Last day in Tokyo

We thought we'd have a very laid back last day in Tokyo - a late start, a long morning coffee at our fave local (Byron Bay Cafe), a bit of a walk and a return visit to Shibuya and Shinjuki for some shopping, and not much else. 

I'd read that the canal district of Naka-Meguro was pretty lively and interesting so we walked there from Ebisu Station - but we couldn't find any arty little laneways despite my best efforts.

 But the canal was very pretty - and just imagine it in Spring when all those cherry trees are in bloom.

 It was a very stylish area - the shopping would be great if I only had more room in my suitcase.

 We ended up walking all the way back to Shibuya .... Tokyo's Times Square.

 I just love the Shibuya pedestrian crossing - the busiest in the world. We didn't bother viewing it from L'Occitane Cafe or Starbucks this time - just watching it at ground level was fun enough for me.

We then caught the train to Shinjuki and walked around the buzzy lanes of electronics emporiums and Pachinko parlours on the Western side of the station. (We'd only looked at the glossy Eastern side streets on our previous visit)

 I didn't come all this way to find a McDonald's!!!!

 We found a great place for lunch in one of the laneways - yakitori for me and soba noodles for Rob. We're both much more confident in our food ordering now.

And a beautiful dessert to follow: 2 of my favourite food groups; green tea (matcha) ice cream and red beans (with rice balls). I savoured every mouthful as it will be a long time before I can enjoy great matcha ice cream again.

We leave Tokyo tomorrow after the most wonderful three weeks in Japan and South Korea, in Seoul and on the islands of Kyushu and Honshu. Our family in Seoul and our dear friend Haruko (and her friends and family) in Japan have made our visits memorable and unique. We have been able to share some wonderful experiences that we would never been able to, on our own and met some beautiful people that we would never have been able to engage with as non Japanese and non Korean speakers. Genki de Japan and bai bai. We will hopefully see you (and Seoul) again soon.