On to Japan
November 2 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
Arrived in Tokyo ~4p. We decided to walk along the waterfront promenade and see what's going on.
am: Yokohama; pm: cruise embarkation
November 3 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 digsRead more
Fushiki (Toyama Prefecture)
November 6 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)Read more
Tsuruga (Fukui Prefecture)
November 7 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 theRead more
Sakaiminato (Tottori Prefecture)
November 8 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 featureRead more
Back to Busan, South Korea
November 9 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 bitRead more
Nagasaki (Nagasaki Pref.; Kyushu Island)
November 10 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 theRead more
Day at Sea -- Evening Entertainment
November 11 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 59 °F
The ship's band didn't knock our socks off, but they're pretty good.
Transition Day in Yokohama
November 12 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 roamedRead more
Return to Akita
November 14 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.Read more
Niigata (pron: nee ee GAH tah)
November 15 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,Read more
Kanazawa (Ishikawa Prefecture)
November 16 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 servedRead more
Busan & her secret (?) ninjas.
November 18 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 massuesesRead more
Nagasaki, the sequel
November 19 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.
Kagoshima (Capital of Kagoshima Pref.)
November 20 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 multipleRead more
Kōchi (Capital of Kōchi Prefecture)
November 21 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 littleRead more
Kobe (Hyogo Prefecture) pt.1 of 2
November 22 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')Read more
Kobe pt.2 of 2
November 22 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.
Shimotsu (Wakayama Prefecture)
November 23 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 moreRead more
Omaezaki (Shizuoka Prefecture)
November 24 in Japan ⋅ 🌬 59 °F
A very low-key port stop. We visited a lighthouse and then headed back. There was a lot of local youth entertainment at the port to enjoy.
THE BEST FAREWELL PARTY!
November 24 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!!































































































































































































































































































































































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Pizza is the universal dish