And then there were two...

We've still not left Japan yet but are only hours away from doing so; we're sat in Narita Airport waiting to be called to board the plane to Cairns.

I got up at 6.15am this morning to say goodbye to Donald in reception - was very sad. I'm really going to miss his relaxed and cheerful attitude. Hopefully he is winging his way safely back to Blighty as I write, just in time for the England match, much to Jim's annoyance!

Caught another couple of hours sleep in the capsule (it was a surprisingly comfy bed but with requisite Japanese pillow which is essentially a rock-hard beanbag) before Jim and I headed out for our first day as a duo and our last day in Tokyo and Japan.

We took it very easy but still managed to get lost before we'd even left Akihabara. The plan today was to visit a famous toy store in Shimbashi but my map reading skills haven't improved from their original dire state so, after an hour of traipsing, we sacked off that idea and went to Otemachi. We had lunch in Wadakura Square, watching the fountains, and then spent the rest of the afternoon lazing in the Imperial Palace East Gardens. They're free to get into and are really beautiful - vast expanses of manicured lawns, vivid green hedges, huge trees and massive stone walls, with the tower blocks of Tokyo on the horizon. It's been gorgeous sunny weather here today so we lay in the shade of a tree and read our books. After that we've just been travelling to Narita Airport.

As I'm at the end of my time here I thought it might be a good moment to summarise some of the cultural differences I've noticed between Japan and the UK. Here goes:

1. The traffic lights, subway doors and train doors play songs instead of beeping
2. There are vending machines everywhere offering drinks and cigarettes
3. Trains are ALWAYS on time and you get good leg room
4. The taxi drivers wear uniforms
5. Everyone cycles and the bikes are pretty naff
6. Even the trains have cartoons painted on their exteriors (well, some of them anyway!)
7. Cities tend to look better at night because of the neon
8. You have to take your shoes off indoors in most places (especially hotels and hostels)
9. People are massively polite, friendly and helpful
10. There are hardly any sirens, possibly because there's hardly any crime
11. Everyone carries umbrellas which they use in the rain and the sunshine
12. The Japanese are BIG on recycling - but then they do use a lot of packaging
13. There are hardly any fat people
14. In restaurants you get a hand towel, to use before eating, and a complimentary glass of water
15. In bars you get complimentary snacks with your drinks (we've had nuts, rice crackers, slivers of onion, cinnamon biscuits, sweets, green tea wafers etc.)
16. Sandwiches don't have crusts on them
17. Apples are enormous
18. Crisp flavours are bizarre (menthol being the most disgusting flavour I've tried and octopus balls being the best - no really!)
19. It's considered rude to eat or smoke whilst walking
20. But you can still smoke in most restaurants and bars
21. 'Western' toilets are plugged into the mains and have all kinds of buttons (including bidet functions and flushing noises)
22. 'Japanese style' toilets are a basin set in the ground
23. Babies and children are a million times cuter than back at home

Nothing too mind blowingly insightful there but thought I'd make a note anyway.

We've absolutely loved our time here in Japan and are very sad to be leaving. It's been nice to be a fish out of water but, even when lost or completely confused by an alien language, we've never been short of assistance from the locals.

I don't know what to expect from Australia, other than a LOT of bus travel, but it's got quite a task on its hands to convince us it's better than the land of the rising sun...

Sayonara! x x x