Not much today going on today.

Went out to get Keisei Skyline tickets then walked around Ueno Park while I waited for my penpal who decided to finally message back and meet up for the first time before I left Japan.

Been here for almost 2 weeks but never been inside the park nearby, haha.

Park was huge and had these illustrated lanterns along the paths.

It has some traditional looking buildings but it seems they were built to be like a theme park to recreate the atmosphere you'd get from the Edo era, rather than actual historical buildings.

There was a Monet Western art exhibition going on and the queue was reeeally long. No thanks to it being a public holiday today I'm sure.

Panda Bridge, Ueno was well known for its zoo and its pandas China has lent them.

There was some sort of live action shoot going on so there were people blocking off routes and directing people away.

I thought it was just some sort of roadside event until one of the staff flagged me down saying no photography... Don't know what celebrity or show was being shot there really. There's been quite a few movie shoots back where I live but they're not quite as uptight about photos of their shoots or if they are, the area is barricaded off with something tall.

Of all the days they choose to do a photo shoot, they choose a public holiday, haha. Would have been easier on a regular day unless they wanted to have crowds in their scene.

Bit of history about Ueno Station which was under renovation for the entire time I was here.

Never noticed this plaque either which looked like a nice piece of craftsmanship.

It was so busy my friend and I couldn't find a place for lunch in the park so we ended up just getting some ice-cream.

I was eating as I walked, forgetting that it was bad manners in Japan but stopped when I remembered midway, haha...

Afterwards I lingered around in the park a bit longer. Has quite a lot of statues.

French monument The Gates of Hell by Auguste Rodin was impressive. Not many countries have this bronze cast of the original.

Only recognised it because of an Anime show I recently watched... Hataraku Maou-sama S2E20.

Can't get away from Kimetsu collabs, huh? Saw one for hot springs.

And of course, Hashira Mitsuri is in it from the Swordssmith Village arc...

One more browse around the super markets before I return to the hotel to pack and see if I actually have enough luggage space... Keeping the 1/7 scale figure box meant a lot of space was taken up already by it alone.

Again, couldn't find the charcoal roasted coffee I wanted.

And yup, don't bother with Twinnings or Yorkshire if you're going to get something UK exclusive for a native Japanese. No fudge or Scottish tablets though so that's good.

Caught this anti-terrorism poster featuring Motoko from Ghost in The Shell while at the station.

Picked up some sandwiches and a bento before my trip to the airport so I don't have to rush around in the restaurants.

Downside about digital scales is being battery powered. My button cells are so old they're pretty much useless now. Luckily conbinis have everything. Was guessing my luggage was well within limits and it was.

Felt heavier than what it showed though.

Don't know if I'll be going for a hotel with a view the next time again. Might actually want to try renting a holiday apartment instead but the view's been nice.

While waiting to board the Skyliner you get the see the seats being reset to their original positions. It was interesting watching the it done remotely so they were all facing the same way.

On the way to the airport I thought I got the wrong Skyliner ticket because it had terminal 1 printed instead of 2 but stops at 2 and 3 too so phew!

Good to see "Midori-chan" and "Orange-chan" were still around but no signs of their statues from last visit.

Interesting to see a Family Mart vending machine with sandwiches and rice balls if you were hungry.

And that was the end of my second trip to Japan.

Was nervous about travelling the country solo but managed it although knowing Japanese does help make it a more interesting experience.

It was really enjoyable being able to do whatever.

Hope I can make another trip soon.