Day 5 (30th September 2026) More Tokyo

Another slow start to the morning—clearly we’ve embraced the “cruise‑adjacent lifestyle” early. Breakfast at 9am, where we met more Aussie travellers from Perth. At this point Japan must think Australia is empty because everyone seems to be here instead.

Exits on a train 

We took the train from Kannai to Akihabara, which is basically Tokyo’s neon‑lit shrine to anime, hobby gear, craft supplies, stationery, and IT gadgets. The ride was 45 minutes plus a short walk, all conducted in absolute silence. Japanese trains are so quiet you start questioning whether you’re the noisy one just by existing. Everything is spotless, efficient, and clearly labelled—like someone designed public transport after reading a thousand angry customer feedback forms.

Akihabara

Cat Cafe Akihabara

Food in Akihabara

Cat cafe -2000yen for 1 hour 

Akihabara itself was damp and overcast, but still buzzing. Lots of foreigners wandering around with the same expression Cos had: the “I might need a second suitcase” look. The streets were clean enough to eat off, though thankfully we didn’t need to test that because there’s food everywhere.

Anime Akihabara

Akihabara

Akihabara Yodabashi Akiba model heaven

Cos dove straight into the model shops. TamTam was two floors of temptation—plastic models on one level, trains on the other, and enough paint and supplies to make you wonder if you should take up miniature modelling professionally. Then came Yodobashi Akiba, which is less a store and more a vertical universe. Floor 6 is the model section, and honestly it’s so huge it feels like someone accidentally built a warehouse inside a department store. Cos went hunting for rare kits and tools with the intensity of a man on a sacred quest.

Racing exhibition 

Yodobashi Akiba

The sound of a cross walk in Tokyo, sounds like the hoot of barn owl😄 or some sort of bird!i

Typical street 

Not just Anime

Classy drinks?

Mad science meets make-up

Akihabara Street 

Craft supplies 

Cat cafe

Meanwhile Melissa hit BIC Camera for Christmas presents and Japan‑only gifts. Cos joined her after an hour, probably because he’d reached the point where he needed someone to stop him from buying a model kit the size of a microwave.

Time flew, and we headed back just before 4pm to dodge the commuter crush. We even got seats—miraculous. The schoolkids on the train were tiny, independent, and navigating Tokyo’s rail system like seasoned office workers. It’s a stark contrast to Australia, where a child can’t walk to the letterbox without a helicopter parent hovering overhead.

Some stations are 25-30metres below ground 

Train station storage 

Typical train 

After a quick break, we jumped on another train to Don Quijote and the ramen shop for round two. We chose a less volcanic ramen this time, which was still delicious and didn’t require medical supervision. Armed with a store map, Don Quijote felt less like a labyrinth designed to test human endurance. We picked up small gifts for friends and family, feeling very proud of ourselves for not getting lost.

Ramen round 2 in Yokohama 

Highly recommend Ten-Poo

Back at the hotel, we tackled the washing in preparation for boarding the Diamond Princess tomorrow—the same ship that had the first COVID outbreak back in early 2021. We waited in the guest lounge while the washing did its thing, feeling very domestic and very ready for cruise life.