Blogs from Japan, Asia - page 8

Tour Day 132, Cruise Day 30 – Osaka, Japan – I fully intended to visit Kaiyukan, the Osaka Aquarium, and to ride the Tempozan Wheel (a.k.a an observation wheel or a giant wheel), but I saw too many deployed umbrellas from the Deck 9 Lido Market while having breakfast. By lunchtime, I saw fewer umbrellas and took a chance. Of course, the gangway is mid-ship, the immigration facility is at the bow and all of the attractions (including Legoland, which I had no intention of visiting) are well past the stern of the ship. A bump in the road. I walked past the wheel and saw there are three flights of stairs to reach the boarding area. On a clear, beautiful day, just another bump in the road but on an overcast day with compromised vistas, ... read more

Tour Day 131 Cruise Day 29 – “The Best of Tokyo” Shore Excursion – Yokohama (Tokyo), Japan – This option is available to guests who are returning to the ship. The wonders of Tokyo are yours to discover on this full day of sightseeing. Travel by motorcoach to the city center, passing famous landmarks en route. You'll head to the Imperial Palace Plaza in central Tokyo -- home of Japan's Emperor. There will be time to wander in the Plaza, which provides a view of the Fushimi-Yagura watchtower. This famous building is a remnant of the mighty Edo period. You'll also see the famous Nijubashi Bridge. On a panoramic drive through central Tokyo, you will see the National Diet Building, the Guest House, Tokyo Tower, and several important facilities from the coach. Your next stop is ... read more

Tour Day 126, Cruise Day 24 – Fukuoka (Hakata), Japan – One of the first non-travel events to land on my planning spreadsheet was the Superbowl. A time-zone calculation meant the GAME should start shortly after breakfast. When I began to incorporate and examine the shore excursions, it was nice to see that there was nothing appealing in Fukuoka. Unfortunately, a couple of days before game day, I began to develop a cold and/or allergies had struck. Although the Superbowl was on the TV in my cabin and on the big screen in the Rock and Roll Lounge, I lazed away the morning dozing off periodically until my stomach won the battle. The score indicates that I missed a good game. Congrats to KC! Tour Day 127, Cruise Day 25 – Scenic Cruising Kanmon Strait –Japan ... read more

Tour Day 122, Cruise Day 20 – Day at Sea Tour Day 123, Cruise Day 21 – Shore Excursion: Chiran Samurai Houses & Peace Museum – Kagoshima, Japan Chiran, just nineteen miles south of Kagoshima, is sometimes called Little Kyoto because of the many Samurai residences preserved here. The houses and their beautiful gardens are approximately 250 years old. The gates to the residences, moss-covered stone walls, hedges and black tile roofs evoke the Edo period. The samurais’ descendants still use several of the residences. View them from the outside. Tour the Chiran Peace Museum, which explores the background of Japan’s kamikaze pilots. They trained nearby before embarking on suicide missions against Allied sea vessels. The museum includes photos and final letters of the young pilots, many of whom were teenagers, and it makes a plea ... read more

On a bright, sunny, warm morning the Silver Muse docked in the sprawling port of Yokohama. The first sight we saw was the Ramen Museum. Being great fans of that noodle dish, we felt right at home. Our disembarkation was a smooth process and before we knew it we were fiddling with the money exchange machine and searching out a taxi to take us to our rental house in the seaside town of Hayama. It is important to have a handful of Japanese Yen since credit cards aren't so widely accepted outside of the major cities. The ride down to Hayama was quite scenic and uneventful. I had printed out the address of our rental in both English and kanji (Japanese writing) to help the driver. However once we arrived in Hayama he had a very ... read more