D+12: Tokyo Drift-er

Last day in Tokyo and summer vacation. Hate to sound like a vage, but I'm kinda worn out. Having a nice apartment and my own car in Miyako spoiled my adventurous spirit.

At check-out, a father-and-daughter pair was trying to get two beds at the hostel, but it's booked full. They may've missed that it's summer time, and a lot of youngsters go on vacations and travel. Plus, it's Obon week, so the locals are travelling as well. My activities might be on the fly, but at least I had my accommodations ready ahead of time.

On my way out, I ran into Jackie, one of my ALT teammates from new hire training. We went to different branches after Narita. Caught up with her for a bit, seemed like plenty of ALTs are travelling in Tokyo again. From what she said about her workdays, I felt lucky since they're essentially day offs in my branch. 

At Tokyo Station, every coin locker was used, and this's one of the biggest and busiest stations in Japan. Damn summer vacationers and tourists...

Finally made it to Kawasaki (w/o my heavy-ass luggage), where the last planned event of this trip will happen. I had to reserve a spot way in advance like the Ghibli Museum. There's no doubt that the Fujiko F. Fujio Museum was nearby; Doraemon and his characters were plastered everywhere, including the direct bus to the museum. The bus driver's got a sense of humor, told us to ring the stop bell before the museum (it's the only stop).

The exhibits weren't anything special. I thought the Tokyo Tower one's better. But it's more focused on the creator's life and his vision; it just so happened his manga was a big part of it.

I waited almost 2 hours for a seat at the museum cafe. My late lunch had turned into an early dinner. For me, the novelty was worth it. Plus, I got a Doraemon mug.

It's too late to explore the rest of Kawasaki, so I went back and drifted around Akiba. Since the last visit (D+1) was about Gundam, I didn't have time to check out the hobby shops. Of course, a lot of looking and not buying. Somehow, I ran out of cash before every shopping expeditions on this trip. Maybe my wallet's telling me something...

There must be a cliffhanger right before a happy ending. With 10 mins before departure, I realized I was at the wrong area. The terminal in front of Tokyo Station's for JR buses only (mine was not). Past the initial panic, I scrambled. I was determined not to be stranded in Tokyo. I noticed some buses across the street and by chance found one bound for Morioka & Kuji . With my retarded Japanese, I found out it's the right bus.

Saved!