The night bus arrived in Tokyo at Ikebukuro. I took the metro to Shinjuku, found the capsule hotel, and deposited my heavy backpack. I planned to go to a festival at the Ikegame Honmonji temple, and it took me 40 minutes by public transportation to get there. I walked through a small park looking for the temple. I didn’t hear or see anyone. At the temple I stumbled upon some snack bars in front of the temple. But I wouldn’t call it a festival. I went down dozens of stairs, and then I could see more snack bars, but not many people. I connected to an open WiFi, and found out that the festival starts at 6 p.m.
Many of the snack bars offered similar things as I’ve seen at the festival in Takayama. Two bars sold small red fish. I decided to have lunch here, and saw a bar who sold okonomiyaki, and a waiting line of 15 people (and almost no people at the other stands). Two scenarios emerged in my head: people waited either because the bar offered really good food, or because other people waited in the line. I hoped for the former, and chose right. The okonomiyaki tasted really good.
I felt sleepy, so I went back to the capsule hotel, checked in. Only men can stay at this hotel, women had a separate hotel at the topmost floors of the building. I had to put my stuff in a locker. Because the capsule doesn’t have a door. It just has a pull-down blind. I took a nap, and could sleep quite well in 190x100x90 (cm). After the nap I went to have a look at the baths and saunas that they offered. After three rounds in the sauna (they have three different types!) and visiting the outside hot bath, I decided to go back to the festival.
At least I knew now the best way to get to the festival location from the metro station. I saw a lot more people, but apparently no real program. I walked around and ate twisted potato with garlic salt (delicious!), fried noodles and a choco banana. The choco fruit snack bar offered a gamble: you play rock–paper–scissors or turn a wheel of fortune, and you get two fruits. I didn’t had fortune that day.
I went back by metro, and looked at the station map to find the closest exit to the capsule hotel. I must have looked lost, because two girls approached me, and one asked me in English, whether I need help. The other didn’t speak English. By chance they went to a restaurant near my hotel, so we walked together. I told them about my experiences in Japan, in a mix of English and Japanese. They found it very funny.