forgap

Oh my! The Kuril Islands, Russia

Yes, the narrator on the canal cruise was dreary, wasn’t he? We had the pleasure of hearing Terry on our first Alaska cruise. Public speaking is definitely an art form.

I agree! The portions are much smaller and perfect for me. I view it as a learning curve if you have a big appetite, order more courses. Food waste is costly so I applaud regent for taking note.

Thursday, 4/18/24 and Friday, 4/19/24 - at sea We are in the second day of four sea days as we sail east. The schedule for sea days is packed tight with things to do but impossible to fit it all in around nap time. I did spend yesterday morning in the culinary center, taking a class called “Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, Umami”. I consider myself a decent home cook but this class was really interesting and fun and I learned something new. We made three dishes with wine pairing: confit duck and watermelon in a mini martini glass, prosciutto wrapped prunes, and b’stilla domes. There was an early show before dinner that was very well attended as we, and our aging fellow passengers, have some difficulty staying awake for the 9:30 show. I know, I know, I’m a barrel of fun! But, I’ve never been a night owl, so why change now? “ Music Beyond Language” was an entertaining show by Yaniv Zarif. He is a very talented singer with a gift for languages. Plus, he’s funny and humble which charmed his audience. Yesterday we sailed in fog the entire day. Today it’s partly cloudy, windy, and 36 degrees. We have two speakers on board, Terry Breen, who is speaking about Alaska, and Jeana Roger’s who is an expert on Japan. I plan to go to both presentations.

Wednesday, 4/17/24 - Otaru, Japan We were looking forward to visiting a whisky distillery and fish market but the tour was cancelled and all the other offerings didn’t appeal to us. We docked very near to the city center, so we decided to do a walk-about . Otaru is a medium sized city with some interesting shops and restaurants. Fishing is a major industry and the sea birds seemed to know where to get a free meal. There were literally thousands of gulls perched on the docks. This was our last stop in Japan so after lunch we had to present ourselves at the cruise terminal with our passports to get our exit stamps. It has been almost three weeks since we started this epic trip so I thought I’d try to summarize my impressions of Japan and its people. The Japanese are unfailingly polite and they seem to genuinely appreciate any attempt to communicate in their language. It is very helpful to learn some key words and phrases. If all else fails, google translate is a huge help. I will never travel without an eSIM card on my iPhone. It was very cheap and I used google maps constantly. It’s also helpful to buy an extra battery pack for the phone as a full charge only seemed to last a half day. Japan prides itself on its cleanliness. The streets are very clean and there is almost no graffiti. Toto toilets are everywhere even in public venues. In three weeks I never encountered a nasty bathroom. I was fascinated by the decorative manhole covers that were unique to sections of the city. Everyone seems to wear a uniform of some kind. Even the office workers wear black suits and white shirts without any deviation to be seen! Tokyo is massive and crowded. There is often a line at restaurants. The Japanese don’t seem to have a cafe culture so if you wanted something to drink and little rest, you had to stand in line for a restaurant table. The Japanese love coffee! Expect long walks. We commonly logged 10,000 steps a day. Finally, invest in a good tour. We were fortunate that our 12 day land tour immersed us in Japanese culture. The Regent pre-cruise tour was a very minimal exposure to Tokyo. It has been 55 years since I lived in Japan as a teen. At that time, Japan was only 20 years past WWII and we often stood out being foreigners, especially in the more rural areas. I think that modern Japan has managed a nice balance of traditional culture and a more modern worldly influence. It was a remarkable visit.

Tuesday, 4/16/24 - Hakodate, Japan We sailed north during the night and are now on the Island of Hokkaido, one of the four main islands in Japan. We had an early excursion to Ōnuma National Park. The region is dominated by volcanos and the park encompasses the volcanic Hokkaidō Komagatake as well as the Ōnuma and Konuma ponds, which abut against the west slope of the mountain. Unfortunately, the cloud cover descended as we drove to a higher elevation, preventing us from seeing much of anything. We walked around a bit, hit the gift shop, and then went back to the bus to warm up. The tour was supposed to include a boat ride but that was cancelled as the fog was too thick to manage. This is a map of what we didn’t see. Soft serve flavors! On our return to the ship, we stopped at a rest stop that consisted of a grocery store, gift shop, and an homage to "Baron" Ryokichi Kawada, the Father of the Danshaku Potato. My curiosity got the best of me and this is what Professor Google had to say about it: “Imakane Danshaku is a variety of potato with starch content more than 13.5% and with a bright white skin. It is characterized by stable quality and a silky-smooth, creamy mouthfeel. Owing to strict grading standards, Imakane Danshaku are uniform in size and shape with white skin.” I tried the French fries which were quite good. We spent the afternoon eating and napping. There was a lecture on Samurai and how the Samuai ethos shaped modern Japan. We also had the Regent Block Party where we gather in the hall with a glass, drink some wine, meet our neighbors, and greet the captain, general manager, and cruise director as they race from floor to floor greeting the passengers. On sail away, the cloud cover lifter and Hokkaidō Komagatake said goodby. Tomorrow will be our last day in Japan and we begin our ocean crossing.

Tuesday, 4/16/24 - Miyako, Japan Miyako is on the north eastern coast of Japan, on the island of Honshu. Spring has barely started with cherry trees, forsythia, daffodils, and white tiger tail in full bloom. In 2011 there was a strong earthquake off the coast and a devastating tsunami. Since that event, the government has completed a Herculean effort to complete tsunami walls that protect the town. One building stands out as a reminder of the devastation a tsunami can bring. The first two floors are hollowed out as the hotel remains standing. G took a voluntary sea day today. All the touring has taken its toll and he needs some down time. I went ahead and traveled inland to the Ryusendo caves which is a labyrinthian path of limestone caves and unground lakes. IMG_1526.mov It was challenging not to slip or hit your head. I climbed to the highest point, which involved steep ladder stairs which was a bit difficult to navigate. Coming back down was worse. As I walked and followed the route signs, I couldn’t help but worry that I’d go around in circles until I was completely lost. Then I started to obsess about earthquakes. I sped up, and with a sigh of relief, embraced the sunshine. I was amused by the list of things you are prohibited from doing in the caves. Look at the rule in the bottom left of the photo! Our guide kept talking about dragons. I’m not sure if that was a myth, but when we arrived there was a dragon to greet us! The Japanese sure love their mascots! After the caves, we drove towards the coast to view some beautiful rock formations nestled in Aqua blue waters. On return to the ship, a mini village had been set up with shops and food trucks. The most popular stand was getting your name translated into Japanese. The crew seemed to be having a blast as they wandered around buying souvenirs and soaking in the atmosphere.

Monday, 4/15/24 - Hitachinaka, Japan Our tour today took us to the Kairakuen Gardens and to the Kasama Shinto shrine. Although we are only about 100 miles north of Tokyo, the main towns are moderate in size and have a distinctly suburban feel to them with boxy architecture, car dealerships, and fast food joints. The Kairakuen gardens are about an hour from the ship. Lord Tokugawa Nariaki constructed the garden in 1841 as a gift to the people of the region. He was aware that the samurai and the common people of the villages focused too much on work and training (especially for the samurai who constantly practiced martial arts) and that having a peaceful outlet for recreation and relaxation was important. We walked quite a distance uphill to enter the garden which is the second largest garden in the world and one of the three most beautiful gardens in Japan. The gardens are planted so that something is always blooming but that was not to be. It was too early for flowers and too late for plum trees. Sakura are on the way out. This photo is what it’s supposed to look like as opposed to what we saw! Our second stop was the Kasama Inari shrine. Much to our surprise, we were greeted by a welcoming committee of students in traditional dress, waving flags from all over the world, and giving us gifts of bottled green tea, a little ceramic dish, and a bag filled with information about the shrine. A Shinto priest gave a speech welcoming us to the shrine and then the Mayor of the town gave a speech, all while an official photographer snapped away. The shrine was lovely and not too crowded. I’ve been collecting “goshun” which are inked stamps to commemorate your visit. At this shrine, you handed over your book and 10 minutes later retrieved it, now with a hand drawn and stamped entry. It’s possible that I’m a bit “toured out” at this point. I thought our guide was about the worst yet. At times her accent was difficult but the worst was her penchant for quizzing us rather than just giving us the information in a straight forward manner. All in all, it was a long drive and not much see as a reward.

I agree with the other posters that if you are having issues this thread is not the place to air them. I started this thread and I welcome others to chime in about their travel impressions. I’m also a “glass half full” personality so I’d rather not see this thread devolved into a complaint forum.

4/13/24 - Embarkation We were up bright and early anticipating boarding the Explorer for our sea journey across the pacific. The bulk of new passengers were staying at the Hilton as part of the included pre-cruise which, I think, is Regent’s way of assuring we get to the ship and we all don’t arrive at once. We were divided into groups of 30 and off we went to visit three sites before arriving at the cruise terminal at 1 pm. We had been to the Meiji shrine so we opted to stay on the bus. We then traveled across Tokyo, past the Tsukiji fish market to Hama-Rikyu which had been the compound of the Shogun and then became the duck hunting preserve of the emperor. The gardens have two duck hunting grounds that were used by the Shogun, and there is a memorial built to commemorate and console the spirits of the ducks that have been caught in the grounds. You can still see traditional duck blinds scattered throughout Hama-rikyu. I’m always fascinated by the Japanese reverence for trees. Hama-rikyu has one of the oldest pine trees in Japan, reported to be 300 years old. It is supported by a series of beams and lovingly pruned so the tree has become a type of living sculpture. From there we went to Odaiba Seaside Park , which is very modern and build on manmade land. An interesting feature of this park is a replica of the Statue of Liberty that France gave to Japan. It is 1/7th the size of the statue in NYC. The scenery is beautiful but we all just stood around for 45 minutes anxious to get to the ship. The Tokyo Cruise Terminal is pristine and the check in was organized and quick. But, we are in Japan and I would expect nothing less than perfection. We were seated in groups and then led to check in. All in all, it was about ten minutes from arrival to champagne in hand. Most embarkations are cluster $##!s with passengers jockeying for position, filling out medical questionnaires, and computers crashing. Just beyond the security clearance, a table was set up and filled with origami. We were invited to take one. This is just one of the many gracious gestures that we experienced in Japan. Once on board, we were escorted to our muster station, checked our hand baggage, and headed up to the pool deck for lunch. No sooner were we seated then they announced that cabins were ready at 1:30. After a leisurely lunch, we headed to our cabin, unpacked, put out two weeks of laundry, and took a nap. Not a bad first day of cruising!

Thank you. I followed your voyage, too. I hope all goes well for you and yours now that you are home.

Friday 4/12/24 The tour today was to the Meiji gardens to see the iconic double bridge and view of the emperors palace. We had visited the gardens on our land trip so this was a new experience. We planned to ditch the second half of the tour and wander around before our 1:30 ticket to TeamLab Borderless which is an interactive digital art installation. The fates were against us. I got turned around with google maps, we walked in circles, my cell phone was running out of battery, and I had forgotten my battery pack. Then it started to rain. We decided to go back to the hotel but the walk to the metro was a distance and G was lagging. I tried the Go app (Japan’s version of Uber) but I set the pick up wrong but a random hotel doorman took pity on us and got us a cab. We had a quick lunch, then back in the cab to TeamLab. TeamLab is located in the Ripongi district in a new development in the Moro Building at Azabudai Hills. Even our cab driver was confused and I had to ask for directions in my fractured Japanese multiple times in order to find the venue. I finally noticed signage for “digital art” and we arrived. The Mori building is very modern with high end food shops as you navigate to the venue. There are beautiful courtyards for respite and plenty of beautiful young people populating the space. TeamLab Borderless is nothing like I have ever experienced. It is a digital art installation in multiple rooms where you are immersed in the art that is constantly changing above, below, and around you. It was like seeing the aurora borealis on acid. IMG_1291.mov IMG_1309.mov IMG_1359.mov We took a cab back to the hotel with our first maniac cab driver but we arrived safely without crashing or killing a pedestrian. We navigate to the ship in the morning for a welcome rest IMG_1357.mov

After being in Japan already for two weeks for our land tour, we are finally officially on the “pre-cruise”, embarking tomorrow. I suspected from previous posts that the “free” pre-cruise would be a bit underwhelming. It is. Passengers started trickling in on Wednesday and yesterday we gathered for a bus ride to the National Museum and then the Ginza. Our guide was funny with an excellent command of English but the bus commentary was the extent of her contribution. We had an hour at the museum and an hour in the Ginza but we could bail at any time and get back to the hotel on our own. This is definitely touring “lite”! G had decided to have a “sea day” at the hotel, so I wandered around on my own. I loved going back to the museum to see parts that I missed during our land tour. In fact, on the first level there is an area designed to be a hand-on Japanese cultural experience. I think it was meant for kids, but I had a great time using rubber stamps to design a post card, coloring in a kimono, trying on samurai armor, and going through a series of stations to create a wood block print. The Ginza, as you probably know is an area of high end boutiques and department stores. I spent way too much time in the Uniqlo flagship store and came out empty handed. I then went on to the Mitzukoshi Department store, rode the escalator from the basement food court to the top and, again, emerged empty handed. Street scene in Tokyo! At this point, G was texting that he missed me so I headed underground and took the subway back to the hotel. The subway is system is very organized. With the help of google maps and my Siuca card on my iPhone, I got back to the hotel in about 30 minutes. We decided to mix things up for lunch and went to the Indian restaurant in the basement mall below the hotel. It was pretty good! We capped off the evening by going back to the light show that is projected onto the Tokyo Government Building. This is only about one city block from the Hilton and it was spectacular! IMG_1269.mov

Day 12 - Kamakura We are now officially on our Regent pre cruise although most of our fellow travelers are still in transit or so bleary eyed that they haven’t quite surfaced yet! The day dawned bright and sunny, not a cloud in the sky. From our breakfast table on the 37th floor, Mt. Fuji courted us with her beauty. We had decided to spend the day in Kamakura which is about an hour and a half train ride from Tokyo. We took the hotel shuttle to Shinjuku station for a straight shot to Kamakura. Shinjuku station is massive and we felt like salmon swimming upstream as a sizable percentage of the population of Tokyo rushed to work, school, or whatever they had planned for the day. Our siuca cards we loaded onto our iPhones worked like a charm. All we had to do was place it on the card reader at the gate, it recorded our entrance, then when we swiped again on exiting, it deducted the fare. The one thing that I had not anticipated was that the trains to Kamakura are not that frequent. So we waited and waited and waited, walked around a bit, and waited some more until our train arrived. Trains are packed in the morning but G’s age and walking stick got some respect so he was seated in short order. Kamakura is a charming town, known for many shrines, including a massive bronze Buddha. Unfortunately, we never made it to the Diabutsu, as we went in the other direction to the Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shinto shrine. It was beautiful. The cherry blossoms are starting to shed their petals which blankets the walkways and lakes. This shrine is also known for its display of peonies. I’m sure they are all from a green house and regularly replenished as peonies are not known for their shelf life. It was a charming walk bordering a lake with a tea house on the opposite shore and the shrine in the distance. From there we set out to see the Diabutsu. After 30 minutes, we reached the train station and it was another 30 minutes to the site. The line for cabs was long and we just looked at each other and bailed. I had been to Kamakura many times as a teenager and G decided that his knees were more important than seeing another image of the Buddha. After a rest and a drink, we headed to the Tokyo Government Building for a spectacular light show projected on the side of the building. This is the website with embedded videos of the shows on offer. https://tokyoprojectionmappingproject.jp/en/event/20240225 IMG_1232.mov

Day 11 - Tokyo We woke up to pouring rain which was predicted to last until the afternoon when the wind would pick up. We took a long walk in an underground walkway from our hotel to the heart of Shinjuku. Of course, all this was after a leisurely morning lolling around - a welcome relief after 10 days of travel. As we exited the path to Shinjuku, of course it started to pour so we ducked into a building with shops and restaurants. Up and up we went until we happened upon a clothing store called, GU. It seems to be associated with Uniqlo in some way and the prices were fantastic. I signed up for a members only discount but i needed a lot of help as the website was in Japanese and even after filling in all the required fields, I still didn’t get my discount email code. But, they took pity on me and I navigated the high tech check out with ease. We wandered a bit through the Kabukicho district is the red light district, now pink due to reform. Still not my cup of tea. We had sushi for lunch in a restaurant with mostly Japanese clientele. It was good although squid sushi is somewhat like eating soft plastic. The highlight of the afternoon was encountering Godzilla . Enjoy IMG_1162.mov