Farewell, Akihabara

On my last day my friend Tetsuya took me to Akihabara (the technology district with plenty of anime, games, and idols). Not really my scene but I thought it would be good to try out a different aspect of Japanese culture. We went for delicious udon noodles with a mushroom dip while club music throbbed around us. Next was a maid cafe, in which young girls dressed as maids fawn over you. Thankfully it was less sexual than I was expecting, and overall a pleasant if bizarre experience. Then off to the airport with 8kg of extra luggage (now in an airport bin) and a thick sheen of sweat. I won't miss the summer heat.

Goodbye Japan, you wild and beautiful thing. I will be back in the future.

When you're a stranger: As part of the project I took a black and white photo of Yuji-san on a disposable camera I got through the post from another blipper in Tokyo. Yuji-san was a business man on the way to Haneda airport, like me, and texting on the empty and elevated platform of Keikyu Kamata station. I asked if it was OK to take his photo and he agreed before going immediately back to his phone! If you want to get involved with the project let me know (camera now in the UK).