Disclaimer – this story is about a friend nicknamed UPS. This story is no relation to United Parcel Services.

UPS and I finally got out of the Capsule hotel, clean, fed, and still hungover. We needed to be at the airport by 3:00, which left a few hours to visit Akihabara, one of the last places on UPS’s Japan wish list.

I have been to Akihabara several times before, but it’s always interesting to return and see new things. UPS wanted to visit the duty free shops, which I had generally avoided to date. There are some good deals to be found on export ready electronics if you have your passport on hand and are prepared to shop around. Akihabara Duty Free shops are also one of the few places in Japan where it is acceptable to haggle.

After a few hours of exploring duty free, comic, and porn stores, we stopped for Italian food. Yes, UPS’s last meal in Japan was pasta. During lunch we discussed some of our favourite fuzzy memories from UPS’s short trip, along with some of his upcoming plans for his 4 months in India, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos.

We also talked about The Penpal, and how UPS thought she was pretty cool. We discussed whether or not she would ever move to Canada with me when I decided to stop teaching English. I really hope she will consider it.

UPS and I had an adventure free trip to the airport, and after watching him go through security, I started my long train trip back to Numazu. I was looking forward to catching up on my sleep!