The final day of the tour had arrived. While all of us were momentarily sad about our inevitable parting with Japan, there was still a solid 3~4 hour period before we had to board the bus to the airport. Now was not the time to sit around and mope about having to go home! The participants all knew that time was of the essence, so most checked out of their rooms at the earliest opportunity and headed out to the places they wanted to see the most. Since it happened to be a Sunday, there were quite a few places worth checking out.
A small party had formed to check out the Square-Enix Character Goods Shop which just happened to be conveniently located a mere three blocks from our hotel. The shop opened at 11am, and we aimed to be there just as it did. When we arrived, we found that several others from the group had had the same idea! Everyone spent a good while decided whether or not they wanted to spend the money on expensive (but top-notch quality!) replicas of rings and necklaces from Final Fantasy games, as well as various stationary, trinkets, and apparel inspired by Square-Enix games.
After making several purchases that left our wallets moaning in agony, we hastily weighed our options for where to spend our last couple of hours. Akihabara! No, Harajuku! Split up, okay GO!
The few that chose Akihabara were able to experience what the famed anime/game/manga holy land is like on a Sunday. Every Sunday from about 11:00am to some time in the afternoon, the main road is closed to normal traffic, and pedestrians can walk back and forth across the street freely. Akihabara literally becomes a pedestrian paradise ("hokousha tengoku" or "hoko-ten" for short). With so many people stopping by Akiba on Sunday, the maids passing out flyers in front of the JR Akihabara station come out in full force.
Those that headed out to Harajuku during their last few moments in Tokyo were able to catch the beginnings of the traditional Sunday crowd that gathers on Jingu Bridge to show off their talents or their punk or gothic lolita style outfits.
While the majority of us had to head home, some participants had decided to prolong the magic, staying behind in Tokyo after the Japan-portion of the tour had finished. A couple of people stayed for an extra day or two, while another stayed for one more whole week. We were sad they couldn't join us for the last leg of travel, but we were simply happy at the fact that they'd enjoy their stay.
We made our way out to Narita International Airport, killed a little bit of time at the airport, and then boarded our plane, but not before one last hurrah! Jeremiah had been scouring Japan for the limited edition Crisis Core version of the new slim PSP that had come out during the tour. Everywhere he went it was sold out - except at the airport! Score! Check him out in his triumphant glory!
As we picked up our baggage at the airport in Los Angeles, we all commiserated over our all-too-sudden departure from Japan. Everyone had a great time, and in the final moments of the tour, the verdict was unanimous: "Thanks, Destination Japan. We'll be back for sure."
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| Day 7
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| The Final Hours in Japan
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| Last-minute Akihabara Run
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