For my ninth, I think, trip to Tokyo I was going with former AnimeNation web-monkey Phil, who was visiting Japan for the first time. On the morning of Sunday, September 21, 2025, I drove us to Tampa International Airport’s economy parking lot. We carried our baggage, me, a plastic footlocker with a duffle-bag inside and a carry-on backpack, Phil, a duffle bag with a second bag inside, to the Delta check-in counter. After we checked in and headed toward the security screening, we looked at our seat assignments and realized that thanks to Phil’s elite traveler status and the international flight being less than full, my seat had been upgraded to the highest tier “Delta One” accommodation. So we sat beside each other on the domestic flight from Tampa to Minneapolis, then in-line with each other for the trans-Pacific flight. The Delta One compartments are practically comparable to Japanese capsule hotel accommodations. Each personal compartment includes a personal video screen, noise-canceling headphones, a small shelf space, and a seat that can recline to a fully horizontal bed, complete with pillow and blanket.
Despite my anxiety over my snoring disturbing surrounding passengers, I did sleep through much of the twelve-hour and twelve-minute flight. Phil, on the other hand, slept very little of the way over.
After landing at Haneda Airport, we disembarked the plane and walked toward immigration. Phil had reset his “Visit Japan” website password, which allowed him to complete his immigration application online. I’d forgotten my password, so I requested paper disembarkation card and customs declaration from a flight attendant before landing. Although we went to different immigration officers, we both passed through the checkpoint quickly. Then we waited at the “A” turnstile for our bags to emerge. After collecting our checked baggage, I entered one of the customs inspection lines for paper forms while Phil stood in one of the lines for visitors with digital submission forms. Somehow, I exited into the airport lobby several minutes before Phil did.
For sake of convenience, we decided to each convert $200 cash into Japanese yen at the airport-operated currency exchange counter. We received a rate of 141 yen to the dollar. Then we headed downstairs to the train terminal. An attendant confirmed that I could top-off my 2018 Suika card, which had just under 600 yen on it. I put 10,000 yen on the card. Then I purchased, from the machine, a second card for Phil, this one the machine’s default PASMO card. At Phil’s request, I put 5,000 yen on his card. We then entered the terminal for the Keisei Line train that took us to Aoto Station.
We reached the “Aoto Residence” two-story house rental at 5 Chome 4-1 Aoto, Katsushika, just past 4pm. The code to unlock the front door worked properly. The wireless tablet that we were expected to use to check-in hadn’t been charged and barely turned on. Moreover, we discovered that we didn’t have the registration code number that the check-in system wanted. So after some futile attempts, Phil called the rental outfit, getting in touch with a representative who spoke little English. The representative okayed our arrival. Then we discovered that the first-floor television set wouldn’t turn on. We presumed that the remote control batteries were drained.
Phil & I decided to take a short walk back toward the Aoto station. I pointed out a restaurant sign offering katsudon curry. Phil said, “Okay,” so we entered the Geo-ge restaurant. The establishment interior somewhat resembled a tiki bar. Along one wall rested a framed painting of an elderly Donald Trump dressed in tuxedo brandishing two automatic pistols as if he was an action-film spy. A singular, thin older Japanese lady with a bob-cut welcomed us into the restaurant and served us damp, cold towels, cups of water, and three laminated pages with photographs of the menu items. I selected a plate of katsu curry. Phil opted for beef curry with rice and shredded beef strips. The proprietress cooked our food and served us plates with two serving pitchers filled with curry. The meals for both of us cost just over 2,000 yen.
After our meal, Phil announced that he was dead tired and ready to turn in. I planned to try to locate the Furuhon Ichiba Shinkoiwa anime shop. Unfortunately for me, I couldn’t get convince the smartphone Phil had lent me for the trip to deliver real-time navigation directions to the store. Eventually, by switching various permissions on, I coaxed the phone to show me walking directions, but I still couldn’t figure out a train itinerary. So I made the foolhardy decision to walk the 50-minute trip to the store.
The density of the Japanese suburb seemed to confuse the Google navigation, as it took me on an unnecessarily roundabout path. But about an hour later I reached the store at 7pm, and hour before it was scheduled to close. The Furuhon Ichiba store turned out to be two-stories. The ground floor was devoted mostly to video games. One and a half aisles were second-hand anime figures while the remaining half-aisle was “clearance” anime goods. The second floor was manga with a small selection of artbooks and video game strategy guides. I was hoping that since the store was somewhat well outside of the Yamanote circle, its prices would be cheaper, its selection would be deeper, or both. So I was a bit disappointed, especially after the hour’s walk, to find neither circumstance the case. The prices seemed mostly on par with the prices I expected of central Tokyo anime shops. The store’s selection of figures was likewise comparable to my expectations of a typical Akihabara store. The “clearance” section prices struck me as moderately high. In a bin of 100-yen drink coasters, I found rubber Ichiban Kuji coasters of Jewelry Bonny and Dr. Vegapunk from the One Piece “Egghead” arc, and a Sakura Haruno square rubber coaster. Apart from the large bills in my wallet, I had 312 yen in coins. I wasn’t certain whether or not these coasters’ prices included sales tax, so I took only the two One Piece coasters to the check-out counter. The cashier asked me for exactly 200 yen. So I purchased the two pieces for Phil and departed the store.
Determined, this time, not to walk an hour back, I gave up on real-time navigation and looked up guidance on traveling from Shinkoiwa to Aoto. So I walked another five-minutes to the Kinshicho station where I took the Hanzomon Tokyo Metro line to the Oshiage Skytree Station where I switched onto the Keisei train line that took me back to Aoto. At the station, I popped into the Livre Keisei supermarket where I purchased a liter bottle of C.C. Lemon soda for 208 yen and a 100ml bottle at 108 yen to drink on the walk home.
When I reached the Aoto Residence home, I dropped off my soda bottle and two One Piece coasters and walked back across the street to the 7-11 convenience store. I bought a 175 yen large pudding and a 100 yen bottle of 7-11 brand Yuzuremon Cider yuzu & lemon soda.
Then, despite my efforts, I lay in bed for most of the night unable to fall asleep.
