Chapter 8 (Episode 1) – Ueno, Pandas and the Last Sunlight
(Day 8)
Woke up to my last morning in Tokyo. After wrestling my belongings into my suitcase — now resembling the aftermath of a souvenir typhoon — I stepped out to the same little restaurant in Machida.
I ordered the hearty pork set with miso soup again, tasting each ingredient carefully, as if I could download the memory into my taste buds.
The morning light, the quiet alley, the steam rising from the miso — everything felt like it was waving a soft goodbye. 「またね、町田。(Ma-ta-ne, Ma-chi-da (See you again, Machida.)
I checked out, dragged my luggage (70% souvenirs, 30% questionable decisions), and rented a locker at the station. With 12 hours left before leaving Japan, I decided to spend it in Ueno Zoo — a green oasis sitting confidently in the middle of Tokyo, like it has never heard of real estate prices.
The zoo was huge. Ridiculously huge. I knew immediately that I would not see all of it unless I had the stamina of a marathon runner or the determination of a parent on a school field trip.
But the people were already an exhibit on their own. Children were laughing, families were smiling, and a few thoughtful souls were reading books under orange trees that were about to give up their leaves for winter.
Then came the line. A line so long it deserved its own postal code. I joined it without knowing what awaited at the end — a common Japanese hobby, I’ve learned. While waiting, I calculated how many pages I could finish in a book, whether I should’ve brought snacks, and at which point my legs would file a complaint.
Finally, the grand reveal:
The panda.
The crowd gasped. Cameras clicked.
The panda… ate bamboo.
And that was the entire show.
He munched slowly, rhythmically, heroically, completely unaware that a hundred humans were hoping for a backflip or at least an enthusiastic wink. Still, everyone was delighted — myself included. 「かわいいから許す。」(Ka-wa-ii ka-ra yu-ru-su) (It’s cute, so I forgive.)
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