the last day.

the last day of a trip is always hard. you want to try and make the most of it and enjoy it like it's the first day. but, in the back of your mind, you're always thinking about the next day and the long trip home. we managed, however, to stay very busy and pack our day with plenty of walking and shopping. what else is new...

me, trent, and my dad went back to harajuku (my 4th trip) to go to a couple of stores we wanted to visit again. my mom stayed behind and took care of some things at the house and then i guess she went off shopping herself. she's been amazing as always, acting as our guide and leader, taking us to the best restaurants, giving us the best advice, etc. it makes coming to japan so much fun because she makes it easy... so, after harajuku, we walked down (or up, who knows?) to shibuya and wandered slightly aimlessly. it's amazing how you can turn down any little (or big) street and wind up finding the coolest stores or buildings or restaurants. there's something interesting around every corner...that's one of the best things about exploring tokyo; so many surprises and hidden jewels.

after harajuku and shibuya, we headed back home, but not before picking up an ice bagel...what's an ice bagel you ask? it's the latest craze here, a flavored bagel (chocolate, blueberry, orange, rum raisin, vanilla) with ice cream in the middle. i have to be honest though -- i wasn't all that impressed. my dad, who was super excited by the whole ice bagel phenomenon, was bitterly disappointed. maybe we just got the wrong flavor...oh well, it was worth a shot.

we visited my grandparents in the afternoon and then came back home for a little rest and relaxation before dinner. after watching some good japanese tv (one of the best parts about coming here, by the way, is watching the shows and commercials) we took a taxi to dinner to one of the more famous udon/soba restaurants in all of japan. it was delicious and a nice way to close out the trip (a good meal tends to make everyone happy and i think we all left with smiles on our faces). we walked from the restaurant to the nearby train station and from there we took a taxi back home. (walking around tokyo at night is pretty spectacular, it's so worth experiencing)...

i've really only blogged about the broader parts of the trip thus far, i wish i could get more specific and in detail about things, but it would take me forever and i'm also way too tired. this trip has been amazing, but exhausting. the walking and the heat saps your energy and when you come home at night, you're just wiped out. i hope that some of my pictures will better describe the things we did/saw. it makes me sad that we're leaving, more so because it's not very often that i get to see my grandparents and they're responsible for so much in my life. it's also hard to leave because there's always one more thing you want to do or see and there's never enough time. i guess it's a good reason to keep coming back...

time for bed, the long journey home awaits. sayonara from tokyo, talk to you from the states in due time...