We met up with Aunty Lala, a childhood family friend of mine and had Tonkatsu for lunch. We just had to cram as many tonkatsu meals as we can before we go back home. Afterwards we went to Asakusa to give James the ultimate tour round.
Enjoyed some freshly grilled senbei (Japanese rice crackers) and also grabbed some last minute souvenirs. Asakusa is great for souvenirs as the road leading up to Sensoji (Asakusa Kannon Temple) is just lined with souvenir stores.
James had no idea I framed the photo this way.. I think it is absolutely hilarious. Those girls know how to do finger poses!
We then went to Akihabara where James went wild on electronics. I had barely any sleep that night so I took a rest on a couch that was meant for checking out the HD 3D 2D whatever they are called these days hahaha – massive TVs. We then said goodbye to Aunty Lala who had been such a vibrant and loving company on our trip and said hello to my father. After strolling through the maze of Akihabara, we met up with my stepmum Kay for Korean BBQ Buffet. Yum.
The next day was spent on necessities. We didn’t have a full day as we had to head to the airport in the afternoon so we revisited the places we missed and ticked off the must do’s. We went back to the French bakery on the ground floor of OIOI to stock up on baked goods for the plane and to fill up our tummies for breakfast. Then we did a tinsy bit of shopping through basics at Uniqlo, vintage at Omotesando and then tools at Tokyu Hands. I met up with my father for the last time and I made use out of him. He’s a regular at Tokyu Hands and so James and I felt like we had a seasoned tour guide through the castle of crafts. I picked up a whole heap of leathercraft tools and accessories and James went traditional with a Japanese planer, saw and other stuff I turned a blind eye to. Oh I miss you Japan. I hope to be back very very soon.
As I said goodbye to my father at the Hachiko exit in Shibuya, it was so different to all our previous ones. To be honest, I don’t know him very well as I grew up separate from his life, but this Japan tour allowed me to get to know him and spend a lot of time with him. He became my roadie – coming to all my sound checks, helping out with my gear, being my runner for when my batteries died on stage, turning into a salesman to push my merch and making sure I ran to a timely schedule. But he also became my father. I saw resemblances in our behaviour, hobbies, passions, knobbly knees etc. that made me realise where a part of me came from. Although a month is probably not enough to know someone, I would like to come back and spend more time to learn more. Anyway, too much emotional stuff, that’s yucky to read about haha.
THANK YOU JAPAN FOR AN AMAZING TOUR. I hope to come back very soon!
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