Travel diary
Shiny Japan 2005
Day eight - August 14

Narita III, Akihabara Day

August 14 was quite unspectacular... after giving my friend a lift to the airport -- using a 130 yen ticket since I took the train all way back without leaving the Narita airport terminal 2 train station -- I strolled around at Ueno, relished some Chinese-style ramen for 650 Yen (couldn't figure out the difference though, because everything cheap in Tokyo doesn't seem to have a strong taste) and headed for Akihabara on foot. Even though my orientation was right in the beginning, I got puzzled and went right back through a lively place called Okachimachi to Ueno station. Pachinko halls and a Kebab stand were right next to each other. A wonderful contrast.

Realizing it was the wrong direction I asked my city map and finally got to Akihabara while enduring the hot summer temperatures even Japanese can't get used to. It was Sunday and the whole electronic area turned into one big pedestrian ground. I even saw some girls in costume making some ads for whatever... I wasn't very keen on figuring it out. After around an hour of window shopping and typing e-mails for my penpal on my Japanese mobile it was time to get home, or let us say, to our room of shelter (aka hotel).

17h was quite early to be in the hotel but the shower was worth it. I was still too tired from my month of internship in Taiwan and the hot and subtropical weather.

Somebody once told me it is luxury to sleep in Tokyo since you are already there. Yeah it's true... but I didn't have any choice.