Last day!

Both had one of those too hot / too cold sleeps, but we’re in good spirits as we head down for an early breakfast. Just as well, by the time we leave the queue is gigantic.

We don’t need to leave until 10 so I get a bodyweight workout in, it’s pretty horrible but the view over the city is a nice distraction.

After a bit of confusion around trains, tubes, stations (so many of all of them, and then do you want the local? Rapid? Rapid express?) we get to the Dawn Avatar Cafe in Kanda (not Canada, which is how we both read it).

It’s a really lovely idea, sort of an experiment which seems to be gaining traction. There are physical humans there, but also robots remotely controlled by people with some sort of disability which means they can’t leave their home.

Our table robot is controlled by a lovely girl who had a heart attack two years ago and now can’t move around much. We chat about our trip and order food and drinks. These are served by another girl controlled robot and we pose for photos. 

The idea is that there are jobs that can be done remotely that don’t fall into the standard office worker mould, and as robotic technology improves the types of job could expand.

Occasionally her English isn’t expansive enough and she falls back to a live translation that shows up on the iPad at the end of the table, so even language isn’t really a barrier here.

We stay about an hour and leave with a pleasant warm feeling, apart from anything else we had a really nice interaction with our waitress, a total stranger who is house bound.

They’re opening one in Denmark, we hope it catches on, surely it must alleviate loneliness as well as endowing purpose.

Feeling like we aught to make the most of our last afternoon here, but also flagging a bit from doing so much over the last couple of weeks, we head to a laid back district (Shimokitazawa) and duck into a cafe to read our books and relax for a while.

Trix is running low on reading material, and we’re still having no joy finding translated manga, but finally do! It’s not Spy Family but is on her list. We also find a book that sounds perfect for the 7-Eleven addict in the family (honestly she can spot one from about half a mile away), she declines to buy it though.

“Oh look, a shop for puppies”, we finally get Billy some presents, it takes a while to select a toy that he won’t disembowel within minutes.

If you ever need a patterned 80s woolly jumper, or brown trousers, this is the place to head to. It’s fun nosing around the vintage shops, until we get thirsty and happen across a cafe/bar with a spare sofa, the perfect recharging station.

I could have stayed there drinking Brooklyn lager reading my book for the rest of the day, but we’ve got a planned stop at “Happy happy kiddie land” or something similarly nightmarish. We also need to pack before supper. Reluctantly (for me) we’re back on a train heading to Shinjuku, thankfully only 10 minutes away.

I bail out and leave Trix to it, heading back to the hotel to watch the sunset and Mount Fuji instead.

It’s our last night and we’re surrounded by restaurants and bars, but with a 14 and 1/2 hour flight tomorrow, we play it safe and go for katsu curry, this time I remember not to choose a scary spice level!