GOODBYE JAPAN

Monday 27th March
Back to Tokyo

On Monday we returned to Tokyo. We had booked another Air BnB rather than a hotel as the cost's had gone up so much due to it nearly being peak season. It was just outside of Tokyo in Ogikubo. It was really easy to travel into Tokyo from Ogikubo, it was a smaller district with a couple of little streets. There was a starbucks and that was about it!
The air bnb was nice, but not as nice as the one in Osaka - firstly the place hadn't been cleaned so we had to get in touch with the host - but it wasn't the end of the world and was resolved nice and quickly. We decided to go and find some food once we'd unpacked - so we headed into Shinjuku and ate at nice Italian place (Finding good Japanese food was HARD if you haven't guessed already!) We also planned out what we wanted to do before heading back home.



Tuesday 28th March
Hanami

The sun was shining and we'd seen a nice park that was close to Shinjuku station so we started our day off there. I'm so glad we did because all the cherry blossom had bloomed earlier than expected. It was gorgeous to see, and you knew exactly where one was because of all the people standing underneath the trees. The Japanese call cherry blossom viewing Hanami - quite often they'll sit beneath the trees with drinks and a picnic and watch the flowers bloom. It symbolises the beauty and fragility of life. It was really special to see and I'm so glad we did. You normally don't expect to see any until the first few weeks of April.

After lounging in the sun and taking plenty of pictures we headed over to Shibuya as we really wanted a Taco Bell....oops! We took some photos of

the busiest crossing in the world. It was spectacular to watch. We then took a short train ride to Harajuku. I'd seen a really cute Starbucks rooftop online and wanted to see if for myself. It was worth the wait in line to get to! It was a pretty rooftop with lanterns and plants. Harajuku itself was really interesting to walk down. Full of all the cutesy stores that is typical of Japan.
Later that evening we decided to head to Roppongi Hills to find somewhere to eat. We stumbled across a Hard Rock Cafe. It was just as good as we thought it would be! It was nice seeing another district of Tokyo and seeing the city at night.





Wednesday 29th March
Final Fantasy and Cats

Our Last day was spent at the Eorza Final Fantasy cafe in Akihabara.
We first headed to Ikebukaro so that I could purchase something from the Pokemon Center. I really wanted an Eevie - but a Pikachu had to do! We also did some last minute shopping around Shibuya and Akihabara.
We had accidentally stumbled upon the Final Fantasy Cafe a week ago - but booking tickets was difficult and required help from a shop assistant!
We'd booked tickets the week before, so when we arrived we were seated at the bar where we ordered our themed food from an Ipad. Luckily there were pictures so we could half figure out what we were eating. The food was all themed and the restaurant looked awesome too. If I was to return I would do ALL the themed cafes that Japan has to offer. They have Sailormoon, Cinnamoroll, My Melody, Moomin, Kawaii Monster and many more!
I really wanted to visit a Cat Cafe whilst we were here, and with a free afternoon we went to the MoCha Cat Cafe in Harajuku. It had really pretty interiors and housed about 15 cats. It was a really nice experience. My boyfriend hated every second....but I LOVED IT! We had the sun setting behind us and a beautiful view of Meji Jingu from the cafe.
For our last meal we headed back to Taco Bell (Don't judge) and got ready to leave the city.

Thursday 30th March
Home Time

It took about an hour to get from Ogikubo to Haneda Airport through trains. We were up at 4am to get the first train at 5am. We posted the pocket WiFi back, checked in and had breakfast at the airport.
With yen to spare and time I bought a medium sized Totoro to take back home with me. Winning!
The flight back home was really easy, I even managed to squeeze in 4 films on the way home.

Japan was an amazing country. Everyone was so polite, friendly and helpful. I thought the whole trip would be overwhelming and difficult but it was the complete opposite. 

I would highly recommend adding Japan to your bucket lists - I will definitely be going back one day to finish off the rest of the country. 

Next time I'd love to experience an Onsen, see the northern mountains and see the exotic beaches in the south. Guess I'd best get saving then!