Blogs from Japan, Asia - page 15

2023_Blog 25_Japan April 14 Port of Call: Fukuoka (Hakata), Japan – Weather: Heavy rain - 62°F/17°C – Wind: 7 mph. This morning’s viewing started early for us as the ship sailed through the Kanmon Strait, also known as Straits of Shimonoseki. This stretch of water separates Honshu and Kyushu, two of Japan’s four main islands. The overcast skies and rainy conditions made viewing difficult and uncomfortable. It is always fun to pass under a bridge and this morning we did just that. The Kanmon Bridge is a 1,068 metre suspension bridge connecting Shimonoseki in Honshu to Kitakyushu in Kyushu. Our cruise director provided a running commentary over the PA system as we transited the strait. We docked in Fukuoka (Hakata) on the northwestern side of Kyushu Island in the early afternoon and a downpour which continued ... read more

Thursday 13thApril 2023 KOCHI 10.00am – 15.30pm At last ….an easy day as we weren’t docking until 10.00am and we had decided to just do Kochi Castle! Mmmm…well, after stopping for our precious free 10 minute internet in the Port we bumped into Angela and decided to share a taxi with her to Mt Godai which is just a viewing point and then drop her at the Botanical Garden before we took the same taxi to Kochi Castle. Best laid plans and all that!! We ended up at the temple Chikurinji!! A quick run around, up to the Pagoda ( to check that there wasn’t a viewpoint!!) – it was oh so very pretty, with green trees and orange azalea trees and old steps and wooden gates, temples and the obligatory cherry trees! Dropped Angela off ... read more

2023_Blog 23_Japan April 12 Port of Call: Kobe, Japan – Weather: Overcast with rain in the morning – clear & sunny in afternoon – Wind: 18 mph. Kobe, our second stop for this cruise and once again we were unable to secure a shore excursion, so we opted to do some exploring of the harbor area on our own. After the rain eased off in the afternoon, we ventured out to find the Kobe Maritime Museum. Google Maps provided us with walking directions and off we went for a thirty-minute hike. The museum and the adjoining Meriken Park dedicated to earthquake victims are located on a spit of land that was reclaimed after the 1995 earthquake. Part of the memorial includes a section of the former seawall showing the level of damage inflicted by the earthquake. ... read more

2023_Blog 21_Japan April 10 Port of Call: Yokohama, Japan – Weather: Bright sunny day - 65°F/18°C – Wind: 24 mph. Today marked the end of the first 14-day journey and the start of the second 14-day leg. Early this morning we entered Tokyo Bay and were docked at the Yokohama International Cruise Terminal by 6:00 am. Starting at 7:30 passengers started to disembark, and that phase was completed by 9:30. Approximately 800 passengers left to be replaced by an equal number. Over the course of the afternoon 800 new guests arrived, were processed by the local authorities, and boarded the ship. Many guests, like ourselves, have chosen to do the second cruise around the Japanese Islands and so were given the option to stay on board for the day or to venture ashore and do their ... read more

2023_Blog 17_Japan April 6 Port of Call: Kochi, Japan – Weather: Showers - 63°F/17°C – Wind 6.9 mph. Great! rain again – seems to be the theme the last few days. Japan is currently sitting under several conflicting low-pressure systems. Today we set off to Kochi Castle one of only 12 original castles remaining in Japan. If the structures were not destroyed in the many civil wars they accidentally burned or were destroyed in natural disasters only to be demolished by the Government. During the Westernization of Japan, the Government of the time thought that they should cut their ties with their historical past. Usual thinking all round! Like most castles the central tower was set high on a hill requiring guests to climb countless steps just to reach it. The Castle Tower itself is an ... read more