This is an authorized translation in English of a post in French by @japon: Dernier jour au japon
As my primary language is not English, there are probably some mistakes in my translation.
Remember that the person that speaks here is NOT me, Vincent Celier (@vcelier), but @japon, a French guy.
The trip is coming to an end. After 3 weeks, fatigue begins to be seriously felt. But I am happy. Happy to be here and to have lived all this. The last day is a special moment, I want to finish in style. But time has decided otherwise. It's raining, a new typhoon is passing off Japan.
I'm tired of the rain. Of the 20 days spent in Japan, I had 17 days with rain, and 2 big typhoons. I had planned to go see a new bonsai nursery but with this weather it is impossible.
So I decide to go to the National Museum of Western Art, located in Ueno Park. There is an exhibition on Hokusai and the relationship between his work and the works of Western artists.
At the entrance to the museum, "umbrella stand". They really thought about all these Japanese!
Inside, a cozy atmosphere, silence, everyone looks at each work in a quasi-military discipline. If I came to see this exhibition it's because I really like the work of Hokusai, that it allows me to admire some magnificent impressionist works but also because a friend of @mdecombe exposes a piece! A plate with a painting reminiscent of one of Hokusai's prints!
I continue the day under cover. First in a large shopping center, with young people dressed in sometimes crazy costumes.
Then in more traditional shopping arcades. I love these arteries sheltered by large windows. We are both in the street but also sheltered from the rain.
I take this opportunity to taste some specialties, including a Taiyaki. A kind of fish-shaped cake with ice inside.
It's getting dark, time is running out too fast. One last visit to Asakusa, which was emptied of its tourist crowds. Everything is calm again.
What am I going to do with my last night? I enter a yakitori kebab restaurant. I had not eaten any in Japan yet.
It's noisy! While the Japanese are calm in public transportation or in the street, when they go out they speak loudly and the atmosphere is festive.
In the center of the restaurant, the place where the cooks preparing the kebabs. I sit down at the bar, order a drink and choose my meal. Many choices, chicken, beef, but also offal. I decided to have fun!
It's a festival of subtle tastes, amazing mixes. Everything is prepared on demand, and I watch the skill of Japanese chefs.
I go back to my hotel on foot, to feel the taste of Tokyo one last time.
-- @japon
01: Travel diary in Japan, by @japon
02: Tokyo, overcrowded city? Really? by @japon
03: Are the Japanese too disciplined? by @japon
04: Going to Japan without speaking Japanese? by @japon
05: Ueno, more than just a big park in Tokyo, by @japon
06: Asakusa, diving in the heart of Tokyo's historic district, by @japon
07: Ameyoko, Ueno's colorful market, by @japon
08: Tsukiji, the largest fish market in the world, by @japon
09: Climb the steps of Atago Jinja Shrine in Tokyo, by @japon
10: Hama Rikyu, an exceptional park in the heart of Tokyo, by @japon
11: Jimbocho, old books and tempura, by @japon
12: Shinjuku Gyoen Park and the best burger in the world!, by @japon
13: One night in Shibuya, by @japon
14: Takeshita dori : this little street dedicated to fashion (and good crepes), by @japon
15: They lie to you about Kyoto, by @japon
16: The temples and secret garden of Higashi in Kyoto, by @japon
17: Kinkaku-ji, the temple of the Golden Pavilion in Kyoto, by @japon
18: Ryoan-ji, the amazing stone garden in Kyoto, by @japon
19: The Ninna-ji Temple and its extraordinary gardens, by @japon
20: Kyoto Gyoen, the Imperial Palace Park, by @japon
21: Nishiki Market: A Must in Kyoto, by @japon
22: Ginkaku-ji, the temple of the silver pavilion in Kyoto, by @japon
23: Meditate on the path of philosophy, by @japon
24: Nanzen-ji, its impressive gate and two gardens, by @japon
25: Heian-jinju: the big shrine and its garden that I almost missed, by @japon
26: Eikan-do, the temple of the momiji maples in Kyoto, by @japon
27: Kodai-ji, a Kyoto temple dedicated to a woman's love for her husband, by @japon
28: Sannenzaka and Ninenzaka, the streets of Higashiyama, by @japon
29: Kiyomizu-dera, the temple of pure water in Kyoto, by @japon
30: Tofuku-ji: the maple lookout point, by @japon
31: Makis, Yasaka-jinja Shrine and Maruyama Park, by @japon
32: Nijo Castle and its fabulous garden, by @japon
33:Departure for Osaka and its castle, and announcement of a typhoon, by @japon
34: Osaka, the garden Keitaku-en under a torrential rain, by @japon
35: Doguya-suji, the kitchen market in Osaka, by @japon
36: Dōtonbori, the bustling district of Osaka, by @japon
37: Back to Kyoto and Typhoons, meetings and reunions, by @japon
38: Sanjūsangen-dō, the temple of a thousand and one statues, by @japon
39: On the road to Fushimi Inari Taisha, by @japon
40: Daigo-ji, the large Buddhist complex built on a mountainside, by @japon
41: Departure for Nara, we look at the fallow deers and we mistake the garden, by @japon
42: Isui-en, the big Japanese garden of Nara, by @japon
43: Todai-ji, the temple with the huge Buddha statue in Nara, by @japon
44: Nara, from Nigatsu-dō to Kasuga, by @japon
45: Arashiyama, the district west of Kyoto and its bamboo plantation, by @japon
46: Tasting the serenity of Jojakko-ji Temple, by @japon
47: Tenryū-ji, one of the most beautiful temples of Arashiyama, by @japon
48: I finally find the Gio-ji, this little Arashiyama moss garden, by @japon
49: Daikaku-ji, the great Buddhist complex of Arashiyama, by @japon
50: Departure for Takayama, by @japon
51: Takayama, this small town in the Japanese Alps that plunges you back to Samurai times, by @japon
52: From takayama to Tokyo, by @japon
53: Shunka-en and Kunio Kobayashi bonsai museum, by @japon