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manicplank · 9 months ago

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The Color Pink (Part 9)

This one is fucking long. Buckle up.

Hazel came home after another long, slow day at the cafe. Business was still dull. Her only customer seemed to be The Vigilante, but things grew tense between them as she spent more time with The Noise. The Vigilante always seemed to have something curt to say. However, she hadn't seen The Noise much since he had been so overwhelmed by work. She was so bored around her house. She just sat around waiting for 7 p.m. to come. She was always excited to get her daily phone call from Theodore, even if it was just him explaining that he was too tired to talk. The time finally came, and her phone rang. She answered it without hesitation. "Hello?"

"Hey! It's me," Theodore greeted.

"Hey! I was waiting for you to call."

"I was wondering if you wanted to do something tomorrow. I know you're usually off on weekends."

"Really?"

"Yeah!"

"Of course! What were you thinking we do?"

"I don't know... I was hoping you would have some ideas."

"Um... Hm... Maybe we could just do something casual, like hanging out at the park or one of our houses."

"Oh! Uh... I think I'd prefer the park. I'd feel more comfortable with that."

"I understand that. It's supposed to be super nice out."

"Cool! What time were you thinkin'?"

"How about one or two?"

"One works for me. The sooner the better."

"Okay!"

"I have this thing where if I have plans later in the day, I won't really do anything else. I get stuck in waiting mode."

"Same here! I thought it was just me!"

"I think it's an ADHD thing."

"You have ADHD, too?"

"Yep! Got it bad."

"That's crazy!"

"I kind of suspected that you had it. No offense. It sort of takes one to know one."

"I guess that's true. I don't try to hide it. I guess looking back, I can see it in you now."

"It's kind of the basis of my whole character."

"I can see that."

"What park where you thinkin' we go to?"

"Hmm... There's that one in the Gnome Forest that's real pretty. We can go loiter around there!"

"I think I know which one you're talking about. I think it's literally called "Picnic Park" since nearly everybody who visits has a picnic."

"We could do that."

"Maybe. We would have to be careful of the bees, though."

"Oh yeah... I guess we could just walk around."

"If we get hungry, we could always go somewhere."

"The Gnome Forest has a lot of good places to eat."

"Exactly! So... I guess I'll see you then?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay, cool! I'm gonna let you go so I can get some rest. I'm a little tired from working."

"I get it. I'll see you tomorrow!"

"Yep! If anything happens, just call me and let me know!"

"Of course! Goodnight, Theodore."

"G'night, Hazel."

The Second Date

Hazel was ecstatic. She finally got to go on another date with The Noise. At this point, she didn't like him for being a celebrity. She liked him for who he was. Of course, she was amazed that her celebrity crush was interacting with her, but now she saw him as just a regular crush. She had waited for what seemed like forever until it was time to get ready. She didn't want to do anything special to her appearance, but she still wanted to look her best. She went to the vanity and sat in front of it. Her hair was already curled at the ends like she usually kept it.

She hummed in thought. What was she going to wear? She went through her closet and dresser drawers. After several minutes, she finally decided on an outfit; a cropped sleeveless white turtle neck with a cropped pink cardigan with high waisted straight leg jeans and white platform sneakers with pink laces. She grabbed a fuzzy white mini purse to finish her look.

She picked up the phone and dialed a cab. It arrived shortly after, and she ran into it excitedly. "Where to," the cab driver asked?

"Picnic Park in the Gnome Forest," she responded.

The pig man driving the cab nodded and drove off. She watched out the window excitedly as they cruised through the tower. Her heart fluttered in anticipation. They quickly reached the park. She paid and got out. She looked around, but she didn't see Theodore. Even though she knew better, she was worried he wouldn't show. She wandered through the park hoping to find him. He arrived shortly after she did and called out to her. She came running, but she couldn't run very quick in the platforms. When she reached him, she jumped onto him in a hug, nearly knocking him down. He caught her and twirled her around. He smelled pleasantly like a gentle cologne.

"Hey, you," he greeted with a huge smile. He was wearing a white "Thrasher" t-shirt overlapped by a denim jacket with solid black jean pants and black "Vans" shoes.

"Hey," she put her fists to her chest in excitement.

"You look cute," he scanned her from head to toe.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Oh," she giggled, "thanks." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "You look cute, too."

He scratched the back of his head and blushed. "Nah, I look like a mess."

"Shush," she pushed him playfully, "take the compliment."

"Fine, fine."

"So, what were you thinking we do?"

"I don't know. I was hoping maybe to just walk around and," he shrugged, "enjoy the scenery. Talk and get to know each other better. I mean, I've been so busy with work, it'd be a nice change of pace just to talk to you."

She was still smiling. "It sounds like a good idea. I enjoy simple things. I'm not hard to please. Plus, I like the flowers in the park."

"Well, come on," he held out his hand, "let's go."

She looked at his hand with a slightly shocked expression. "Oh," she grabbed his hand, and their fingers intertwined. She smiled once again. "Right." They walked side by side down a stone path. Their arms swung back and forth as they strutted along.

"So," she spoke, "how's everything been? I haven't seen you since..." She chuckled nervously, "I think the last time I saw you was when we bumped into each other at the bar?"

"At the bar," he asked, confused.

"When you were drunk."

"Oh, my gosh." He face palmed with his free hand. "I'm still so embarrassed about all of that."

"Please, you didn't do anything to upset me."

"I acted like a total fool!"

She stopped and pushed his arm to make him face her, their hands still together. "Stop it. You didn't do anything wrong. You were funny, actually."

"Was I? I don't really remember what I said."

"You were giving your pig friend a ton of trouble."

"James? Oh yeah, I always give him shit, especially when I'm drunk."

"He kept yelling at you for hugging me a bunch."

Theo chuckled. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, too."

"Shut up," she said teasingly. "It was silly. If I didn't like it, I would've just pushed you off. You know I don't take shit."

He laughed again. "It's funny when you're assertive."

"Well, people see my sweet demeanor and assume I'm a pushover. I don't stand for that."

"Oh, yeah, the pushover doesn't stand."

She hit his arm playfully, "Shut up!"

He cackled and nudged her shoulder. "Don't hit me!"

"What, you scared?" She puffed out her chest and taunted him.

He threw her arm over his head and hoisted her over his shoulder. She screeched in surprise and kicked out.

"Put me down," she yelled through laughter. "Put me down!"

"Don't dish it if you can't take it!"

He carried her for a few steps before he put her down gently. She charged at him, but he grabbed her arms. She swung around and kicked at him, both of them laughing hysterically.

"Okay, okay, okay," he said through chuckles, "stop, stop."

She stopped, and he let go of her wrists. "Don't dish it if you can't take it," she spoke in a mocking tone.

"Whatever," he rolled his eyes. "Come on," he grabbed her hand again. "Let's go."

She smiled as she looked at him. "Okay, I'll behave."

"Thank you."

"For now," she giggled.

As they started to walk off, it began to drizzle. The rain started off lightly, but picked up very quickly. Before they could even process it, the rain was pouring down on them. Hazel put her hand up to shield her eyes. Theodore swiftly took off his jacket and held it over her head. "Come on," he said, "let's go to that pavilion." They ran over to a small pavilion. It covered a small patch of concrete and a few picnic tables. They sat at one of the tables across from each other. Theo put his jacket beside him. The two of them looked over and watched the rain.

"Shit, that came out of nowhere," he spoke.

"Yeah, I didn't even know it was going to rain today," Hazel exclaimed.

"It wasn't supposed to! I checked like five times."

"Aw, man." She looked at him. "Theo, you're soaked!"

"Eh, I'm okay."

"You didn't have to shield me. I would've been fine."

"It was first instinct. I mean, you're wearing crop tops."

"But you must be freezing!"

"It's a little cold, yeah. I'll be fine, though."

"No, you're gonna get sick!"

"Hazel, I'll be fine."

She grunted. "Maybe we should just... Go home and change."

"What? We've barely been here for a half hour."

"No, I mean, go home, change, and maybe do something else? We could go get food or watch a movie or something."

"Oh! Yeah, I guess that could work."

"Okay," she pulled her cell phone out of her purse. "I can call a cab and-"

"No, save your money, I'll drive us."

"What? No, no, no, I don't want to be a bother."

"Hazel." He grabbed her hand. "You're not going to bother me. Let me drive you so you don't have to take three different cabs."

"Oh, okay, fine."

"We're gonna have to run through the rain again, though."

"Alright."

The two of them got up, and Theo pulled out his keys. He went to hold his jacket over her head, but she grabbed one side while he held the other. "We'll share it," she said. He chuckled and held part of the jacket over his head, too.

He grabbed her hand. "Ready?"

She nodded at him.

"Okay, go!"

The two of them took off, laughing as they held hands. Rain soaked the jacket held above them. It was a fair distance between them and the parking area. They got to his car, and he let go of the jacket. She held it over her head as she went to the other side. He quickly unlocked the car, and they got in. They caught their breath and continued to laugh. "Holy shit," Theo sighed. His hair was dripping wet and his shoulders were drenched. Hazel only had a handful of drips on her.

"Oh, my gosh," she put her hand on her chest and leaned back into her seat. "I can't believe that just happened." She let out a small chuckle.

"I know, right?" Theo had a huge smile on his face. He suddenly felt nervous as they sat side by side.

"I feel bad getting your nice car all wet."

"Oh this? Nah, it's alright. I wasn't really looking for anything fancy. I mostly bought it so the salesman would leave me the fuck alone."

"What kind of car is it?"

"Cadillac CTS."

"A cadillac?! And you're claiming it isn't nice?" She crossed her arms.

"I'm not saying it isn't. I'm just saying, a little rain water won't hurt it."

"Uh huh, okay, you're not trying to act all humble."

"No, I totally want to impress you with my expensive-ass car," he said sarcastically.

She hit his shoulder jokingly. "Shut up."

He chuckled. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry."

The two of them smiled and made eye contact for a minute. Hazel felt butterflies in her chest. He started up the car and spoke, "Alright, just give me the directions."

"For what?"

"To get to your place."

"You don't want to go to yours, first? You're soaked..."

"I'll be fine."

"Theo!"

"Right or left?"

"Theodore!"

"Right or left?!"

"Oh, my gosh, you're so stubborn!"

He got a worried look on his face. "Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to upset you."

"What? Oh, no, no, no, no, no! I was just playing with you."

"Oh," he sighed in relief. "Sorry, I just... I actually can be really stubborn, sometimes."

"No, I didn't mean to alarm you." She rubbed his arm, and he smiled at her. "You can take a right out of here. Then at that tree, take a left."

"Okay."

It was only a short drive over to Hazel's house. It was a small, humble abode in a normal-looking neighborhood. They pulled up in her driveway, and Theo put the car in park. "Okay," she said as she unbuckled, "come on." Theo gave her a confused look. She nodded her head towards the door. "Let's go."

"Huh," he responded, "I thought I was waiting out here."

"No, that'd be rude. Now, come on!"

Theodore and Hazel quickly got out of the car and ran to the door. She unlocked it as fast as she could, and they went in. Her house was sweet but petite. The walls were a off-white color. She had a small brown love seat couch in front of a T.V. on a wooden stand. On the stand were small decorative dolls. There were family portraits on the walls, as well as some metallic floral decorations. Theo looked around feeling slightly nervous. "Stay here," Hazel poked his chest. "I'll grab you a towel. She turned the corner and opened up a small closet. She grabbed a towel and ran up to Theodore. "Thanks," he smiled as he took the towel and began to dry off his hair. "I'll be back," she spoke as she ran off.

Theodore stood there and waited. He was stiff as a board, he wasn't sure what to do with himself. Her house was incredibly clean. He toweled off his shoulders and tried his best to dry off his shirt. Hazel came out pretty quickly. She came out in a over-sized pastel pink cardigan buttoned up with a lacy white camisole tank top underneath. She also wore straight legged soft pants and white Converse sneakers. Her cardigan was so big that the sleeves covered her hands, but it was one of her favorite shirts. "Sorry," she said, "I figured I'd put on something more comfortable than stylish."

"What do you mean," Theo responded, "you look cute."

She slapped him jokingly with her sleeve. "You say that with anything I wear."

"Cause you look good in everything."

She slapped him repeatedly with her long sleeves. He chuckled and put his arm up as defense. "Okay, come on," she grabbed his hand and headed for the door, "let's go to your place so you can get changed."

"Oh, uh-"

"What? You gonna change in the sewer?"

"Well, my house is sort of... shitty."

She tilted her head and crossed her arms. "Theodore. You said the same thing about your expensive car." She grabbed an umbrella with one hand and his hand with her other. "Now, come on, let's go." She opened up the umbrella as they stepped out, and they ran under the umbrella together until they got to his car.

They came into an average neighborhood to a medium-sized house. Hazel was a little surprised. She was expecting something big and fancy like his car was. As they pulled into the driveway, Theo sighed, "Alright, so, I'm gonna warn you now. My house is... old. I've only been in it for a few years, but I'm not necessarily the best at keeping up with cleaning or maintenance. So... It's a little messy."

Hazel shrugged. "What, are you a hoarder or something?"

"No, no. I just... hate cleaning."

"Who doesn't? I doubt your house is as bad as you think it is. You think I'm gonna care if you didn't clean the whole thing before I came here?"

"Um..."

"No! You've barely had time to sleep the last few weeks. I understand if your house is a little messy."

He took a deep breath. "Okay, let's go."

Hazel opened her umbrella and laughed as they ran to the door. Theodore was incredibly nervous. He felt a little insecure of his house at times, and now was especially one of them. He held the door for her. She closed her umbrella and shook off the excess water as she walked in. She turned around and observed her surroundings. There was a leather couch and a glass coffee table over a pale tan rug across from a T.V. on a glass mount. There were family portraits and small pieces of artwork scattered around the walls. Hazel walked in further. "This is what you were worried about?!"

"I know, it's-"

"It's fine, Theodore! It's not messy! Oh, so what? Your glass table has some smudges on it here and there. Oh no!"

"Hazel, please..."

"Theo," she walked up to him and held his upper arms. "You don't have to be insecure. I don't care. You're not a hoarder, you don't have rotting food everywhere, you don't have roaches; your house is fine!"

He sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry. I just... I don't know what came over me."

"Now go get changed before you get a head cold." She patted him on the arm as he walked off. She sat on the couch as she waited. She looked around and saw a photo of a young, tiny Theodore with his mother. She smiled. It was a cute picture.

In his room, Theodore was doing his best not to freak out. Despite his opinion, his house was quite nice and humble. It wasn't super fancy like his car was, but he still couldn't seem to shake the feeling of insecurity. He got changed into a yellow hoodie with an orange hood and strings. He put on some casual black pants and slipped on some checkered slide on canvas shoes. He took a deep breath before he headed back into the living room. Hazel was no longer on the couch...

"Hazel," he called out.

"I'm in here!"

He walked into his kitchen, Hazel was just walking out of it. "Sorry," she said, "I got nosy."

"It's fine..."

"Your house is nice, Theo. It's not a mansion, but it's not a straw hut, either. I'm not going to judge you for having a few dishes in your sink."

"Oh, my gosh," he laughed it off. "You're ridiculous. So, where do you want to go?"

"Huh?"

"Well, we could go grab some food or go watch a movie."

"How about we just stay here?"

"What?"

"We can watch a movie here, right?"

"Oh, uh, I guess. I have a few movies I've been meaning to watch, I just haven't had time."

"Great! We can watch them together."

"Okay..."

Hazel dragged Theodore over into the living room. He had a couple movies on one of the shelves of the T.V. mount.

"You want to choose one," he asked her.

"Yeah, sure." She went over to the mount. She looked through three different DVDs. She hummed as she thought. "This one!" She held it up with excitement.

"Okay, cool." Theo came over and knelt down. He powered on the DVD player and put in the movie. Hazel went over to the couch and waited. As everything was set up, Theo came and sat next to her. She scooted over until they were hip to hip. She leaned her head on his shoulder and wrapped both of her arms around his one. Theo's heart was racing, and his body went stiff. She could feel how tense he was.

"Relax," she said. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"I know," he sighed. "I don't know why I'm so anxious."

"I know why... but I won't say it."

"What?"

"Figure it out." She smiled, remembering what he had said to her when he was drunk.

After a few hours, the movie finally came to an end. Hazel and Theodore both had disgruntled looks on their faces. They faced each other.

"So..." Theodore started. "What did you think?"

"It sucked," Hazel exclaimed.

Theo burst into laughter. "Oh, thank fuck, I'm not the only one. I didn't want to seem like I was being cocky since I make movies."

"No, no, that was awful! I mean, the plot made absolutely no sense! It was so rushed. Another hour would've done the movie good."

"And maybe different writers."

"Yes! It was terrible!"

The two laughed together for a moment. "Want to watch another one," Theo asked.

"Maybe. What time is it?"

Theo looked over his shoulder. "It's 6:30."

"No, I should probably be heading home by now."

"Okay."

"I'll call a cab."

"I can drive you."

"I will call a cab. I appreciate you being so nice to me, but I'd really hate to be a bother. Truthfully, I need a little time to decompress."

"Oh, okay. I understand."

Hazel called up a cab, and it wasn't too far away. Theo walked her over to the door, and they hugged their goodbyes. As they pulled away, Theo ran his hand down her arm and grabbed her hand. He looked from her eyes to her lips then back to her eyes with a smile on his face.

"This might seem out of line," he says. "You know what? Nevermind."

Hazel tilted her head. "What?"

"Nothing, nothing."

"Come on." She stood on her toes for a second then back down. "You can tell me."

"I don't want to scare you."

"Whaaat?"

"Um..." He cleared his throat. "Can I kiss you?"

Hazel gasped. "What?!"

"Sorry, sorry, I know that was weird." Theo got incredibly nervous.

"Yes!"

"Sorry-"

"No, I mean, yes, you can kiss me!" She giggled and bounced excitedly.

"Wait, really?" He smiled, a little shocked.

"Yes! Please!"

He chuckled nervously. "Okay, um..." He held the side of her face and closed his eyes as he slowly leaned in. Hazel closed her eyes, but she started squealing and giggling in excitement. Theo pulled back and laughed.

"Sorry, sorry," she giggled, "I just... Hehehehe!"

"Just tell me when you're ready."

She took a few deep breaths. "Okay, I'm ready."

He gently grabbed the side of her neck with his other hand on her hip and leaned in, but she started to smile and squeak again.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She giggled. She took another deep breath. "I'm ready, I'm ready."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I promise this time."

"One more time, okay? If you're too nervous, I won't do it."

"No, I'm not nervous. I mean, I am, but I'm also just excited!" She chuckled again.

He grabbed her chin and slowly leaned in. She closed her eyes once he got close. He closed his eyes, leaned his head to the right, and kissed her softly. She put her hands on his jaw as she kissed him back. It wasn't just a small peck. It was a genuine, romantic kiss. He drew back slowly and laughed nervously. "Sorry," he apologized.

"Why are you apologizing? You're soft."

He blushed heavily. "Oh, um-"

"Can we kiss again?"

"What?"

"Can we kiss again?"

"Oh, yeah, um-"

She grabbed him behind the head and pulled him in for a deep kiss. They got lost as they kissed passionately for a few minutes. Theo pulled back and gulped. She laughed at the bashful look on his face.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," he said.

"For what?"

"I... I don't know."

She smiled at him and shrugged. "Stop worrying about it and come here." She hugged him, and she could feel his body relax in her arms. They swayed slowly side to side. Theo felt his heart rate slow. He felt like he could fall asleep in her arms. He quickly went from awkwardly tense to securely relaxed. The moment was ruined as her cab pulled up and honked. "I gotta go," she spoke with a huge smile. "I'll call you tomorrow, okay?"

Theo smiled. "Okay."

She kissed him on the cheek as a goodbye before she walked out of the door and opened her umbrella. He closed the door and put his back to it. He slid down to the ground and put his hands on his face. He was completely flustered again. He couldn't believe that just happened, he couldn't believe he just did that! He took a few sharp breaths. He went to the bathroom and splashed his face with cold water. He was freaking out a little bit. He kissed her, and she kissed him back. The moment seemed so small but felt so big to him. She made him so nervous but in a good way. When she came around, he was mostly calm, but when she was gone, he couldn't stop overthinking and worrying about ruining it or scaring her away.

But as her cab pulled off, she couldn't stop smiling as she watched out the window. She was so happy that he finally kissed her. It ensured her that he really did like her. He like liked her. Her heart was fluttering, and her legs felt weak. At this point, she felt that she was head over heels for him, and she was almost sure he felt the same way. She kicked her legs as she kept thinking about the kiss; how soft he was, how gentle he was... It kept playing over and over in her head. Then she remembered something. She pulled out her cell phone and sent a text to her friend Lia:

It happened. We kissed.

#pizza tower #noise #the noise #noisette #pizza tower fanfic #fanfic #pink fic

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chaifootsteps · 1 year ago

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I'd really like to visit a cat or dog cafe but this talk about the owl and mini pigs cafe is making me worried. Are dog and cat cafes just as bad?

Depends on the specific cafe, but it's a lot easier to find an ethical dog or cat cafe than it is an exotic animal one. A number of them work closely with rescues.

#Anonymous #actual blog post

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nanathott · 7 months ago

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this or that^^

cat/dog cafe or other animal cafe (like mini pigs or birds)

reality shows or documentaries

roller coasters or water slides

pen or pencil

lined, dotted, or graph paper

multiple choice or short essay question

work from office or home

sight or sound

happy endings or tragedy

sleep with bedroom door open or closed

-i believe people who sleep with their doors open are maniacs, like how do you do that

POOKIE I MISSED U!!!

i’m a sucker for kitty cafes even tho i am horribly allergic, documentaries!!! put me alone in a room with a nature documentary and i will not leave, this one was hard but i think rollercoasters, pencils >>, line paper, multiple choice, work from home, sight, happy endings but lately ive been a sucker for tragedies…., CLOSED. until i was 14 i slept with my door wide open and if u saw what my hallway looks like u would think i fear nothing, idk how the fuck i did that for so long

it’s a long dark old hallway PITCH BLACK with a mirror at the end that faces my bed directly… i was inside

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sa-ku-ra-fu-bu-ki · 1 year ago

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【Kenjiro Tsuda】 Visiting the mini pig cafe in Harajuku

(Visitando el mini pig cafe)

#seiyuu #voice actor #actor de voz #kenjirou tsuda #tsuda kenjiro #japanece voice #kenjiro tsuda #his voice #seiyuu love #tsuda ken

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the-homunculus-project · 3 months ago

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It's been ten days since I posted any original content

and five since I last posted at all. Truth be told I've been very melancholic these past few days. I suspect it might have something to do with the medication I'm on but I've got practically no motivation to do anything. Ichabod The Homunculus is growing very slowly by the looks of it, which is quite shocking given the speedy gestation time of pigs. Though, these days he's seemed to have lost most if not all of his pig-like attributes.

Humans and pigs do look pretty similar as fetuses. Feti? Whatever. The point is that he still looks fine and I just need to keep waiting. I've gotta do a lot of it, and feeding this thing is getting expensive. Should I be worried about the lack of movement just yet?

Either way, I'll be going on a mini vacation this weekend to do touristy stuff with a friend. I finally get to achieve a lifelong dream and go to the rainforest cafe: world of overpriced food and gaudy animatronics.

#horror #rambles #text post #unreality #homunculus #homunculi #nick blogs #rainforest cafe

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uriekukistan · 8 months ago

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i’m stuck outside my house and my mom isn’t picking up :) anyways mutsurie thoughts of the day cuz i miss them 🎤

helppp i hope your mom let you in 😭😭😭 (its been like 2hrs so) thank you for the ask!

domestic mursurie and pets thoughts for u! they both like animals and the idea of having a pet together, but also they're a bit unsure about it. mutsuki doesn't trust himself to be a pet dad, and urie wouldn’t like the potential mess. they end up going to a lot of cat & dog cafes to fill their desire for pets, and then branch out and start going to more obscure animal cafes, like there's actually a capybara cafe in tokyo? as well as hedgehog cafes, mini pig cafes, etc. eventually they decide to get an aquarium with some fish as a starter pet for the two of them. they require less constant attention than a dog or a cat, which is relieving for anxious mutsuki, and their mess is contained to their aquarium, which is relieving for neat freak urie

#tokyo ghoul #tokyo ghoul :re #tgre #urie kuki #tooru mutsuki #mutsurie

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zacharyja · 6 months ago

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Sunday, June 16, 2024

Exploring Kyoto, Nijo Castle and Kyoto Tower

Goodmorning, today began at about 9:15 with a brisk shower and a swift change of clothes before heading over to the Hongan-ji temple area again, this time within the operating hours. Once here we were all impressed by the stunning beauty of the temples here. I was glad that we were able to actually go inside of this temple, as many only allow you to view from the outside. This allowed for some really great up close views of the interior which all are insanely extravagant and donned with golden finishes. This complex was pretty massive and included quite a few different temples, all of which were massive and quite the sight for sore eyes.

While here we realized we had reservations for a mini pig cafe and had to quickly head over to the bus stop to make it to Shijo Kawaramachi in time. We got there about a minute late but it was okay as they were not mad at us thankfully. We were then escorted up to the second floor where all the pigs were hanging out, they gave us a blanket to cover our legs and then the pigs seemingly instinctually came over and sat in our laps. The pigs were very adorable and were surprisingly cuddly. They were all chewing on something the entire time which seemed to calm them down a bit. The pigs were a lot of fun though I felt kind of bad for them as many had chewed up ears and we even saw two of them get into a bit of a tussle and according to the employee they are not exactly friends.

Following this we headed over to Nijo castle, and this was my second time here so I do not have a whole lot to say other than it was pretty nice to see for a second time though not much changed (and hasn’t since 1603). But being at the former residence of the first Tokugawa shogun always feels remarkable.

After walking through the palace and viewing the castle grounds, we made way for Kyoto Tower, which is not very tall in contrast to the Tokyo Skytree that we just visited. Though it was nice to get to see all of Kyoto from the top of a very tall tower (130 meters, by no means small but is dwarfed by the 630 meter Skytree). The view was cool but I can only be impressed by so many observation towers, as eventually swathes of city from above just look the same. This one was pretty cool though as it was lower and you could make out more of the buildings. We were able to see Toji temple and the Hongan-ji temples from a birds eye perspective and I was a fan of that (pictured below).

After viewing Kyoto from above, we went back to the hotel to rest up for a bit before getting dinner. We were all decently hungry and since it was father’s day we decided to go out somewhere nice, this consisted of me searching for a nice Teppanyaki place somewhere nearby. I found one that had good reviews and looked good that was about a 15 minute walk away inside a hotel within Kyoto station. It was rather tricky to find the place and we ended up having to ask for help, though we made it eventually. Once at the restaurant we were treated pretty nicely and given a seat in front of one of the grills, we then picked out our set course for the meal and ordered a drink.

I ordered the wagyu steak course which came with Citrus flavored Salmon Confit with Cervelle de Canut and Caviar that melted in my mouth like warm butter, Potato Potage soup, specially selected Japanese Kuroge Wagyu Beef Filet, various grilled vegetables, salad, garlic steak rice, miso soup, Japanese pickled vegetables, and a dessert consisting of mandarin oranges on vanilla and raisin ice cream. This meal was phenomenal and it was really fun to watch the chef meticulously prepare everything for us, my dad and brother even ate prawn brains which seemed kind of gross to me. The restaurant also had a great view of Kyoto Tower at night when it was all lit up, very cool experience overall!

Once we finished our meal, we headed down and went back to the hotel to get some rest.

#japan

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forensicated · 7 months ago

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02x06 - This Little Pig

TW: Racism based on the time of writing/filming (mid 80's)

Taffy is out on patrol with everything seeming normal and boring... until he hears some oinking coming from an alleyway...

"Going out in pairs are we today, mate?" 😂

Reg is complaining about back pain after hurting himself on a training course. "He who dares ricks his back!" Viv mocks.

The manager of the City Farm phones to report 2 pigs missing. Viv has to ask him to hold on while she stifles a laugh and then passes the message to Bob. "Two of our pigs are missing... It's the City Farm. They've had a breakout!"

Pete is unimpressed to be asked to pick up the pig in the police van but Bob explains the man from the farm can't pick it up as he only has a Mini! He sends Jim to help him because "He's good with kids... he's probably good with animals." Great logic! In the meantime Roger Phillpot from the farm arrives to help Taffy keep the pig calm, explaining someone let them out deliberately by wirecutters making a huge hole. He admits they've had a few animal rights people send letters recently. Plonk is returned to the farm and now they must track down Pickle! "You're not a vegetarian are you?" he asks Taffy. "Oh no, I'm Welsh. I eat anything" Without any evidence (they've binned the letters) there's little else the police can do than keep an eye out for Pickle. Phillpot goes cold on Taffy, apologising for 'bothering him' sarcastically. Pete then purposely brushes pig poo out of the van and onto Taffy's uniform. It's not his day! Pete drops Taffy at a local cafe where he goes for a cup of tea.

Pete moans he's had no overtime for 2 months and that it's resulted in a big cut of his normal wage. "Money isn't everything." "True, there's always sex." he purrs, eyeing a secretary who ignores him. Pete moans that he has commitments to pay for and he wants a big murder to happen for the overtime. Yorkie points out that it's not exactly something to announce and Pete claims the others would be straight in there claiming for extra hours too.

Yorkie says Pete must have been paid a bomb for the recent (March 84-March 85. This aired 23 Dec 85) miners strikes and he spent more time in Yorkshire than Yorkshire-born Yorkie did! Pete claims Scargil caved in too soon because only half of his holiday had been paid off. June points out he shouldn't have spent most of it on a new motorbike and Abe asks if he put any away for the tax man. Pete claims the tax man already had it because they're PAYE. Abe points out that's only at the basic rate. If he's earnt over that, they'll come for him. Pete claims he's winding him up and Yorkie shakes his head. Pete asks Bob if it's true and Bob explains that yes, the tax man has already had his share of the miner's strike overtime money for most of them... "But not for super grabbers like you."

Ted reads a bulletin that claims the ban on overtime won't affect the amount of work the police get done. "Pedantic little twat." Ted growls about the author (Brownlow's soon-to-retire Clerk who has just asked him to get Roy to redo an expenses claim and moaned about Dashers not being clocked in despite being out on a job). Immigration call Roy about a job and Ted asks what's happening. "Deporting all the Irish and you're first." Roy complains about the CID boys not being further along on jobs and Ted points out that's because of the cancellation of overtime. Roy heads out for the first of two meetings, amused that his expenses claim didn't make the grade. "What's the matter, didn't I claim enough?"

Reg fancies becoming the Superintendent's next clerk and asks what Bob thinks about him applying. "I honestly can't think of anyone more suitable at Sun Hill. The only problem is, it's not a job for an able-bodied copper." Reg wonders if his back has been permanently damaged. "It'd match your brain then, wouldn't it..." Viv snarks. Reg tries to speak to Brownlow about applying for the job but before he can get the request out properly, the Superintendent literally runs up the stairs to avoid talking to him.

Roy tells Bob that Immigration want to borrow 3 officers and will arrive at 11.30 to raid a sweatshop. Bob isn't happy about it, not wanting to do their dirty work for them and tells Roy they're there "to catch villains, not go after some poor sod born in the wrong country."

A shop selling furs reports animal life protesters preventing people entering. Three officers are sent with Bob warning Jim to be careful how he handles it. Taffy answers and is sent over too. Jim enters the shop first and asks the manager if he wants the people removed. One of the protesters tells Jim they're only putting forward a different point of view and, actually, they do mind being asked to leave the shop and so sit down. Pete says they have 1 chance to leave under their own steam or they'll be dragged out. When they don't move, Pete and Jim drag out each protester. They then get arrested for charging at Jim and knocking him over, threatening to do it again even if they do keep getting arrested.

Taffy is mocked by Pete for arriving once the protesters are in the van and claims that there was no point calling him while he was in the cafe. Taffy says he wasn't, he was pounding the beat "covered in pig shit thanks to you," and shouts at Pete for dropping him in it with Bob. Pete says he hadn't, "Cryer already knows you're a lazy git!" At the station, Taffy tells Bob that he was in the cafe for 2 minutes and that he has witnesses. Bob tells him he's not blind and knows that Taffy 'disappears' sometimes, forcing him to admit it before letting him go to change his trousers.

Bob processes the campaigners with them starting to sing a monotonous round of 'on, and on, and on and on again' until Bob shouts at them to "SHUT UP!" Jim claims they were arrested for threatening behaviour and breach of the peace. They add "You're all a load of bastards." and "We'll do it again and again until the murder stops." They refuse to comply with willingly handing their property over so June and Pete take them for a strip search.

Reg delivers one of the most Reg-esque clips in this episode too!

Nick offers just after to go do the body search for her if she wants and Reg cuts in. "I wouldn't if I were you mate. You can catch all sorts of things these days!"

The female prisoner being searched by June is obstructive, insisting that June undress her. "Do you enjoy degrading your fellow women?" she asks with June ignoring her attempts to start an argument.

Nick calls CID about a burglary and can't get hold of Dashers or Ted so contacts Roy. Roy asks if there's been any mention of a wardrobe and, confused, Nick tells him there hasn't been.

In the cells the protesters are still changing 'Fur Traders Out', and 'Here We Go' driving the officers mad with Bob calling them more trouble than bank robbers. He can't risk bailing them so has to keep them overnight for court.

The immigration officer arrives, requesting 3 officers. Bob says he hopes they're not too lucky as they're already almost full in the cells. Abe is also sent over to help. Jim is not impressed about having to help Immigration but Pete is happy to. The man reminds the officers they're only there in case of breach of the peace, they don't need to do anything otherwise. Immigration go upstairs, speaking to the owner of the sweatshop and then to the staff and take one gentleman back with them. "Another blow against the black economy!" Pete beams, before making further racist remarks to Abe.

Roy speaks to the woman who reported the robbery. Despite the confusion, a wardrobe was wrongly delivered to the address prior to the burglary. A neighbour let them in and then, 3/4 of an hour later, let them in again to collect it after they 'realised it was the wrong address'. Roy explains to the women there was likely a man inside the wardrobe and that he and what they took were taken out by the delivery men who are also in on it.

The man removed from the sweatshop is interviewed and admits being in the country illegally. Reluctantly Bob has to agree to hold him until immigration can arrange his deportation.

Pete has arranged a position moonlighting to fill a gap until overtime is allowed again. He's going to be a minder for rich men, £50 a night cash in hand. He claims that in 2 weeks the tax problem will be sorted and another couple of weeks after will pay his holiday off. Jim points out that it'll conflict with his job but Pete insists it'll be fine.

Mike couldn't speak to the shop that the delivery people pretended to be from to see if there was anyone in the dispatch who could be leaking details because of the ban on overtime. Roy is fuming and tries to speak to Brownlow about it but his clerk is obstructive but allows him to make an appointment to speak to Brownlow at 2pm.

June watches as a bride and groom leave the church. She recognises the groom and radios to Taffy to ask about him. Taffy should have been in court the week before for a firearms charge with the groom but he didn't show... She's definitely found him now! The couple and their guests come together for photographs as Taffy and Pete turn up in the van. "Everybody say 'Suspended Sentence!" a man croons with a grin before the groom's face falls, having spotted the officers. They return to the station with the wedding cars following close behind.

(sideview of the station down Artichoke Hill. The 'station' might now be flats but the building behind it still stands with the bottom now a Dominos Pizza shop. The blocks of flats are also still standing though a large group of trees now obscures them from view somewhat.)

The bride's father claims it'll just be 5 minutes for the groom to be charged before they can go on to the reception. The entire wedding party appears to have joined them(!) "Gawd, you think they'd paint it a nicer colour!" June joins them for a bit of wedding cake in the waiting room!

Bob asks them all to clear off because the groom is being held overnight because he skipped off last time. His bride brings him a bit of cake as she comes to say goodnight to him and kiss him goodbye until the next day. She's very forgiving considering!

The gentleman from the sweatshop is very nervous and frightened, refusing food when Taffy does his rounds. He takes the protester's beans on toast but the first refuses it because she's vegan and there's butter on the toast. She then pushes the tray so it covers Taffy in beans. Taffy is furious, booking off for the evening.

Brownlow refuses overtime for the wardrobe burglars who have been doing jobs all over Sun Hill. He calls Bob upstairs for the meeting too and tells them the overtime ban is going to be around for quite some time and that unless it's a major robbery, GBH, murder or rape there will not be any overtime allowed. Having said all that, this must not be allowed to affect their output(!) Bob points out that this meeting has been called after his shift so, technically he should be on overtime. Brownlow tells him that it's coming from on high so has to be passed down and Bob snaps back to ask if anything is being fed back to them about how their money-saving schemes just do not work in practice.

Bob is struggling to put even one officer out daily on foot patrol. Roy adds that they're asked to do the job with both hands tied behind their backs and that the overtime ban does not extend to the villains and as a result he's lost 2 major results that he and CID had already spent many working hours on, only to not get a result from them because they couldn't do extra - much needed - work. How is that cost-effective? "Are we policeman or accountants?" Brownlow repeatedly tells them that they have to find a cheaper and more efficient way of doing their jobs and that it'll benefit them in the future and give them more money to use where it's truly needed. (Newsflash from 2024: No it doesn't! All they do is continue to cut much-needed services to the bone and expect savings to be made where there isn't enough money to fund the basics in the first place.) "What you're saying is that we're deliberately not solving crime now so we can solve it in the year 2000?." "Certain inquiries are more cost-effective than others." "Someone ought to tell the poor sods who think the police are here to help them!"

Pete is placed onto nights the following month because of annual leave... he's not going to be able to do the minder job after all!

The reception is held in the station local as Bob and Roy continue complaining about the politics involved. Abe reveals to Sadie and Jim that he has three daughters, aged 7, 5, and 2. Jim follows him out to go play cricket with him and the kids at the park. Nick drops in for a pint before he goes to Brownlow's house to decorate his bathroom(!) Bob tells Roy that Pete, who is sulking at the bar, received £5K (just shy of 15K in today's money) for policing the miner's strikes whereas he struggled to staff even basic limits at the same time. Roy sighs and tells him it's the same as teachers, meals on wheels and social services so to drink up and shut up.

Incase you're wondering, after Pete and Taffy leave the farm - Pickle isn't mentioned again!

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mandbtravels · 7 months ago

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Day three in Tokyo 🇯🇵

Up and out of the hotel for 9am, heading to the imperial palace, beautiful serene and peaceful gardens.

Then we hopped onto the metro to Toyosu, a quick lunch at a local restaurant for ¥1940 (£9.82) we had a massive lunch of teriyaki chicken rice bowl for Michael’s and I had a tofu undon noodle soup and small rice bowl and a beer each, lovely! Then to the teamLabs Planets fully immersive art works experience, I’ve already post about this!

Back onto the metro and off to Harajuku, busy streets with lots of shops and cafe’s and all the animal cafe’s you could wish for including mini pigs and otters! We stuck to something a little more simple of a dorayaki cafe, small pancake deserts with your filling of choice, Michael had strawberry cream with whipped cream and fresh strawberries and I had custard, very yummy!

We then walked to the iconic Shibuya scramble crossing, so many people!! We headed to the second floor of the Tsutaya bookstore to the shared lounge where for ¥2200 each we could have unlimited alcohol and food for an hour whilst we people watched. A quick pit stop to another gatcha arcade where some yen was spent and we had a great time!

Back to Shinjuku to Kaiten Sushi Hibari for fresh hand rolled sushi made infront of us by two chefs! For ¥3300 we had 11 plates of sushi and 2 beers, amazing food and very full!

We ended the day with a 40 minute foot massage and 10 min neck and shoulder massage, this was needed after 3 days of 20,000+ steps!

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dojae-huh · 1 year ago

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Well, I'm watching the last 10th episode of Lastart (additional ones for Japanese) without subs, and I can even follow the conversation. Not everything is lost with me...

The members are interesting enough. Sakuya and Ryo are actually the weirdos of the bunch, the first thinks in an uncommon way, the second one is mentally older than his age despite his kid antics (the old soul). Daeyoung has been learning piano for 8 years and is very good. I can't believe he had studied Japanese for just 3 months prior to the shooting of the programme, he supported the conversation very well, maybe once or twice only switching to Korean. Seems like he is another memory machine among neos. Everyone likes anime except for Jungmin (he has watched Naruto though), so they started "to bully" him into joining the rest and catching up. Daeyoung likes Makoto Shinkai. When he first came to Japan, he heard the music from Shinkai's anime in his head.

Sakuya wants to learn many languages, which prompted the host to talk about NCT as a whole, how many languages they speak (I guess he met only 127 as he didn't mention Chinese). I like that the programme introduced two-way approach. It was not only about Koreans coming to discover Japan and their love for Japanese products, but also Japanese wanting to go explore the world.

Japan has a lot of animal cafes of all kinds. Which, actually, needs to be regulated because an owl cafe is not something I'd approve of, and they exist. L-kids were brought to a mini-pig cafe.

Riku and Jungmin. Riku is another anime guy to add to the neo list. He is a bishounen, he knows he is handsome, pretty confident in himself, at the same time he does cute stuff and has cute dreams, like wanting to work at a bakery. I've seen such characters. Side note: Japanese mangakas are actually very good at portraying Japanese, some artists even depict the characteristic anatomy to a t. Sometimes what seems like fictional/stylised for a foreigner, actually isn't and has a counterpart in real life.

#the even unit

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airanddust · 1 year ago

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Eight days in Tokyo

After three years we finally made it to Japan. Back in 2020, Robert and I originally planned to visit Tokyo, Kyoto, and Osaka, and then you-know-what came along. Fast-forward to this year, when, while checking my airline miles, I found I had enough to book us (awful, but virtually free) roundtrip economy tickets for an eight-day trip to Tokyo—so we went for it in mid-September.

Note to self: wait until REAL autumn to go to Japan. I’m pretty sure I got heat exhaustion during our trip. The humidity was suffocating and made the real temp feel like 99º F and was severely tiring.

Where we stayed

We stayed at the Dormy Inn Korakuen in Bunkyo City, right by the Tokyo Dome. It was reasonably priced in a quiet part of town. They sold me on the amenities, which included an onsite onsen—accompanied by a yogurt drink in the morning or ice cream bar at night—along with free ramen in the evenings, a massage chair (which we discovered far too late), and an extensive manga library.

We got a double room, and while I was preparing for it to be incredibly tiny based on what I’d heard about Japan hotel rooms, it wasn’t quite as small as I expected and held all our things with room for us to still move around.

What we planned

Months ago we started compiling a Google map of all the places we wanted to go, made a reservation at a mini pig cafe, and bought a three-attraction pass using Klook primarily to visit Tokyo DisneySea. (There is apparently no other way for foreign tourists to get Disney tickets unless you have a Japan mailing address.) We later added the Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise and TeamLab Planets, which meant we had four scheduled events and were free to explore the rest of the time.

What we did

Day 1: travel day

From Narita airport we took the Skyliner to connect to another train to our hotel, which took over an hour and a half, but actually longer than that overall because the ticketing was confusing and we were jet lagged.

Finally we figured out we needed both a Suica card (which you can use on almost every train) and a dedicated Skyliner ticket to get to Tokyo proper. From there we used Google Maps, our most trusted ally, to navigate to Bunkyo City.

The trains in Japan are clean and efficient and most stations play cheery recordings of bird songs. People line up in orderly fashion to board. The thing that most stood out to me, being from Seattle, is that there was not a hint of urine in any of the station elevators or hallways. Every place we went felt safe even at night. The trains seemingly go everywhere in the city and they’re easy to use with Google Maps, which even tells you which car to board for the best transfer. 10/10.

Day 2: Bunkyo City, Toshima City, and Harajuku

We got breakfast at 7-Eleven, which carries all manner of food and drink and even blenders to make your smoothie and a microwave to heat up whatever food you bought. We accidentally ate in without telling the cashier. (Turns out you pay 10 percent tax to dine in vs 8 percent to take out, which we didn’t realize because the sign was in Japanese in the back of the seating area.) In addition to food, konbini stores like 7-Eleven also have fax machines, ATMs, and the ability to replenish your Suica card, which is something we did a lot.

After our 7-Eleven experience we explored the manic overwhelm that is the 24-hour mega-mart Don Quixote, grabbed some pastries at BOU’LANGE, and walked around Koishikawa Korakuen garden to take pictures.

We rode the train north to the Sunshine City Mall where we hit the Pokémon Center and Gashapon Ikebukuro, the world’s largest capsule toy store.

We noticed a bunch of teenagers crowding around the mall’s central atrium and found out it was because a K-pop band called CIX was about to perform. We were going to stick around to see how it went until we found out there was an aquarium on the roof (?!?) and went there instead. We saw rare Baikal seals, which are the only mammals that live in Russia’s Lake Baikal, the deepest body of water in the world, along with river otters, penguins, pelicans, sharks, and a bunch of other fish.

That night we had a reservation at MiPig Cafe Harajuku where we got to hang out with baby pigs for about 40 minutes. (We booked an hour, but their system is such that you spend about half an hour sitting on the floor, then the rest of the time getting up to leave and checking out.)

One little pig fell asleep on me before another one came over to bully him off my lap. The staff explained many of the pigs are siblings, and there are lots of rivalries. Sure enough, we saw the same pigs start fights multiple times while we were there. It was adorable but also left me wondering what happens to the pigs after they grow up…? Maybe I shouldn’t think about that.

Day 3: Yokohama

We took the world’s longest train ride (only slightly exaggerating) to Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise, which is kind of like a distributed theme park on an island about an hour and a half outside the city.

We saw a SeaWorld-style show with beluga whales and dolphins and wandered labyrinthine hallways of aquariums. I rode a dinky little roller coaster called Surf Leviathan while Robert went to the Umi Farm, where he caught a sea bream they then cooked and served him.

A dolphin at the up-close-and-personal FUREAI Lagoon chucked a basketball to me—I was so surprised—and after I threw it back, he chose Robert next and then continued down the line of people standing along the wall.

We had yakiniku at Satsuki in Bunkyo City that night, up three flights of tiny stairs in a cramped building that was very cozy.

Day 4: Shibuya + Ginza

We headed over to Shibuya and popped out of the subway right into a festival at Shibuya Crossing, then traversed the famous crossing for ourselves.

We made our way to Flipper’s for soufflé pancakes (well worth the hourlong wait) before nearly sweating to death walking through Yoyogi Park to Meiji Jingu, a shrine where we accidentally crashed not one but two weddings. At this point it was so hot I didn’t think I could make it to the next train station. The humidity was demoralizing.

We hit up Ginza next and walked around what felt like a never-ending indoor mall, then got custom-printed drinks at Nissan Crossing. I got the chocolate latte and Robert ordered the lemonade and both were delicious.

The flagship Muji store had been on our list for a while and we were excited to check out all seven floors (plus hotel and food?!?) but it turned out three floors were closed for renovation, so we didn’t get to witness all of the store’s glory. Probably for the best because we ended up bringing home an extra suitcase of souvenirs anyway. Instead we got in line at Tsuru TonTan Udon Noodle Brasserie for dinner, which took over an hour. The udon was decent but I probably wouldn’t return.

Day 5: Tokyo DisneySea

We went to Tokyo DisneySea, which we thought would be less crowded on a Monday than a weekend, but it was so busy I can’t imagine how bad it would have been on a weekend. It was also so hot there were announcements about taking breaks and drinking water, which I’ve never heard at a theme park before, even having grown up in Florida. At one point I couldn’t even muster up the energy to move across a sunny walkway—I had to stop and sit for a few minutes before my body would let me go on.

Many hours were spent in line for Indiana Jones, Journey to the Center of the Earth, and 20,000 Leagues of the Sea, and our feet paid the price. I’m not a huge fan of Disney rides—I appreciate the theming, but the thrill level isn’t there for me—so I don’t think they were worth waits of that length, but I’m still glad I rode them since these rides are Tokyo-specific. I heard someone compare Tokyo DisneySea to Universal and it did feel more like that than a typical Disney park. The seaside theming and landscaping is really on point.

Day 6: Akihabara + Ueno

On Tuesday we explored Akihabara and Ueno, where I’m pretty sure I got heat exhaustion because I was tired and confused and barely able to finish sentences. After taking a break I was ready to give it another shot. Ueno is stuffed with signs, shops, souvenirs, and shrines, and was probably the biggest sensory overload of the trip for me.

We stopped at Pastel Caffe for honey toast and a caramelized banana parfait that revitalized me for our self-guided tour of Ueno Park and the Shinobazunoike Benten-do temple, where a lady randomly approached us and proceeded to, uh, bless us?

After being…blessed?…we went to Monster Hunter Cafe, which Robert had been wanting to check out after a renewed interest in their mobile game. The city’s many vending machines already had me hooked on strawberry milk but Monster Hunter’s version took it to another level (or maybe it was the heat exhaustion 😅).

Ueno boasts a great many souvenir stalls and brightly lit claw game shops, where Robert won an Oshi No Ko stuffed character. He also ran into a guy from the States who asked for a picture together since they were both wearing LA Rams gear.

Day 7: Ginza + Bunkyo City + TeamLab Planets

On our last full day, we got reservations at the six-seat Michelin-starred ramen shop Chukasoba Ginza Hachigou (h/t Koes!). You line up at nine a.m. to get tickets for a timed entry, then return at the time they assign you. While we waited for our slot we ventured over to Roar Coffeehouse; Ginza’s Pokemon Center; a shopping mall; and Ginza Petit Custa. When we returned to Chukasoba, we were served the chef-recommended "ravioli" ramen we'd ordered earlier. I'm no food expert but the ramen was pretty dang good.

With souvenirs piling up (cough Pokemon Center cough) we needed a suitcase to take back home, so we went by Ginza Karen (which, to my disappointment, was not staffed entirely by Karens), apparently a well-known luggage store. We settled on a Japanese-made bright yellow roller bag.

That night I wanted to ride the Thunder Dolphin coaster that was basically across the street from our hotel, but, true to its name, it was closed due to thunderstorms so instead we went up to the neighboring Bunkyo Civic Center observatory (for free!) to take in nearly-360-degree views of the city.

We shopped for some more souvenirs and Japan-specific skincare products at good ol’ Don Quixote before grabbing the abalone course at Grow in Bunkyo City, which was delicious. I wish we’d had time to finish the entire course but, alas, we had to miss the garlic rice and dessert because otherwise we’d have been late for our TeamLab Planets reservation.

Speaking of TeamLab Planets, I wasn’t sure what to expect because reviews were mixed, but it was a fun experience. It bills itself as an interactive art museum, and most of the exhibits offer completely unique experiences that will never be recreated. In the koi room you wade through knee-deep water while virtual fish swim around you in real-time projections that are based on your movement and the amount of people in the room. Our favorite was the flowers in space projection, another unique exhibit where it feels like you’re floating through a universe of flowers and butterflies.

Our last stop was Lawson’s for plane snacks and a final serving of strawberry milk, because I’m addicted and convenience stores back home are trash compared to Japan’s.

Day 8: back to the States

Our flight home from Haneda was delayed because…drumroll, please…the captain forgot his ID in his hotel room back in Tokyo. Our completely full plane waited on the tarmac for over an hour as some hapless soul fought traffic to retrieve the captain’s passport before we were allowed to leave. I guess on the bright side, the timing meant we got to see a Pokémon-themed plane as we taxied off, so there’s that.

Tokyo was a feast for the senses and I can’t wait to go back and explore more of Japan (although first I need to learn more than two Japanese words). I already miss the convenience stores, vending machines, trains, and bathrooms—seriously, they’re next level.

Random observations

Generally, walk on the left side of the sidewalk/escalator/etc

DOWNLOAD GOOGLE TRANSLATE! I mean, unless you are fluent in Japanese…

Don’t go in the summer unless you want to get heat stroke

Despite the heat, people mostly wear pants, dresses, and skirts, and everyone dresses much more formally than they do in the States (particularly in Seattle)

Almost no one wears sunglasses—I saw maybe three other people wearing them the whole time, and one of them was a tourist

There’s no tipping in Japan, but there is a two percent tax difference between dining in and taking away

You can apparently only pay cash to reload your Suica card…? Or at least, that was our only option

No one locks up their bikes—it was a shock to see dozens of bikes just sitting around freely, because bike theft apparently isn’t a thing there

There are actual telephone booths around the city

#tokyo #tourist #japan travel #japan trip #japan vacation #wanderlust #ginza tokyo

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