Vivi had the great idea of getting up early this morning and heading back toward Tokyo. The weather was forecasted to be even worse today than yesterday, so there wasn’t much point in staying at a decent hotel when we had a spectacular one waiting for us in Tokyo.

We left Lake Yamanaka and drove back to Odawara, returning the rental car by 10am. We caught the shinkansen to Tokyo Station at 10:39am, and just 36 minutes later, we were back in the capital. From there we walked to a nearby station to catch the metro to the Ritz-Carlton in Roppongi.

We arrived around 11:30am. The rooms weren’t ready yet, which we had expected, so the hotel took our luggage for safekeeping. Before we left, the General Manager, Xavi, came out to greet us. We ended up sitting with him for about an hour over coffee and tea, chatting about his experience as a Spaniard living and working in Japan. It was a great conversation and an unexpected highlight of the day.

After our chat, everyone went their separate ways for the afternoon. I noticed there was a Hard Rock Cafe nearby, and since I’ve made it a bit of a tradition to eat at one whenever I can, I headed there for lunch. A classic burger and fries hit the spot perfectly, and it felt nice to just relax and have a little alone time while the others did some last-minute shopping.

Around 3pm our room was ready, so I went up to check it out and wait for Vivi. This hotel is spectacular. The view from the 48th floor is incredible, stretching across Tokyo in every direction. The Ritz-Carlton Tokyo has a more contemporary feel than the one in Osaka, and it’s much more my style.

Vivi got back around 6pm, and we went down to the spa to use the pool and jacuzzi. It was the perfect way to unwind before getting ready for our last evening out as a group.

That night we met up with a couple from Honduras who live in Tokyo. Vivi knows them through her friend Margarita, and we all met for dinner at a restaurant in Shibuya called Mo-Mo Paradise. It’s a hotpot-style place where you cook your own food in a boiling soup pot right at the table. Thankfully Bart knew what he was doing, because I’d never eaten this way before. It wasn’t my favorite meal of the trip, but it wasn’t bad either. I could see myself trying it again sometime.

After dinner we wandered around looking for a bar to have a drink, but didn’t have much luck. The girls took a few more photos at Shibuya Crossing before Vivi and I grabbed a taxi back to the Ritz-Carlton.

The city views from the hotel were just as incredible at night, and we spent a few quiet minutes admiring them before heading to bed. It was the perfect end to our last full day in Japan.