French girl called Lena and a Canadian lad called Doug about their travels. While waiting for my laundry to dry, they gave me the name of a good sushi restaurant for a date night.
Bags repacked, I was off to try and find a luggage place a few stops away on the train. Here I would be meeting up with Aimi and friends Kai, Laura, and Nathan. I couldn’t find it, so I tried to make myself conspicuous, sitting on a fence on the main road.
I was a little early anyway, so I got myself a Vietnamese bánh mì—the best sandwich known to man. I’ve tried to find them ever since visiting the country, and they are never quite right. But this one was really good. It took me right back and really hit the spot. If you’re ever in Tokyo and fancy a Vietnamese classic, check out Mr Banh Mi at Asakusabashi Station. I’m definitely coming back to this place.
After a short wait, I spotted a tall fella, head above the rest of the crowd. If Kai had made it, then the rest were nearby, and sure enough, Aimi’s grinning face rushed up to meet me. It was really nice to hold her again, even after only a few days.
With the bags dropped and a train station stamp collected in my newly purchased sketchbook, we headed off to get some food. Good Google reviews led us to a ramen shop where we were the first to arrive. I had just had a bánh mì, so struggled to finish the tasty dipping noodles. Aimi was in heaven with a big bowl of ramen, and the vegetabalists got on board with meat-eating—there was no way to avoid it really on this holiday.
Now full of warm food, people were a bit tired but pushed on to go tick off the missions. Kai picked up some special thin cable and a mini HDMI cable like mine. I found some of the tools Kai wanted but not the huge rack of tools from yesterday. And we found the game Aimi’s brother wanted, but it looked like a good used copy, not an original for his collection.
Popping in and out of shops and arcades, I quite enjoyed being the tour guide. It’s the only time I’ll be confident about where I’m going this holiday, as we are off to new places soon.
After Nathan got some earphones and Laura got a pop socket for her phone, it was time to pick up the bags. Everyone was very weary dragging them to the flat and, without exaggeration, Kai fell asleep as soon as he lay down. Literally—put his bag down, sat down, sighed, and then turned off like a light. It was the fastest I’ve ever seen anyone fall asleep, including Dad.
Everyone else milled around, sorted bags, and had showers before we headed out again in the evening. We couldn’t resist a nap either. We are within walking distance from Akihabara, so it made sense to finish exploring the arcades and find somewhere for food.
This evening was where I was reminded how aggressive my choice of wife is on the air hockey table. She’s a monster, smashing pucks across the room and off the table. Luckily, no one was injured in her revelry.
I tried my hand at Time Crisis II and did OK. I used to be able to complete it in one credit, but it’s been ages and I’ve not had a CRT screen to practise on at home for years. This may have to be consigned to the list of skills I’ve lost from my youth. But I was good at the claw game, picking up several small cuddly toys before they got dropped inches away from the hopper. I did it over and over and realised it’s programmed to drop them—it’s the only explanation.
The team stopped for a fried sandwich, and we carried on and found a fried chicken shop. OK, so it was a Western burger, but it’s like the best version of a chicken burger because it has avocado and salsa on there. I’m salivating just thinking about it again. The doughnut we had after, however, looked amazing but was like granary bread with chocolate dust on top. Would not have it again.
Last stop on the way home was the proverbial Seven-Eleven. Here, Aimi was looking for fruit for breakfast and, following her around the store, I found my way blocked by a teeny tiny old Japanese lady. I didn’t want to flatten her with my bag, so chose a different route through the shop, but she sought us out and spoke with us in limited English. We tried to respond, saying we were British, and then Aimi called her small—to her face. She was trying to say “we only know a little Japanese”, but she literally said “small Japanese”, to which she responded by pointing at me and saying “tall”—Westerners are so rude.
