HA Cruise, Westerdam,-Japan Otaru-Yokohama

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Wednesday 19^th & Thursday 20^thApril 2023 OTARU 10.00am – 5.00pm

After another sea day, we arrived at Otaru about 9.00am. We had to go through the rigmarole of re-entry to Japan, with fingerprints and photo taken so we weren’t off the ship until about 10.45am (and that was early because we had ‘booked’ a trip with Al & Cruise Critics so we were ‘Priority’!!) Unfortunately we were unable to meet up with Al because we were herded through Immigration and onto a bus that took us to Mt Tengu for 480JPY. Got off the bus on the 5^th stop, along with other passengers that hadn’t made it to Cruise Critics Tour and went up 271m past the snow line, in a cable car. Admired the view (it was quite murky!!) rubbed a goblins nose (It will help you realize your dreams and live a healthy, happy life!!) listened to a woodpecker in the snowy woods and visited the Tenguyama Shrine. Got the bus back down to the Station and walked towards the sea to find the canal with its old warehouses.

Walked along the canal, up Sushi street (not very interesting!!) and then back along Sakaimachidori Shopping street, with its quaint shops, lots of glass making and glass ornaments, sushi shops, ice-cream shops etc. Walked to the end and Melissa & Rick decided to get a taxi back to the ship, we started walking back along the shopping street, then decided to go to the Music Box Museum ( that turned out to be an interesting shop!!) where it was said that they had over 25,000 music boxes…..mmmm……Im not sure it was that many!!

Anyhow, we decide to walk over the bridge back to the ship and got back just after 16,00hrs.

Friday 21^st April 2023 AOMORI 8.00am – 18.30pm

We were always going to go to Hirosake Castle as it was also the first day of ‘Hanami’ – one of the top cherry blossom viewings in Japan. There are 2600 cherry blossom trees here of some 50 species!! So we were off the ship at ½ 8 and walked to Aomori Station where we caught the 9.04 train to Hirosaki. After about 45 mins we exited the station on the right hand side and caught the Loop bus to Hirosake Gardens for 100JPY. Entered the castle park via the Otemon Gate. Absolutely loads and loads of blossom and with the wind as well it looked like it was snowing and a lot of the water in the moat had turned pink, where all the blossom had fallen in it!!

Hirosake Castle was built in 1611 as the seat of the Tsugaru Clan and the Oteman North Gate is believed to date from the original castle construction. Walked to the Ninomaru South Gate (also dating from 1611) and saw loads of brides and bridgrooms posing with the blossom and on the bridges. Went up the actual castle keep – if I had know it was two flights of ‘stepladders’ I might not have!! The first Keep was struck by lightening and destroyed by fire in 1627 and the present Keep was completed in 1810 by the ninth Feudal Lord – Yasuchika Tsugaru in keeping with traditional features.

Had some noodles for lunch – Im getting better with chopsticks now – but still didn’t know how to drink the broth until we asked the family sat opposite us!! (It turns out that you can pick your bowl up and just drink it!!) Chris had quite a good conversation with them on Google Chat!! Wandered around some more afterwards and to make sure that we hadn’t missed anything, asked a guide. Anyway, someone that spoke some English said he would show us and ended up showing us the way to the botanical garden which was also very nice. Being blossomed out by now, we got a taxi back to the station and the 14.47 train back to Aomori! Bumped into John & Lynn on the way back and we shared a taxi to the tallest bronze statue of Buddah in Japan and the Seiryu-Ji Temple!!

Quite an interesting complex of temples, shrines, pagodas (395metres high and 4^th highest of Japan!) and various other buildings as well as a big bell and windmills which are for unborn children to console their souls !! Walked up to the big Buddah and also went inside it where there was various pictures and Confucius type sayings which led to a little temple. Loads of blossom there as well!!

Got the same taxi back to the Art Gallery (we had asked him to wait – no charge!) which John &=and Lynn went in whilst we went to the A-Factory to shop for Apple gifts (Aomori is famous for apples!!) and after walked back to the ship via the A Frame Building where we went to the 13^th floor to take photos!!

Saturday 22^nd April 2023 HAKODATE 7.00am – 17.30pm

There seemed to be a lot to see in Hakodate, so we were off the ship, and in a taxi to the Botanical Gardens by 8.30am ­– only to find, when we arrived at 9.00am that the Gardens didn’t open until 9.30am! Duh!! Waited with an Australian couple (who we agreed to share a taxi with to the Fort!) and went in the Tropical Garden to see the monkeys in their hot springs! Bit of a disappointment, as I thought they would be wild monkeys but it was like visiting a zoo!!! Walked through the Botanical Garden and saw the turtles, orchids, fish and birds. You could also bathe your feet in the hot spring waters (different to the monkeys tub!!) but I had thermal tights on underneath my trousers!! A lovely sunny day but the wind was oh so cold and very strong!!

Caught a taxi outside with the Australians and got to the Goryokaku Area, which is where the tower and the star shaped fort was. Boy there was hundreds of cherry trees in full bloom. It was stunning! Walked around the outside first and then walked the ramparts – so much blossom everywhere – and all to protect Hakodate’s Magistrate’s Office!! The construction began in 1857 and finished 7 years later in 1864, and became the administrative centre of the Ezo region. The original building was demolished in 1871 after the Battle of Hakodate was fought during the Meiji period. It was then rebuilt in 2010 and restored to its original state. Goryokaku includes a reference to its pentagonal star shape.

Decided to go up the Goryokaku Tower to see the blossom and star shape, and took some lovely photos of views and the Japanese all having large picnics underneath the cherry blossoms.

Caught the tram then (No 5 I think!) to Jujigal Tram stop. Was going to go up the Mt Hakodate Ropeway to Mt Hakodate but decided a) it was too windy b) we didn’t really have enough time so we looked round the old redbrick warehouses made into shops! Very attractive area!

Sunday 23^rd & Monday 24^th April 2023 YOKOHAMA 7.00am – 25^th April 2023 16.30pm

Oh no!! The Captain announced we were no longer going to Kushiro on the 26^th April (due to a storm forecast!) but would spend two days and overnight at Yokohama. So on Monday 24^th we decided to go into Tokyo from Yokohama!! It was a grey old day which was a shame because we had had beautiful sun and blue sky the Day before, on our sea day!! Anyway we set off, after calling in the Tourist Information to find the way and went from Nihon-odori station to Yokohama Station. We then went on the Keikyu Line to Sengaku-ji, where we changed trains and caught the train/metro to Asakusa on the Asakusa Line. It was quite complicated finding the correct platforms etc and we didn’t get into Asakusa until 11.30am (2hrs travelling!!)

Went to the Kaminarimon Gate which stands at the entrance to the processional road that leads to Senso-ji. The original gate was erected in 942 but burnt down several times over the centuries. The one standing today was built in 1960 and was donated by Japanese entrepreneur Konosuke Matsushita (1894 – 1989)

It was packed out with people!! Absolutely heaving!! A lot of the young girls had hired geisha outfits and were parading up and down the streets in them! Wandered around the shops, shrines, temples and various other buildings before coming to the five-tiered pagoda which was founded in 942. It was burnt in 1945 in World War II but rebuilt in 1973. Admired the pair of O-Waraji – a pair of traditional sandals weighing 2500 kgs and are 4.5 metres high. They are the charms against evil because they are symbolic of the power of Ni-Ou and many people wish to touch them!!

Decided to have lunch in a traditional Japanese restaurant, and after queueing for a while, was invited in!! You had to order your food on an I Pad and then it was delivered to you! Most of the tables had portable BBQ’s on them so we ordered some raw fish thinking we could cook them!!!! Silly us!! What we had actually ordered was raw fish and not BBQ’d fish so we ended up eating raw fish for lunch and some egg fried rice. I think the waitress took pity on us, because she offered us forks when she saw us struggling to eat the rice!!

Walked to Sumida River and Sumida Park on the way to the Tokyo SkyTree – about 20 minute walk! Decided to go up even though it was a murky day so no chance of seeing Mt Fuji!! Went up to the Tembo Deck ( there were four lifts, each with a different season) in the ‘Summer’ lift – 600 metres per minute so the ride only lasted 50 seconds, and walked right round it, taking in the views and trying to work out where the Shinjuku was!! Went down to 340 metres and gazed down through the glass floor. Went back down in the ‘Autumn’ lift and then decided to go back to the ship as it was 4.30pm.

We eventually got back to the ship ay 19.10pm!! It was hard work on the tube so an easier day planned for tomorrow!!
Tuesday 26th April 2023 YOKOHAMA leaving 17.00hrs
An easy……ier day!!! Up at 6.30am (that’s the norm for us now!) and off the ship by 9.00am after a leisurely brealkfast! We were just going to walk to China Town (it is the biggest in Japan!) which was only about 1 km away! Madness all around and straight away!! The place was full of teenage school children – we couldn’t work out why they weren’t in school!! However, walked around , admired the gates and the two shrines. The first one Yokohama Masyro wanted to charge us 500 JYR to look inside so we made a hasty exit!! The Kanteibyo Temple houses Guan Yu a famous general of Japan. The original shrine burnt down a few times and the present one standing, was built in 1973. After this we walked to the red brick warehouse looking for pressys, but is was all westernised so we gave up and went back to the ship!!

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