It is 4:07 PM on Monday, August 13th. I’m sitting at the Hub in Ikebukuro and the end of the Japan trip draws close. I wasn’t able to write as much as I wanted in my journal this trip due to a problem with the power cord. I had forgotten that Japan only uses a two socket plug and my computer power cords were three pronged. It was an absolute saga to try and get a connector. First we went to a local computer store but it didn’t appear like they had anything. So my wife ordered one off of Amazon and we went on our trip to Karuizawa and Kusatsu. When we came back we were surprised that it still hadn’t arrived so checking Amazon she discovered that the order wasn’t placed due to an expired credit card. We fixed that and ordered it. It arrived in two days and guess what, the plug didn’t fit.
So she called Bic Camera in Ikebukuro and they said they had something. The attendent didn’t seem to know which one would work but I finally figured it out and would you believe I saw the same connector at the first computer store we went to!!?? So here I am finally writing in my journal again at the end of the trip.
It has been a very long and unproductive day today, I shouldn’t have stayed in Tokyo another day. But before I get into that let me write a short recap of what has occurred thus far.
I arrived in Japan and met up with Brandon, Kyoko and Mitsuki in Shinjuku and we went to a lovely French restaurant. The food was great but in typical French fashion it took forever! Kyoko was worried about missing the train and wanted Brandon to go back to Kamakura with her. It was our night out that had been planned forever so he opted not to do that. We went to a couple of whisky bars with Masaru and it was a nice time.
The next day was out in Tokyo with Brandon. I had plenty to drink that first night so was a bit fuzzy the next day. I had intended to take us to Akihabara first but in my haze ended up taking us to Asakusa. That wasn’t a problem though because Asakusa was on the list. We went up to the Sky Room for a few beers with a view. Next was the Kaimiya bar to sampnle the “Deki-Bran” which is a concoction of wine, gin and brandy. It was nice to try it but not very good in our opinions. We then checked out the temple and gift shops.
Next it was to Akihabara and we ventured into a Maid Cafe. I was always curious about those and now can definitely say it is a very big waste of money. They put bunny ears on us and our drinks were cheap, weak and expensive! But we had a look around and then it was back to Ikebukuro for a shower and to get ready to go out again.
I had thought Watami went out of business but realized that it had not but really should have! We went to one close by and they took us downstairs into a “private dining” area which isn’t very fun because I like to people watch and perhaps have the opportunity to meet some strangers!
We were hungry though and still had to wait for Horacio and Masaru so ordered up some food and that is when I realized the quality had gone straight downhill. We finished the food and drinks then went outside to wait for Horacio. He arrived and since we had some time before Masaru was going to arrive we went to a whisky bar. It was a small place but intimate and the onwer was friendly. We asked him what izakaya we should go to and he gave us a good recommendation.
After the izakaya we went to The Hub to finish out the night.
The next morning it was off to Saitama to collect the family and head to Kamakura. We met up with family friends and first went to the giant Buddah. It was extremely hot with a real feel of about 110 degrees so wasn’t one of the most pleasant experiences walking there. It was one of the hottest summer days I’ve experienced probably since I was a kid and before air conditioning was a thing. We then went to the beach and then to dinner at an Okonomiyaki bar.
