No alarm needed today. We got to have a bit more of a relaxed morning. Kaoru and I had breakfast at the bakery at the far end of the station. We had never eaten there before. I had eggs benedict and Kaoru had French Toast. We watched the endless line of people going to Shinagawa town. It was so thick-it would be a nightmare if you had to cross it…especially if you had a suitcase.

We went back to our room to brush teeth and start packing. As we have an early checkout tomorrow we wanted to be prepared. We went over to the station and met Michael and Leila at 10.30. We made our way to Roppongi area and had an early lunch. I had cheese toast – the bread was over an inch thick! We then made our way to our adventure for the day… MarioKart!

I had heard about this when i was in Japan in June. When i showed it to Michael and Leila it was locked in. We had arranged our international driving permits (a requirement) and were good to go. Kaoru couldn’t join us as she can’t drive but she got some photos of us as we drive away. We were allowed to wear costumes as well but since it was a hot day we just wore hats. We asked about helmets and were told “you don’t need if you don’t crash”. I also had borrowed Davids Go Pro, and they leant me a chest mount for it which looked better than the head mount David had leant me.

So off we went for my first drive in Tokyo. And what a hoot it was! We went to a few stops along the way for a couple of photos but we were more interested in the driving. As we got to tokyo tower i heard a scream from Leila behind me. Kaoru had managed to find us and was taking photos! We got a cold drink, said goodbye to Kaoru and got back on the road.

We were back at our starting point after about 2 hours, after a thoroughly exhilarating time. Then the 3 of us were alone in Tokyo and made our way to a craft brewery Michael had found, in Shibuya. We had a couple of beers there and i dealt with a couple of work issues. Then we got on the train for yoyogi for another spot Michael had found. We were able to have a tasting paddle there so could experience a larger number of beers.

After we were done we headed back to Shinjuku and met Kaoru in a department store. No matter how many times you see them they are always mind blowing. The foods…the colors…the packaging. But then it was time for dinner. We went to omoide yokochou, which is a lane way with a number of yakitori stands. Salarymen often go there for dinner on their way home, and we had seen it on master chef. We found a shop where we could eat outside where there was a bit of air flow.

Once dinner was complete we went to golden gai – a drinking laneway where each shop could fit about 10 people (sometimes less). Kaoru was tired so went straight back to the hotel. A number of the shops have a cover charge (500 – 1000¥) and others didn’t but charged more for drinks. We only wanted a couple, and wanted to experience a number of places so picked the no cover charge ones. I had an opportunity to practice my Japanese (what little there is) and we had a great time. But we had a busy night ahead so after our 3rd place we made our way back to the hotel.

Michael and Leila organized their dirty washing and i took them to the washing room. We also had a look at the pool in the hotel. Kaoru checked our load but it needed a bit longer in the dryer. So while washing was being done we ate meats Michael bought in Kamakura, cheese and snacks Kaoru had bought, drank beer and sake and looked at photos and videos of our mario karting. Eventually we called it a night, but it was nearly 1.