Shops selling bento boxes are readily available in train stations in Japan, because there, it’s tradition for passengers to buy a bento to-go for their train journeys, which I thought was really stinkin’ cute. Since it was my final Shinkansen ride back to Fukuoka — a five to six-hour journey, roughly — I bought a bento box for the ultimate Japanese bullet train experience. And boy, was it a cutesy experience, eating from a bento while observing the fine sceneries and dreaming away.

Being back in Fukuoka felt reassuring; I knew that I’d be returning to Phnom Penh soon. But more importantly, I missed Fukuoka, and came to appreciate its low key vibe only after returning from Tokyo. I was also glad to be back at the hostel — back to beginnings, as they say — and to see familiar friendly faces. Except that when I returned to my old room this time, a new roommate was awaiting me, and her name was Tweety.

That’s one of the best things about hostels: you meet people from all over the world and from all walks of life. Tweety was from Hong Kong and when I learned that that was her name given to her by her father, I died inside because it was too darn cute. “Your dad must have the best sense of humour,” I laughed. Needless to say, we got on well, as if we’d been friends for years. And for what little time we had left in Japan, we spent it together.

<img class="wp-image-5786 size-large" src="https://toumemoir.files.wordpress.com/2016/07/image15.jpeg?w=620" alt="Dango, sweet dumpling made from rice flour (similar to mochi) often enjoyed with green tea” width=”620″ height=”415″> Dango, sweet dumpling made from rice flour (similar to mochi) often enjoyed with green tea

The day that we explored the vicinity of the Yanagibashi Fish Market could’ve been said to be the day I went to dango heaven — I stumbled upon this delicious sweet everywhere I went! I could eat dango all day every day, and Tweety can attest to it, because that’s precisely what had happened.

Tweety invited me into a sweets shop that sold these adorable baby chick green tea desserts, as she wanted to purchase them for her brother who’s a big fan of them. I saw them quite often in souvenir shops at the airport and in train stations as well as in department stores, and since I was curious and loved green tea desserts myself, I decided to buy them for a treat for my mother. She absolutely loved them!