The morning after the tour I attempted to sleep in but the sunlight pierced through the window pretty violently. I only made it to about 10 a.m. or so before I felt like I couldn’t lie down any longer. I got ready as quietly as possible and headed out in silence.

That morning I decided to head to Akihabara. I had small intentions of searching out a cheap flash drive. To be honest though I really didn’t give it much of an effort. I gave up my half-hearted search pretty quickly and instead switched to more geekier stuff. I started hunting out some “hobby figures” for [that particular show]. I mean, a couple of us were shown a good number of stores in the area that carried the figures. Back then, the figures for that show were still sort of numerous. As I went around this time though, the pickings were really slim! Seriously. I spotted maybe only a few swimsuit figures, or pieces that I already had. It was kind of an eye opener. I mean, when I stop to think about it, the show started almost 16 years ago: it’s an old franchise that doesn’t generate much interest anymore. How sad! Eventually, I just gave up on searching for that one show and started poking around in other shops for stuff. In the end of it all I only ended up with some gifts before walking back to the apartment.

When I got back, my friend had already left to take care of a few things. I took an hour or two to just relax and nap. When I got up I started my trek over to the Tokyo Dome to meet my friend. After our failure to get tickets to see the Hanshin Tigers, we decided to get tickets to see a Yomiuri Giants game. As I walked to the station it started raining really hard, and water filled my shoes rather quickly. It was going to be a rough night. When we got to the dome area I stopped to take pictures here and there. The other guy just kept on walking though. I kept an eye on him from a distance so as not to lose him in the crowd. As he rounded a corner, I fully expected him to wait. The path was slippery from all the water and I had no intentions of running. As I rounded the corner myself I scanned the crowd for him but didn’t see him at all. I had no luck spotting him so I gave him a call. He told me to meet him at gate 11. I looked around but didn’t spot the gate. I weaved through the crowd and eventually found a sign pointing me to the gate which was clear on the other side of the dome and on a lower level. Wandering around in wet socks wasn’t putting me in the greatest of moods. I eventually caught up with him and he had the nerve to ask “why are you so slow?” I got bloody pissed off at the perceived indecency with that remark. I started yelling, but then disconnected because that wasn’t the time or place to engage him. Besides, we were going to see a Japanese baseball game–that’s all that mattered.

Previously before sitting down my friend had a bit of a worry that we might have ended up with seats in the visitor’s region of the stands. It wouldn’t have mattered to me, really. He was right–we were in the visitor’s area. Actually, we were in this border line area, really. To the left of us were the home team fans. To the right were the people cheering for the visiting Saitama Seibu Lions. Through the first inning I felt schizophrenic. I wanted to cheer for the home team, but I also wanted to cheer with the visitors. Eventually, for my sanity I had to choose one. My friend left his seat to stand over with the Giants fans. For me, I decided to stick to my seat and politely clap for whoever because I was lazy. Thing is, the visitors had this whole flag, trumpet, and drum thing going on. Their cheers were vibrant and lively and noisier from my vantage point. The Giants fans seemed a bit more boring be comparison. By the second inning, the visitors got a 3-run home run and started going wild. It was at that point that I decided to adopt the Lions as my team of choice. In the third inning they got another 3-run home run. Check out the video for them cheering afterwards. It doesn’t do the crowd justice. The drumming and trumpets were infectious and I don’t think it’s really conveyed.

Well, by the end the visiting Lions won the game by a pretty wide margin. That put me in a good mood for the rest of the night. Good thing I was in a good mood too because that was the night that I had to put up with heavy train delays due to the multiple suicides. At one point we decided to get off the local train and try for the express. Man, that train was packed. I didn’t really think I could fit onto the train, but I just stepped on and mildly pushed with my whole body. I thought it was a miracle that I made it. Unfortunately for me, the train waited for a few more minutes. The train got more and more packed as people crammed on. There was only one technique: push! Somehow it all worked out. I’ve never experienced that on a Tokyo train before. I can now say that I’ve been in a ridiculously packed train in Tokyo. It’s hard to not be self-conscious in that situation, no? At one point, the young mother had to pick up something for her kid. She bent over basically shoving her ass up against me. My mind clicked: “ok…that’s her ass.” It took me a few more moments before something else clicked: “that’s her ass…rubbing into my crotch.” OK. So, I adjusted myself so as not to prolong anything lest I get an erection on a packed train. Nope…wouldn’t be good. When we finally got off the trains, my friend commented about how packed trains like that are reasons why groping is so common. No shit.

We ended the night by eating chicken wings in Shinjuku. The street along there were lines with ladies offering services. One woman seemed desperate to really want to get my attention. She was offering massage services–and I’m sure they would have included a “happy ending” for a little extra. Pass.

All in all a good night.