As a huge computer geek, Akiba (the hip name for Akihabara, which I'm clearly hip enough to use) was absolutely amazing. Walking out of an 8-story electronics store only to find two more across the street, and then discovering that many of them sell used components at ridiculously low prices, made me wish that we had someplace like this in the US (I had a terabyte hard drive in my hand and was counting out the cash for it when I realized I didn't really need it....it was a fantastic deal, though). It's definitely my favorite thing about Tokyo, and it's probably a good thing I didn't have more cash with me when we went - putting hard drives, SSDs, and graphics cards in checked luggage seems like a bad idea.
At least some of us will go to Shibuya today, which is one of the more bustling shopping districts. Tokyu Hands, a "creative life" store (whatever that means) has locations throughout Tokyo, and the one in Shibuya is the original. The TH in Shinjuku that we visited our first night here had everything from wood and power tools to children's toys and traditional Japanese goods, and the Shibuya store should have even more stuff. We might go to Ginza too, which is another shopping district, but more focused on designer stores - there's a huge toy store there targeted at adults, which would be an experience even without buying anything.
Getting around Tokyo is pretty easy - they have both a subway and an elevated train system, and our rail passes get us unlimited free travel on the elevated tracks. Combined with English maps and helpful people in the stations, I don't think anyone's gotten lost, despite having had tons of free time.
I'll definitely miss a lot of stuff about Tokyo (and Japan in general) when we get back, but it's been a fantastic trip. We've been to tons of cultural sites, had time to explore on our own, had uniquely Japanese experiences (their arcades are crazy), and gotten to improve our language skills by interacting with native speakers all the time, every day. Sensei's done a great job of running things, and we all owe her a lot for being willing to come to Japan with us and barely do anything on her own (also, for being willing to miss Felix's first birthday). I also want to thank everybody on the trip for a fantastic end to my Wash career.
Mom, Krista, Sensei: There, I did the blog.
