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Fall 2025: Japan
  • Janine Westlund
  • Mark E
  • Janine Westlund
  • Mark E

Fall 2025: Japan

A 24-day adventure by Janine & Mark E Read more
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  • Trip start
    November 2, 2025
  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Hotel breakfast. This is for ONE person!
    View from our hotel of the area we walked last night.1These buns don't look very fun to eat...2Ho ho ho!!! 🎄🎅

    am: Yokohama; pm: cruise embarkation

    November 3, 2025 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 54 °F

    We had the morning to roam before boarding our boat. So naturally we chose to visit Chinatown. 🤔
    Our boat (Diamond Princess) set sail from Tokyo at 3p. We had the evening to figure out our new digs and enjoy some entertainment.
    Tonight's musician is a jazz-violinist who plays 'mash-ups': one song played by the band in the background and another by him on his violin. Pretty cool.    Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    2The indoor pool area. Designed to let you swim (& drink) like a fish.
    Another rather commercial port.Ice-cream bread: a fabulously soft & warm bun with 2 'slices' of ice cream!! AMAZING!The city is neither colorful nor overly vibrant.A super-narrow gift shop.This Buddha head has survived numerous fires.'Narrow' is apparently a common width here. Vacant land for sale here bet'n 2 bldgs.Moat surrounding the park.We found a nice little path along the water...... that we were surprised to find we were sharing w/ a few of these guys. 🐍 ick.11Turtle-spotting: a favorite hobby of ours.Another turtle, just a wee bit smaller. See it?An odd find: a small zoo in the park. Brilliantly colored (folded) flamingos here.Unfolded. :)Watch this guy blink ...A kookaburra -- native to Australia.And of course there are penguins in an out-of-the way Japanese zoo. Why not...?We found a place that has Takoaka's signature dish: black Ramen.Coupled with a croquette, a seaweed something & a few dumplings. All pretty good.Most famous anime associated w/ Takaoka: Doraemon. Statues of Doraemon & friends are all over town.

    Fushiki (Toyama Prefecture)

    November 6, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 64 °F

    We docked in Fushiki, the port area within the city of Takaoka. A ~25min shuttle got us to the City where we walked to the Grest Buddha of Takeoka and then walked around Takaoka Kojo (Old Castle) Park.
    The Buddha was erected over a period of 30yrs w/ the townspeople donations. At 15.85m tall & 65 tons it is one of Japan's largest Buddha statues (along w/ those in Nara and Kamakura)..
    The Park no longer has a castle, but there's a moat & fortification remains; and we were exceptionally fortunate for good weather & sun which exaggerated the fall colors.    Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    The entrance gate to Kehi-Jingu.
    Gagaku ceremony. Not exactly a toe-tapper, musically speaking.Yet the masked man did indeed tap a toe or two.The man behind the mask.Shrines dedicated to various deities.Maetel, a character from the manga and anime series Galaxy Express 999. 🤷‍♀️This is a diorama. It had working lights, running trains & a lot of Japanese commentary.

    Tsuruga (Fukui Prefecture)

    November 7, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    Took the boat's shuttle to town, then wandered around: Kehi-jingu shrine where we were able to watch a gagaku ceremony (a traditional Japanese art form), then wandered about town a bit, then to the Red Brick Warehouse which had a huge, impressive diorama of something that looks like it was important to this area in terms of history . However we're not quite up to speed on our local language skills to fully appreciate it.Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Mount Daisen
    Our ship. :)Lovely stop, but that's a restriction we've never seen before.Place your order on the tablet, click the green thing to the white robot thingy, order placed.Automated robot that delivers food (shelves on reverse side).Someone left this to provide a smile. Mission accomplished. 😊Evening entertainment.

    Sakaiminato (Tottori Prefecture)

    November 8, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    We decided to just rent a few bikes & wander along the coast. An excellent decision (for us).
    Excellent views of Mount Daisen, the highest peak in the Chūgoku region and the central feature of Daisen-Oki National Park.Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    View from boat -- Campground (tents, fireplaces & all): foreground; Busan: background.
    View from Busan Tower observation deck.A fun little touristy pic -- we're in the yellow submarine.Touristy video with us in the moving yellow sub.A neat fluorescent-scaped room at the exit of the observation room.A video of the full fluorescent room.View of the Tower from below.This market had EVERYTHING. If you couldn't find it here, you probably don't need it.Lunch. So really: how do these people stay so small/slim???Our lunch restaurant-- perfect little local spot.Live shrimp!These 'grab-it' vending game rooms were everywhere.Walking along the fish market piers.Fisherman's tools of the trade.Every imaginable fish available. (& some unimaginable fish as well!)Find your favorite fish vendor, pick your fish and eat it in their little area behind the seller.There are more octopuses on this one table than I've ever seen in my lifetime of diving!Evening entertainment.

    Back to Busan, South Korea

    November 9, 2025 in South Korea ⋅ ☁️ 57 °F

    The port has the 'Busan Port Healing Campground' -- I guess for those who like to camp near cruiseships?
    We headed to Busan Tower to get a panoramic view of the city, then roamed the town a bit hitting the Gukje Market and returning to the Jagalchi Fish Market (it's the biggest we've ever seen, so returning to it didn't feel repetitive at all).Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    We opted to travel with the locals and figured out the streetcar system. Easy peasy.
    1Found ~800m from the hypocenter; hands stopped at the moment of explosion.Aerial view of Nagasaki before the explosion.1The silhouette.Sculpted basin: monument to those who needed water after the explosion.Then & now.50th Anniversary Commemorative MemorialBlack granite column commemorating the hypocenter.Two surviving stone lanterns from the (fully destroyed) Shotokuji Temple.Peace Fountain (w/ Peace Statue in the deep background)Peace StatueThe Nagasaki High School Band came out to send us off.Panorama of our departure.Sayonara, Nagasaki -- see you soon!!

    Nagasaki (Nagasaki Pref.; Kyushu Island)

    November 10, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 64 °F

    9 Aug 1945: Nagasaki's day of infamy.

    We visited the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum. As with all such museums, enormously sobering. Unlike similar museums, it does not twist the story to lessen the local involvement in the situation. There were some very moving pieces in the museum; two that stood out to me: a clock stuck in time (found ~800m from hypocenter), & a picture of a wall that had a silhouette of a lookout & his ladder (~4.4km south of the hypocenter, a lookout was exposed to the flash after coming down from the roof; the tar exposed directly to the flash burned & disappeared, but that in the shadows remained. Although not mentioned, I'm assuming the lookout didn't make it). And there were countless photos of human casualties & personal testimonials from survivors that were just heart-wrenching.
    We then went to the Peace Park: there's a 50th Anniversary Commemorative Monument, the Peace Statue, & a monument to the hypocenter area where the Bomb was dropped.
    The Commemorative statue was designed by a Nagasaki-born artist.
    Through 'the form of a child stricken in her mother's warm embrace', the child is like Japan on the day of the bombing, while the mother represents 'the support provided by the countries of the world in Japan's effort to build the peaceful nation it is today.'
    The 50th Anniversary statue
    The Peace Statue was erected on the 10th anniversary of the bombing and is poignant in its deliberate symbolism as a prayer that such a tragedy would never be repeated. The elevated right hand points to the threat of nuclear weapons; the outstretched left hand symbolizes tranquility & world peace. The folded right leg symbolizes quiet meditation; the left leg is poised for action in assisting humanity.
    And on the 50th anniversary, the hypocenter area was designated an official 'prayer zone' to pray for the victims' eternal peace.

    This was a heavy day.    Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Our first peaceful breakfast -- most people were disembarking today.
    Transit days provide a rare opportunity to clearly see one of the pool areas.It says 'We never close '; I beg to differ. 😆Forget the sleeping dude; look at all the little purple heads behind him!!!The NK Spy Ship.Captured w/ the ship.The deck of the spy ship.007 rear door holding smaller spy shipA ZPU-2 anti-aircraft gun. yikes.Some signs just make you smile.Amusement park & some nice architecture around the waterfront.Some signs are just wise guidance.This is cool: a circular walkway for pedestrian crossing!Sailaway party -- huge attendance!A very enthusiastic Sail Away!Our English and Japanese cruise directors leading the dance! (They are both EXCELLENT!)Last view of Mt Fuji bashfully hiding behind some clouds.Sitting outside, sunset on one side, bar on the other, watching a Queen concert. Perfect. 🤗

    Transition Day in Yokohama

    November 12, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    Our cruise is the combination of the 9d & 14d itineraries. Today is Day 9/Day 1 of the two combined itineraries -- first peaceful day on the ship so far (at least for a few hours 😄).

    We roamed around Yokohama on foot again, this time finding two little museums:
    -- a North Korea Spy Ship Museum: a small but informative museum illustrating the Dec 2001 capture of what was initially a suspicious vessel that was disguised as a fishing boat; it wouldn't heed the Japanese Coast Guard's warnings to stop. After a prolonged exchange of gunfire, the ship was sunk.
    -- a Japanese Migrant museum documenting the early 20th century Japanese migration to other countries. (No pics)    Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Our welcoming 'party'. 😳
    Who wouldn't want a license plate w/ an Akita on it...??Looks like noodles on whipped cream & custard, but . . ....it's a baked Mont Blanc: a dessert of sweetened chestnut purée in the form of vermicelli.The colors were specTACular!A visit to a few Samurai homes.Samurai homes surrounded by Nature's stunning foliage. 🍁I'll call this 'Samurai Street'; the homes flank both side of this road that's not likely too old.A pretty transom in one of the Samurai homes.A walkthrough of a samurai home.A little tree growing out of a large trunk.Mark w/ a samurai sword. Really . . . what could go wrong...? 🤔We took a shinkanzen (bullet train) back to Akita.Senshu Park opened just this morning after (still) being closed due to bear sightings. Beautiful.And of course there's an Akita!!In the pier terminal, Janine got to try balancing the lanterns. She did pretty well!Evening entertainment: he's playing something called a vibraphone. It & he he are amazing!The variety of sounds this instrument can provide are incredible!Still more!'Flight of the Bumblebee ' -- a true test of any artist's abilities!

    Return to Akita

    November 14, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 52 °F

    Mark met a lady yesterday while standing in line to talk w/ the Port Specialist; it seems she & her husband had similar agendas as us so the 4 of us decided to explore the Akita port stop together.
    We took a taxi to Kakunodate (pron: kah coon ah DAH tay). It's an actual samurai village established in 1620 that apparently has changed very little over time. Some actual descendants of the 17th century samurai still reside in their original family residences.
    We grabbed the shinkanzen (bullet train) to return to Akita. The bear that was the earlier roadblock to our visiting Senshu Park last time apparently took a break this time, so we were able to spend a little time walking around there.
    Taxi back to the boat. Good day.    Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Just happened to notice these two having a little fun w/o an intentional audience.
    Bandai BridgeAn absolute philosophy :)Food marketFish marketNice selection of crab!!Our lunch: fresh sushi from the fish market.Our lunchtime 'dining room '.Roaming around Hakusan Park. Mom nature was truly in Her element.Shrine in the park.Poppo-yaki: a Niigata specialty that's a super-light foamy type of slightly sweet bread.Niigata is a mild-looking city.Monique Dehaney -- Jamaican singer who lives in Tokyo & is fluent in Japanese!She was a bundle of energy.

    Niigata (pron: nee ee GAH tah)

    November 15, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    This was a nice little city to roam around. We hit the markets (fish, meat & general food), walked along the Shinano River and wandered around Hakusan Park -- a beautiful park with some lagoons, bridges and a shrine.Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Inside the Samurai home.
    1A garden w/in the home.This is a stairway between the lower & upper floors.Snacktime! Vanilla ice-cream w/ sweet soy sauce (L) & gold-plated ice-cream in a cone (R).Still in the samurai village area.1Castle Park & GardensLayered illustration of how the castle walls were constructed.1The winning tree. 🍁

    Kanazawa (Ishikawa Prefecture)

    November 16, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F

    Shuttle into town (~25 min), bought a bus pass and headed to the Namagachi Samurai District where we walked through the Nomura Samurai Residence. The Nomuras were a wealthy samurai family who served the ruling Maeda family from the 16th century until the end of the Edo period in the mid 19th century. It was purchased by a local businessman in the early 20th century and is now owned by the city for the public to enjoy.
    We then walked to Kanazawa Castle Park & the neighboring Kenroku Garden which was incredibly beautiful w/ the sunlight and Fall colors.    Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Good Morning Busan 🌞
    Jonathan -- a fun personality......and multi-talented as well. :)

    Busan & her secret (?) ninjas.

    November 18, 2025 in South Korea ⋅ 🌬 37 °F

    So we're back in Busan.
    We found a massage place in Busan that had good ratings & thought we'd give it a try. We were able to get a couples room to enjoy the experience at the same time. The massueses were talking to each other pretty much the whole time, however who cared? We couldn't understand them. Yet I couldn't help but think mine was laughing w/ her colleague at my squirms; she had strength! 💪 If I thought Thai massages were torture, then Korean massages are (for me) P.O.W. material. I heard bones crack that I didn't think possible w/o a subsequent need for a cast. I had to take every possible opportunity I could find to inhale, b/c the extraordinary pressure she exerted on me regularly expelled any residyal oxygen in my lungs. And good thing I was on a table...I practically fainted when she pressed on my knee. That prompted an immediate 'conversational moment'. Dual-language be darned, THAT couldn't be allowed to happen again.
    But my experience seemed to be unique to me b/c what did I hear from the table next to me?
    zzz😴zzz
    Seriously.
    After 90 minutes of pure torture (apparently only for one of us), we grabbed lunch in the market & then roamed around it for a while.
    Busan's a nice little city to wander around. Just beware of their hidden ninjas.

    And then, finally: we found our current FAVORITE bartender (Jonathan), second only maybe to Joon from the Volendam a few years ago; still my favorite.
    Everyone has to find 'their' bartender on a cruise. 😁    Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    An outdoor eacalator.Che Orton -- the best Elvis 'tribute artist' we've ever seen.Just like the real guy, he was sweet on the ladies in the first row.Some of the guests are a bit bashful, but enjoy the experience.And some are simply super-enthusiastic.

    Nagasaki, the sequel

    November 19, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 54 °F

    That 'favorite' bartender last night didn't feel like my best buddy this morning. Mark & I both had a case of 'the slows', but eventually made it out to Glover Gardens, not too far from the port area.

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Good Morning Sakurajima
    View of Sakurajima from the ferry. That's volcanic steam up there, not clouds.View of Kinko Bay from the Akamizu Observation Point on Sakurajima.Aerial view of Sakurajima (posted on floor of observation site).Available at a volcano near you...KATEI -- Rock Violinist.Incredible music!He's another bundle of energy.

    Kagoshima (Capital of Kagoshima Pref.)

    November 20, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 55 °F

    The city is ~30 mins from the port via shuttle where we then took a 15 min ferry to the volcanic island of Sakurajima. The volcano actually erupted a few days ago and apparently erupts multiple times/yr, but that doesn't seem to bother the locals. (😳??)Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    2The next morning, the primary balloon 'characters' were on display.1

    Kōchi (Capital of Kōchi Prefecture)

    November 21, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 63 °F

    There was a boat bus-shuttle available to town; but, feeling like locals now, we called a taxi and took the direct route to Kochi Castle. After that we walked around the town a bit, found a little outdoor food fair where we got a few snacks, then figured out & hopped onto the local street-trolley to both see a little more of the city as well as get us closer to the boat. We then needed a much shorter taxi to get us back 'home'.Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    View from the 'ropeway'.
    🤗This might be today's winning tree from a colors perspective...Part of our walkway down.Mid-mountain break. :)Another part of our downward path.Nunobiki Falks - OntakiAfter Nunobiki, we went to the Sorakuen Garden.In the middle of the city, the gardens have apparently been unchanged for over a century.The western homes area, ready for the holidays.Some of the homes had some rather unusual decorating.

    Kobe (Hyogo Prefecture) pt.1 of 2

    November 22, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Nice, long day in port today: arrived 8a, departed 11p. And we were blessed with beautiful weather.
    We started the day at the Nunobiki Herb Gardens & Ropeway. We essentially took a gondola ('ropeway') up to the top of Mount Rokko where there was a cool Christmas Market and then worked our way down on foot through the various gardens & displays.
    Mother Nature was on full display today.
    Once down the hill, we stopped at Kobe Kitano Ijinkan-Gai: a scenic area with western style homes that seems to just be an attraction rather than holding any history.    Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    In the middle of the city, the gardens have apparently been unchanged for over a century.~4 oz; ~US$60. Taste: priceless.Local folkloric dancers provided tonight's evening entertainment.

    Kobe pt.2 of 2

    November 22, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 59 °F

    After a bite to eat, we visited the Sorakuen Garden, found a jazz club, then went to the harbor area in search of Kobe beef for dinner before heading back to the ship.

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Aerial view of the peninsular garden; courtesy of a postcard. :)
    Entrance to Banndoko Garden.Steps leading down to the water where we watched some locals fish.There were a few people fishing today, each with these ridiculously long poles!He 'chummed' the water by scooping up some pink stuff w/ a long scoop & tossing it into the water.Wakayama Castle.A quick little snack of noodle soup for which the area is known.Views of Wakayama City from a tower in the castle.The ship's entertainment team had some beautiful voices.Mark participates in a little gameshow competition.

    Shimotsu (Wakayama Prefecture)

    November 23, 2025 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 57 °F

    Shimotsu was a town of around 14K people in 2003. In 2005 it was merged into the expanded city of Kainan.
    We grabbed a taxi to Bandoko Garden -- a lovely peninsular garden that was all the more stunning for its seclusion from the city.
    We then taxi'd over to Wakayama Castle Park. During the Edo Period (c1600 - 1863), due to its size and status, Wakayama Castle was ranked as one of the most important castles under the Tokugawa (Edo) shogunate (military government). Unfortunately it was firebombed in 1945 during the war, however it was reconstructed in 1958; this time, in concrete. Here too were beautiful gardens made all the more so thanks to the colorful fall foliage.    Read more

  • Fall 2025: Japan
    Look at how many guests are here watching!!
    Hiroshi & Nick: two of the best Cruise Ship Directors ever!Celebrating the Diamond Princess being recently awarded the best ship in the Princess fleet.And then there's guests hone in on the dance action.

    THE BEST FAREWELL PARTY!

    November 24, 2025 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 57 °F

    We have never seen a farewell party like this! These are members of the Food & Beverage Team, & they're almost better than the Entertainment Team!!

    Trip end
    November 25, 2025
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