Some of the groups did really outstanding presentations, too. It was really interesting to see where everyone went to and compare their experiences with ours. Much of it was the same when it came to schools however the different cities provided distinct differences in climate, activities, and events.

The last group of the day to present went to Eniwa. They finished by saying the following which I feel was appropriate to include here.

I got my photo with Aiko before she left for good. It should come as no surprise to you if you have read all of these journals that my camera is crap. Once again, it was set on video mode instead of picture mode so, here's my "picture".

Click me!!

At lunch, I went up to my room and took a 30 minute nap. I came back down to hear the remainder of the presentations and follow up instructions.

Even though I was feeling under the weather, I knew I had to go out and do some shopping. I have done some shopping at the 100 Yen store but there was still more to do. The big problem right now was making sure I had room to put everything. That's one reason why I had decided to wait until today to finish my shopping. I wasn't planning on feeling ill either.

We went to the Harajuku district and visit the 100 Yen shop and the Oriental Bazaar. One of the unique features of this district is that it is a hangout for teens who often dress up in crazy outfits. While this was a school day, there were still some dressed up in odd outfits although the majority of teens were dressed in their school uniforms.

Here are the sights and sounds of the Harajuku district.

100 Yen Shop!

While going to the Oriental Bazaar, I saw a photo opportunity that I couldn't pass up...

You don't want to know the details about what I had to do to get this photo...

We had our final reception this evening and again were treated like royalty. There was a huge buffet and a good chance to get to talk to everyone we hadn't seen in a week and a half. Problem was, I was still feeling ill and had not eaten much of anything today. Nor could I begin to eat anything for fear of the effects.

Waiters greeted us with drinks upon entering. I got the orange juice

Dr. Satterwhite says a few words to us.

Two members of our group went to the doctor today to get "treated" for the stomach virus. They were given antibiotics and were told that they were contagious. Geez, thanks....I could have told them that. We had our group photo and had two people missing because they were too ill to move comfortably.

Me, Holly, and Jeff

Holly, Lisa, me, and Kim Holly is the only one without the illness...

At the end of the reception, there was an Akido demonstration. This was pretty cool to see it in action. Every day is a new experience, that's for sure!

I did get a chance to get one last photo of my roommate from the first night. If you don't remember who he was, here is his picture again...

There were plans to go out to an ice bar with Jeff. This place is only found in a few places throughout the planet so it sounded like it would be a lot of fun. Basically, you are given a cloak and gloves when you enter along with a mug made of ice. The reservation is only for 45 minutes so you can't stay for long. Unfortunately, I didn't go because I needed to go and get some medicine. What type? Let's try something like Imodium AD...

Remember my journal about what drug stores look like? Well, I was about to enter that realm to try to find the dreaded medication. Luckily, Tracey went with me and helped me. We went into 3 different stores in an attempt to find medication. An interesting thing about this experience...you can tell a lot about what the medication is based upon the other items found around them. Think about walking down the drug store aisle...typically all of the aspirins, the cold medications, etc. are located together. The first few stores we went into didn't have this type of section. The items they had were clearly not intended to address my problem.

Finally, we went into another store that looked like a true drug store. Tracey asked the clerk if he spoke English. He answered no but pulled out a sheet of paper that had a picture of the human body on it. It was intended to help us communicate my problem to him. Fortunately, there were additional diagrams on either side of the body that had other problems associated with illnesses. Luckily, there was a cartoon image of a little boy sitting on a western-style toilet. Beside that were english words like diarrhea, constipation, hemorrhoids, etc. with japanese words underneath them. I pointed to the picture and within five seconds the clerk had the medication I needed. He mumbled something else but all I heard was "two tablets". I tried to get my picture with him and the medication but he refused. So, I had to take a picture of myself with the medication and the store I bought it.

In a fitting end to my Tokyo experience, I wrap up this journal with the following picture.

Looks like Buddha has enacted his revenge in the most evil and despicable way. At least I am not the only one suffering from this problem in my group. We've shared entirely too many descriptive details with each other that would make your mother blush.

I returned to my room and visited with other members of the suffering Soka clan in the hotel. We reminisced about our trip and packed as our goal was to try to stay up late so we could sleep on the plane. Plus, if we could stay up late then it would be easier to get back onto the eastern standard time zone.