Hey, I forgot I still had one post to include in my Solo In Tokyo series. 😅

The day of me flying out of Tokyo, I still had time in the morning to do some final touristy stuff (my flight was still in the afternoon). Of course I wanted to make the most out of my time here in the city that I now love (😉). I planned to visit a few more shrines before finally heading home.

I woke up extra early on that day, and around 7AM, I was already out and about in the city. The streets were noticeably quiet, since it was a Sunday morning. 

The first shrine for my first stop was the Akasaka Hikawa Shrine. The gates were open so I just went inside. There were no people inside though. The memory that stood out to me here was that there was no single English translation anywhere in the shrine so I just observed the surroundings and the overall aura of the place. I really found temples/shrines very relaxing so I just took my time to look around (even though I couldn't understand a single thing LOL).

Some of the things I saw there were already familiar though, like those plates where prayer offerings are written for the shrine. There were also those fortune-telling strips, wherein if you got a negative fortune, you can tie the paper into the wood which symbolizes leaving the negative energy behind in the shrine.

The next shrine that I visited was the Izumo Oyashiro Tokyo Bunshi Shrine. Thank you again to Google Maps for being my guide throughout this adventure. Unfortunately, just like the first shrine, there were no English translations on how to navigate the shrine (AGAIN). So, I just took some photos and placed all the remaining Japanese coins I had in the box typically placed in front of the shrine or altar. I believed that even though I didn't know how to navigate the shrine, I at least showed respect by donating. 😁

Those two were the last shrines in the final items on my itinerary. Can you guess why I specifically chose these two shrines? Well according to this blog, those are the shrines to visit if you need a little help with your romantic life. 😁Unfortunately, maybe since I was not able to visit those shrines in the appropriate way, it didn't have an effect on me. HAHAHA.

With just a few hours before my flight, I had to return to the hotel, wrap up all my belongings, and travel to the airport.

I flew via the Philippine Airlines, all thanks to the reimbursements and the miles I was able to claim. This flight going home is actually free of charge because of the points I have accumulated. ✨

I felt nostalgic during the flight home. It was in the afternoon. I was in the window seat and I can see the glow of the sunset outside. It had a dramatic effect because I was saying goodbye to this wonderful adventure I had in that country. It felt so bittersweet. 🥲 I have to say, this was one of the bravest things I have done in my life. I wanted (and needed) this adventure. It was the first of many things. 💖✨

~o~