We were sitting in our room at about 10:20am, all packed, but both busy on our iPads, when Michael suddenly suggested that we try and catch the train to Tokyo that left in 10 minutes! Given that the hotel is situated right across the road from the railway station, it was a feasible suggestion. Michael raced downstairs to do the checking out whilst I did a final check of the room, including under the quilt - you never know if there might be some undies lurking there! Room: all clear. Down the elevator to level 1 (which is Japan's equivalent of the ground floor) where Michael was ready to go. We raced across the road, and then Michael hauled both bags up the flight of stairs (no time to worry about taking the elevator) and we raced to platform 1 (no time to worry about reserving seats for the fast train we would subsequently be catching - we could do that in the 9-minute change-over time at the next station. The local train pulled out a couple of minutes after we'd boarded - we were on our way back to Tokyo.

Michael still had the webpage open on his iPad showing the different combinations of trains we could take to get to Tokyo . He checked with the young railway officer who was collecting fares from the locals (we've been using our JR passes, and so no need to pay for any tickets), and she advised to catch another local train at Gozu. This time, we had a few minutes to spare and so Michael deemed that we had time to use the elevator to get down to the next platform where the train was already waiting. At the next change-over, we had to find a JR office and reserve our seats for the remainder of the journey. We agreed to take the one that left in about 4 minutes, and then had to race around trying to find the platform (it was a substantially bigger station, and so more complicated to navigate. Michael leapt up the stairs with his bags whilst I sedately rode the escalator up, hoping we would make it. The train was already there, and Michael was ready to board. I called out to him, "Car 12!", and then flew into the nearest carriage, making my way down the aisles into the next carriage where I found Michael. One carriage further on was Car 12 - we settled into our reserved seats and probably drifted off to sleep now and again for the remainder of the journey . (I can't recall how long each leg of the whole journey took, but I know that we arrived at Tokyo Station at about 1pm.

A twenty-minute walk brought us to the Mercure Hotel in the Ginza district (main shopping area). As Michael is a member of this hotel chain, thanks to his American Express card (which costs an exorbitant amount each year, mind you!), we were given an upgrade to a suite. The room, large by Japanese standards, was a lovely treat for our last night in Japan. What's more, there was a present waiting for us - a bottle of Merlot wine from Eri (the first exchange student we had met up with on our first night in Tokyo) with a lovely card. (Apparently, it is her favourite wine.) 

The remainder of the afternoon was spent exploring the shops in the vicinity - not something that I particularly enjoyed, but Michael was keen to see what was on offer. We ended up at Uni Qlo, a clothing store that we have also shopped at in Melbourne . Michael went to town, buying 3 pairs of shorts and 2 pairs of jeans, spending about $100 for the lot! By showing his passport, he saved 8%, although I was a bit concerned about the shop assistant insisting that the receipt needed to be stapled on to a page of his passport! I also bought a pair of jeans, as well as a few clothes for Oaki. Shopping spree over, it was time to head back to the hotel and freshen up for dinner.

We had decided that for our last night, we would dine in the hotel restaurant, given that Michael's membership gives him 50% off the food bill. The hotel had also provided a voucher for a free drink each with a meal. We went for 3 courses, the total bill for dinner coming to less than $40. (I forgot to mention that Michael had used his membership points to pay for the room for the night - he just had to pay an additional $7 to cover the full tariff!

The maitre d', Chris, chatted to us for much of the evening, as there was only one other guest in the restaurant apart from us! He was an interesting man with French & Italian parents who had lived in many countries, as his father had been a diplomat. He speaks 8 languages fluently! He is married to a Japanese woman and has lived in Japan for the past 28 years. Among other topics, we discussed possible day-trips for our last day. (We didn't end up following his suggestions, but will bare them in mind, should we ever come back to Japan!)

Our last sleep in Japan was quite a comfortable one, the mattress being not too hard! Lights out at about 10, I think.