We got up early for teamLab Borderless — early enough that Alex, who clearly hadn't slept enough, was grouchy for most of the walk in. The exhibition was visually disorienting in a good way, which is about the most honest thing you can say about a place that makes the floor, the ceiling, and the walls indistinguishable from one another.

The mirror rooms were where the cameras came out. When the floor reflects as cleanly as the ceiling, you stop knowing which version of yourself is the real one — a disorientation that, judging by the photos, nobody seemed to mind.

Somewhere in the middle of it there was a tea ceremony, which landed as a quiet counterweight to the sensory overload around it. We also found a drawing station — Kyle produced a card that looked like a proud, round-headed man in blue trousers striding into the unknown.

The orb rooms came later — a different installation, darker, packed with hanging glowing spheres multiplied by mirrors into what felt like a full galaxy. We each took a turn standing in it and looking up.

After that, Alex split off to his cooking class and Kyle and Aidan headed to Akihabara. Conveyor belt sushi first — very tasty, per the record — and then the afternoon was given over to hunting for Pokémon cards through the district's floors of merch.

The group reconvened for dinner at a packed, double-height restaurant with globe lights strung above the tables and enough noise to suggest everyone had the same idea about where to end the evening.