forgap

Here you go!  not a bad walk from the Intercontinental.  
 

https://www.cukurcumahamami.com/en/page/services

I found the crowds in Istanbul to be daunting.  We walked and used the trolly but getting the tickets was difficult as all instructions were in Turkish.  Don’t miss the cisterns.  Really remarkable.  Also, we found a Turkish bath that welcomed both men and women and this was the highlight of our stay in Istanbul.  

I think a land tour of Japan is best and this can be in addition to the cruise, whether  before or after.  You will see much more.   The three day pre cruise in Tokyo was very superficial and you would be better doing a comprehensive tour.  

@yodainco  thanks for reading and thanks for contributing!  Will you complete a vlog for this cruise?  I’d love to see it.  It was a delight to meet you both!  Stay in touch!  See my email below.  

4/25/24 - Seward, Alaska

4/26/24 - Hubbard Glacier 

4/27/24 - Sitka, Alaska

4/28/24 - Ketchikan, Alaska

4/29/24 - Cruising the Inside Passage

4/30/24 - Victoria, BC

5/1/24  - Vancouver, BC

I wanted to share my final thoughts on this cruise, although the last week was a complete blur.   My cough stayed with me the last week of the cruise and it set me back quite a bit energy-wise.  During this cruise, we turned “platinum” in the Seven Sea Society.  We opted out of getting “pinned” on stage, but we did get a lovely invitation to dine with the senior officers in the “Study” which is a private dining room off of Prime 7, along with the other shiny new platinums.   It was really a lovely event and we felt quite special.  

All the ports in Alaska were repeats of a previous cruise so I didn’t feel so compelled to maximize my time on land.  Hubbard Glacier was a real stand out as we had beautiful weather and the Captain brought the ship in fairly close then did a 360 degree turn for our viewing pleasure.  I’m always amazed at the sound of the glacier as it slowly moves towards the sea.  It sounds like a hybrid gunshot and thunder and is very other worldly.  

In Sitka, our main goal was to get to the pharmacy then meet our tour which was an otter quest. 

I think we may have seen one otter but we did see a cluster of grey whales with their heart shaped exhales.  It is fairly early in the season for whales so we counted ourselves lucky to see as many as we did.  

Along the way, we saw an interesting US Navy installation.  This is a submarine base and its function is to assure that the subs are deeply silent.  Our guide said that the high tech mics can pick up a ticking clock which might be enough for the  sub to be detected in enemy waters.  

The cruise terminal in Ketchikan was about 15 minutes outside of town and we ended up in the opposite direction for a cruise to an Alaskan lodge and seafood feast.  It was a beautiful setting.   

The high point was a bald eagle fly-by.   The crew had trained the eagles to expect handouts of frozen herring so as soon as they saw our boat, they were circling overhead and diving for lunch.

The remainder of the cruise was devoted to packing and relaxing as we cruised the inside passage.  We decided to skip Victoria and stay on board as I still needed considerable time resting.   I’m glad I did as it was like running the gauntlet in the Vancouver Cruise Terminal.  We had decided to stay an extra day at the Pan Pacific.  All was orderly as we fetched our luggage but as soon as we exited the Regent area, we mingled with two other large cruise ships.  I’m not sure who was coming and who was going but we had to haul our luggage through a maze of halls until, totally depleted, we found the elevator to the Pan Pacific. 

The flight home the next day was uneventful, although we arrived home at midnight after a very long day in transit.  

My thoughts about this cruise are mixed.   Because we were in a cold climate with some inclement weather, the ship, for the first time, felt crowded.   La Veranda was often full, even with auxiliary tables set up along the hall.  Certainly, the crew was as lovely as they always are and worked very efficiently to turn tables and help you get situated.  In Compass Rose, Novie was wonderful in remembering our preferences for a quiet table well out of the runway from the kitchen to the dish stations.   King was our favorite server and his station was almost always full.  I predict that in the future we will see him at the ‘front of the house”.  He is very engaging, very intuitive, and very charming.

The food on Explorer was my least favorite in all of our cruises.   I think my palate didn’t vibe with the palate of the executive chef.  Usually, I choose from the right side of the menu and most of these choices just didn’t thrill me.  I’m not a big meat eater but the one time I ordered lamb chops, one was completely inedible, the other was OK.   My biggest complaint was with the fried food.  The fry cook either needs some supervision or the items were too long under the heat lamp.  Without exception, anything that was supposed to be crisp was soggy.  This included soft shell crab in Pacific Rim.  My biggest disappointment, however, was in Prime 7.  I ordered a special of yellow tail tuna.  Sounded great.  It was about 1/4 inch fillet that tasted like liver.  Huh?   I admit that my appetite was off due to my cold and that may have skewed my taste buds negatively.   In fact, I didn’t gain a pound this trip!  

Typically, I skip the evening entertainment, but I turned over a new leaf for this trip and I’m glad that I did.  All the entertainers were terrific.  The Regent Orchestra was exceptional, especially the guitarist. During cocktail hour, they were usually in the Meridian lounge playing some wonderful jazz.  If that got too loud for conversation, we would go to the observation lounge where the pianist was exceptional.  A new pianist joined us for the last couple of days and he was masterful.  It is rare for “background” music to stop conversation so you could listen more attentively.  He played with real grace and lyricism.  

Thank you for following along.  Sayonara!

Thursday, 4/25/24  Seward, Alaska

We arrived to beautiful party cloudy skies and crisp air.  It was about 40 degrees but colder in the wind.  We went on a wildlife cruise and hit the jackpot…orcas, humpback whales, otters, seals, mountain goats, eagles.  Enjoy!

Sunday, 4/21/24, Monday, 4/22/24 - at sea

Tuesday, 4/23/24 - Kodiak, Alaska

Wednesday, 4/24/24 - Homer, Alaska

I’m playing catch up now after spending the bulk of our sea days asleep.  I lost my voice for several days and then that morphed into a terrible cough.  I had Covid tests with me so I knew that it wasn’t Covid. I finally went to the infirmary to get some cough medicine and the Doctor confirmed that this particular virus lasts about three weeks.  OTC cough medicine did the trick and I’m off and running again.  

We arrived in Kodiak on Tuesday in a foggy mist.  We cleared customs in a very organized and orderly manner.   We had an excursion to the Ft. Abercrombie State Park, but reconsidered hiking given the weather and my diminished lung capacity.  I decided to try a walkabout after lunch and hopped on the tender to the port.  

However, I misjudged the “mist” which was more like light rain.  I didn’t even get up the ramp before I turned around and went back to the ship.  

Homer, Alaska was our bonus port and, even though the town was just waking up from the winter, they welcomed us with open arms.  

The town was larger than I expected with all the amenities that you would expect in a small city.  Of course, the population swells in the summer with wall to wall tents and caravans.   Homer is known as a halibut fishing destination but its breathtaking beauty is the real draw, in my opinion.  

Regent had put together some excursions which were quickly filled up, but they also had four shuttle busses come in from Anchorage to run a circuit around the city.   This was actually a pretty good tour with “down home” commentary from our bus driver.   We opted to do the tour and return to the ship.  

We had partly cloudy skies throughout the day and our sail away was stunning.  

Saturday,  4/20/24 (Day One) & Saturday 4/20/24 (Day Two) - At Sea

We are crossing the International dateline so we have two Saturdays this trip.  We have been pushing the clocks forward each day and, last night we pushed forward two hours and lost a day.  

The highlight of our day yesterday was the connoisseur wine lunch.  

We had an impressive menu with impressive wine pairings, too.

Of course, I then required an impressive nap.  We did manage to take in the show by the guitarist. 

The weather has been bleak, cold, and foggy.  However, the sea has been relatively calm.  Because of this the ship seems crowded with passengers sprawled out in all the public venues.  La Veranda added tables for two all along the side of the entry  corridor as the outdoor dining venues re compromised. 

We usually have lectures and activities scheduled throughout the day.  I’ve missed much of this as I’ve been immersed in a good read.  

I wanted to mention how impressed I am with the staff on this voyage.  I have frequented the lost and found drawer at reception three times.  I had a gold bracelet drop off my arm in Compas Rose.  I thought it was lost forever, but it was turned into lost and found.  Then I lost one hearing aid ($$$) and that was turned in as well, much to my relief.  Yesterday I lost my reading glasses and they were also turned in.  I’m usually not addle brained like this so I’m blaming it on my scapalomene scopolamine patch!

The Captain just announced that we are missing our next port, Dutch Harbor, as customs officials can’t fly in to clear the ship due to the weather.   They have added Homer, Alaska as a bonus port.  I think  we will have six sea days in a row.  

Today will be busy with a crossing the international dateline event,  the upper tier Seven Seas Society event, and an ABBA dance party.  I don’t hunk anyone can say they are bored!

PS - in my mid cruise comment card, I noted there wasn’t an orchid in our suite.  Look what appeared!  RSSC is the best!  

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.  

3 hours ago, UUNetBill said:

Oh, and with regards to the comments about smaller portions on board - we completely agree that the portion sizes seem smaller, and that's perfect, I think!  Last year I either felt bloated for overeating or guilty for throwing away food.  This past cruise hit the sweet spot - we could order apps, entrees, and dessert and not feel like we needed gurneys to get us back to our cabin,  

 

Whether it's a cost-reducing measure or just a stab and keeping us from packing on too much vacation tonnage, I, for one, welcome the change!

 

PS - more calories to spend on hooch.  🤪 🥃

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.  

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.

3 hours ago, organizedhome said:

Hello from a fellow traveler, just checking in with folks also here on the Explorer enroute to Vancouver.  

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!

9 hours ago, crusin7 said:

Your postcard is Beautiful!  You can have a new career at TeamLab. I hope you both have a very relaxing cruise.  You wore me out just reading your pre cruise travels.  Loved your kimonos!

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. 
 

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

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!  

 

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

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

Day Ten - Kyoto to Tokyo

I obsessed about our trip to Tokyo on the bullet train.  I read volumes about purchasing tickets, green car or cattle cat, reserved seats or non reserved seats, purchasing in advance or at the station.  I ended up purchasing our tickets a month prior to the trip, printed my QR code, and photographed the QR code just in case.  We arrived at the train station a bit early so I tried for an earlier train but learned that there is an advantage to booking ahead as seats were limited during the busy morning hours.  So, we found the waiting room, plugged into free WiFi, and waited for our time to get on the train.  

Shopping for snacks at a Japanese train station is a very interesting endeavor. Rice crackers and peanuts are an all time favorite, but I also was intrigued by little packets filled with orange jello.  They are sort of like jello shooters without the booze.  

Also, what’s not to love about miso flavored potato chips?  

The Japanese are very organized and very timely.  The information panels are clear and you are able to navigate to your platform and car placement and line up for a methodical boarding.  It took us two and a half hours to arrive at Tokyo Station and we took a cab to the Hilton Tokyo.  

Check in was easy for us, but more laborious for our check in person.  I had made two separate reservations as one was using points, the other was on our Hilton AmEx, plus on the third night we join the Regent pre cruise reservation.  Our poor guy put it all together so we had five nights in the same room.  Oh, and we upgraded to the Executive floor, too.  We had stashed two suitcases at the Hilton prior to going to Kyoto and within five minutes of entering our room, our Kyoto suitcases and our stored suitcases arrived.  

It was such a pleasure to rest after the last ten days!  We unpacked and just laid round until cocktail hour in the Executive Lounge.  It was pretty busy but they had an open bar with DYI cocktails, champagne, Prosecco, plum wine and sake.  They also had a nice selection of light snacks that could become a dinner, which it did for us as we just couldn’t face going out after a long day.  

Rain is predicted for tomorrow so that will become our Shinjuku shopping day.  

Day Nine - Kyoto and Nara

Intense days of touring averaging 12,000 steps a day are taking its toll on our bodies.  G is now opting out of back to back shrine hikes and staying on the bus.  My job is to take photos so he can experience the tour virtually.  

Nara was Japan's first permanent capital, established in the year 710 at Heijo (the city now known as Nara).  Prior to that, the capital was moved to a new location whenever a new emperor ascended to the throne.  However, as the influence and political ambitions of the city's powerful Buddhist monasteries grew to become a serious threat to the government, the capital was moved away from Nara to Nagaoka in 784 and a few years later to Kyoto. 

We arrived at the Todai-ji Buddhist Temple before most of the tourist hoards. 

This temple is known for its giant bronze Buddha and about 10,000 dear in the surrounding park.  

Vendors sell packets of cookies for the deer who seem to be well aware that they have an advantage over the helpless tourists.  They tend to swarm and when the cookies are gone, they “remind” the fool who bought the cookies that they want more……they nudge with their shorn antlers and when that fails, they nip butts as the meal ticket makes a hasty retreat.  

One charming thing they have learned, however, is to bow their heads in order to get a treat.  

Outside of the main temple complex was an interesting wooden statue of a disciple of Buddha.

Pindola is said to have excelled in the mastery of occult and psychic powers. He was once remonstrated by the Buddha for misusing his powers to impress simple, ignorant people.  In Japan, Pindola is called Binzuru and is arguably the most popular of all the Arhats. Statues of him are usually well worn, since the devotees follow the custom of rubbing a part of his body that corresponds to the sick parts of their bodies, as he is reputed to have the gift of healing. 

The massive bronze Buddha is protected against evil forces from four directions. They include Jikokuten (east), Zōchōten (south), Kōmokuten (west), and Tamonten (north). 

In the temple complex there was an interesting pillar with a square hole cut out of the bottom.  We noticed people trying squeeze through the opening to great applause and laughter.  It is said to be the same size as Buddha’s nostril. It is believed that those who can pass through the hole will be granted good health and protection from bad luck

Our next site in Nara was the Kashuga-Taisha Shinto shrine.  Kasuga-Taisha is Nara’s most celebrated shrine.  It was established at the same time as the capital and is dedicated to the deity responsible for the protection of the city. 

Kasuga Taisha is famous for its lanterns, which have been donated by worshippers. Hundreds of bronze lanterns can be found hanging from the buildings,

while an equal number of stone lanterns line the approach to the shrine.

The lanterns are only lit twice a year during two lantern festivals, one in early February and one in mid August.  There is a room that is protected from the light so one can get an idea of the ambiance during the festivals.  

As we approached the shrine, there was a wedding ceremony taking place. The bridal kimono and the dress of the wedding party was very beautiful.

We had a couple of hours in a shopping arcade near the train station to grab lunch and buy anything that struck our fancy.  The Japanese tend to cue for everything and I don’t have a surplus’s of patience, especially when I’m hungry.  We strolled along until we found a udon shop without a line.  I had to be schooled, however, in using the touch screen (with an English option, thank God), where we tapped to “eat in”, tapped the number in our party, tapped our food and drink choice, and paid.  The machine spit out some paper, I handed it to the hostess, and in very short order, we got our food!  I still needed instruction on how to put it all together, but we muddled through.  

Who doesn’t love a vending machine filled with macarons!

Our final stop of the day was the Fushimi-inari Shinto shrine. Fushimi Inari Shrine is famous for its thousands of vermilion tori gates which straddle a network of trails behind its main buildings. The trails lead into the wooded forest of the sacred Mount Inari, which stands at 233 meters. 

Fushimi Inari is the most important of several thousands of shrines dedicated to Inari, the Shinto god of rice. Foxes are thought to be Inari's messengers, resulting in many fox statues across the shrine grounds. 

We returned to the hotel for a quick rest and cleanup before heading out again for our farewell dinner at the Kyoto Cultural Center.  We were treated to a very special performance by a Maiko, an apprentice geisha who sang and danced in a traditional style.  

She is 17 years old and in her second year of training. She will become a full fledged geisha after five years of training.  

She endured a Q & A session from our group and then showed us a game she plays with clients.  This was when she looked and acted her 17 years which was a delight to see.  

This event was very memorable and a highlight of our trip