Been wondering why the partitions on apartment balconies can be removed and I think I know why; access to fire emergency stairs along the side.

If you ever wondered how dirty cash can be check out the white tissue I wrapped my coins because I had too much and wanted to separate some. Not pretty...

Morning was laundry time for me since Hotel Crown Hills Ueno has limited service and no self service machines like I did last time.

Kind of confusing when the hotel elevator says no laundry service but, then you find a form in your drawer. Turns out rooms without washing machines can get some items washed like trousers and shirts.

Quick Googling for "coin laundry" showed one named Fuwatt Coin Laundry nearby, 10 minutes walk away in the opposite direction of the rival hotels Apa and Dormy Inn.

At my pace it only took half the time so no worries if you've piled up a lot.

Already had a hair cut before leaving for my trip but maybe I could see what it's like to have one in Japan.

I don't cycle but many do in Japan. 4000 Yen (£22) / month bike parking a good deal?

First time I ever used a laundrette in Japan.

I basically brought bags for my worn clothes; one worn, one for cleaned and big ziplock bags for the smelly stuff.

"Coin Laundry" is a bit of a misnomer because the place supported cashless and had English menus.

The place was fairly much empty. Might be because it was more expensive here. Think I paid half of what you do here with the self-service machines at the hotels during my last trip but convenience takes priority for me while travelling.

They operated like cashless lockers. Just dump your clothes in, lock the door, go to the kiosk to pick the machine you're using and pay with your card or phone.

There's a ticking timer on every machine. Was going to use the small one but there's only one small which was already in use so I went medium which cost an extra 300.

There was also an anti-mite course that takes an extra 5 minutes.

Place had a sink to wash your hands too but no dryer.

You could probably just go leave your laundry going then get back to the hotel for breakfast really.

So how was the wash and dry?

Well, clothes looked and smelled clean. Light dirt marks were gone, no heavy fragrance detergent, no odours so did the job. Do note that some of the plastic print my clothes had were peeling off. Probably because it's gas powered drying so the heat is more intense than home electric dryers.

And clothes were really hot after drying too of course.

Meiji sure has plenty of Anime promos with their sweets but that's who they're targetting I guess. I ended up buying snacks because of those promos as a kid, haha.

Picked up a sandwich before heading off for the day.

So it was back to Kitaro Tea House again this afternoon since I didn't make it in time yesterday after visiting the Kitaro Hiroba.

Saw another cute warning sign while on the train. And it's at a kid's eye level.

Left from the other exit at Chofu Station because I had time for the bus today.

They had more promo for the upcoming sequel movie that features Kitaro's dad.

The bus stop queue was really long but it was basically one line for all buses I think.

Any bus that headed towards Jindai Temple (written as Jindai-ji mostly) got you to the tea house.

I ended up following Google Maps of course and got on a bus that stopped nearby then got off outside the school.

Was a nice little walk to the temple.

Place hasn't changed much since I was last here.

The tree house with plushies of Kitaro and his dad in it was gone. You see the plushies sitting in the shop window now instead which kind of detracts from the experience but still looks a pretty cool place.

This was where the stamp rally begins and where you pick up a card for it but, I wasn't really interested in touring Chofu for the day.

Gallery was still 100 yen entry, shoes off.

The interior looked the same but the layout was shuffled about a bit. The Manga corner for kids was gone and I don't know if it was because it was behind a curtain but the Nezumi Otoko shrine was no where to be seen either.

I already knew what to look out for after spending a lot of time the first time there so the fun little discoveries are still worth seeing in here.

Fewer selection of ornaments at the shop but still plenty of merch.

They might have had to make space for all the anniversary goods.

Overall, it's still worth visiting this place if you're a Gegege no Kitaro fan or like Youkai.

You can take a nice quiet walk around Jindai Temple too as if you're in Nara but without the crowds.

Already pulled an O-mikuji back in Enoshima but this Daruman one looked fun too.

Thought I'd go for it if I had the change but sadly I didn't, 100 short...

I wonder what would happen if I overpaid with a 500 yen coin?

It was my last night in Japan before my return flight tomorrow so went around capturing more of Tokyo's atmosphere on video.

Remembered I had still to buy a souvenir for another friend so stopped by Shinjuku on the way back Iooked up gift stores in Google Maps for nearby places around the station.

Station was busy, busy and illuminated everywhere. Yoyogi Tower visible in the distance.

First place didn't have anything I was after but there was a Peter Rabbit special going on and, they sold Marigold gloves which was a brand you see back in the UK.

Dolls were nice too.

Walked by a rebranded Sega Gigo arcade which is everywhere but popped in to see what prizes there were anyway.

Not much caught my attention but there was this fries keyring machine where you can win single fries keyrings... Must be crazy to pick up enough to fill a portion. Crazy enough to be a joke xD

Taiko Drum plushies were kind of tempting even though I never got into the franchise.

And Usopp is fairly much the only bit of romance in One Piece, huh?

Next "gift shop" that popped up was a place called, "Hands".

There was a fairly creative Hermes display as I made my way there.

Christmas goods were abundant in Hands.

Cards were pretty nice although most were a noisy with the designs. Kind of like the artist wanted to stuff as many ornaments as they can into the space.

There were a lot of cool little gifts here, mainly on floor 5 for me and the place closed at 9pm.

These YM (Yanoman) little tins of art just reminds me of the Teenage Mutant Hero Turtle micro playsets that used to be sold under the Nickelodeon brand but a lot more detailed.

I ended up finding the gift I was looking for here. Lots of model kits.

The cardboard models that moved were pretty impressive and there were Harry Potter themed ones too although you can get these Chinese Robotime brands Rokr/Rolife ones back in the UK too.

Only the Billy (circular miniatures) and Takumi Azone "Kigumi" models (One Piece ship) are native model kits.

Ended up buying one of these Galileo Thermometers where each ball sinks to the bottom at different temperatures. Should make an interesting ornament. Wanted the cloud but too big and hard to go with other items so, went with the drop shaped one instead.

Of course, it'a Western item so discovered that you could buy it back in the UK too, haha...

There was a section dedicated to emergency disaster goods too since Japan is prone to earthquakes and tidal waves. It's probably something most tourists forget about.

Fortunate enough to not have experienced any during my two trips so far.

Quite a selection of instant food where you just reheat or add water.

One more stroll around Akiba for the night then it's back to the UK. Will miss it for the atmosphere.

Dropped into another Gigo arcade.

You have body pillows and you have butt pillows... The Quintessential Quintuplets still popular I see. Heard good things but still to watch it. Just seems like a harem show.

Not sure I can stuff a big Chainsaw Man, Pochita into my luggage xD

I bought and tried some UCC branded charcoal roasted coffee back in HK recently which was nice so thought I'd try to find some while in Japan.

Couldn't find any but there were lots of British brands of tea... Ended up getting some Houji, roasted green tea because tea bags at the hotel were nice. They turned out much nicer than the import Japanese ones I bought in HK funnily enough.

Was going to get tickets for the Keisei Skyliner to the airport but forgot machines had working hours in Japan so have to do it in the morning...

It was busy everywhere. Probably because it was a public holiday, Labour Thanksgiving tomorrow. Nearly all the conbinis I visited had no bentos left...

These Tough Gummies turned out really nice so I bought some more to bring back; chewy and juicy. Probably should have gotten more.

The grape punch version with "alpha" and "beta" flavours was even better once I got back to try them.

Tonight's bento.

Which turned out quite nice and was layered. Just stingy with the Char Siu. Only one slice compared to the multiple slices of Katsu you get with rice...

So they had these free Kitaro location guides you could take, showing you the real world locations featured in the show.

Well, time to decide how to spend the morning before packing.