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Photo Report: 7 days in Japan before cruising out of Yokohama to Hong Kong


Ssislandgirl
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Hello fellow Cruisers,

My husband and I went on a Celebrity cruise in October 2016 leaving from Yokohama. We are avid DIY'ers and decided to explore some of Japan's treasures on our own before boarding the cruise ship. We visited Tokyo, Hiroshima, Miyajima Island, Kyoto and Kamakura before embarkation. This enabled us to see Himeji Castle, Nara and Osaka while docked in Kobe for 2 days. We took advantage of the Japanese rail pass and truly enjoyed our pre-cruise experience.

WARNING, this is a very detailed and lengthy photo report. I am hoping, that it will help some cruisers with their planning

 

TOKYO

We arrived at Narita airport after a 14hr non-stop flight from Atlanta. Immigration and customs were fast and easy and we soon got cash from an ATM in the arrivals hall. I had bought a bus ticket for our transport from the airport to our hotel, the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba, before we left the US. It was advertised through the same company who sells the JR-Railpass. Delivery to our home in the US was very fast. We also ordered a pocket Wifi, which was delivered to our hotel. It worked flawlessly and helped us to stay connected and entertained on the train. The wifi included very fast unlimited data. Also, compared to wifi data prices in the US, it was quite a bargain at $3 / day. By the way, it also worked on board the ship!

The bus was very comfortable and clean. Our luggage (only carry-on) was stored for us in the cargo hold of the bus. After about 60 min we were dropped of at our home for the next 3 days. The hotel is situated on an island (Odaiba), away from the hustle and bustle of the big metropolis. It offers huge rooms compared to normal Japanese standards. It takes about 40 min to get to most of Tokyo's attractions we visited but the rate of the hotel per night ($80) was fantastic. We didn't mind using public transportation. It is very affordable, clean and safe. For me as a photographer it is a great way to meet the locals.

We got up early the next morning and had our first amazingly good Latte for $2 out of a vending machine, since we refused to pay $10 for coffee at the hotel. We discovered a 24hr convenience store on hotel property which had wonderful breakfast items and were soon on our way to explore the sights of Odaiba for a little while.

 

Here is the view from our hotel room

 

35537333274_890f443b32_k.jpg20161011-DSC_0199 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

We found the Statue of Liberty and the Rainbow Bridge

 

36205088432_978a43adfa_k.jpg20161010-DSC_0016 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

as well as Gundam, a massive Robot

 

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By 8:30 we decided to venture out to our first destination, the Sensoji Temple in Asakusa, Tokyo's oldest Buddhist temple. To get there, we used the train. A brief word about the train system before I continue. A website called Hyperdia gives wonderful options for trains and subways within Tokyo as well as in between cities in Japan and is very easy to use. The trains are very reliable, clean and punctual.

Platforms are color coded and the signage is in Japanese and English

 

36328337616_b98fbdb19f_k.jpg20161011-DSC_0111 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

You will just have to get used to encountering lots of busy looking commuters, who will actually offer their help if you look too lost. People line up on the platforms. There is no shoving or pushing

 

36328334026_91761fd4c4_k.jpg20161011-DSC_0112 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

35564949753_eb2d8019c8_k.jpg20161010-DSC_0031 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

more to follow...

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We found Kaminari Gate, walked through Nakamise Dori, a shopping street and reached the temple soon after.

 

36205063842_8b8db65933_k.jpg20161010-DSC_0037 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

36328378116_28526d70da_k.jpg20161010-DSC_0064 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

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35564882693_87ff39acbe_k.jpg20161010-DSC_0089 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

35976403630_4f9f06d35d_k.jpg20161010-DSC_0079 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

36205017542_ad56df860e_k.jpg20161010-DSC_0081 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

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After a couple of hours, we decided to take the train to Shinjuku to experience the view of Tokyo from the free observation deck of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. The wait for the elevator to the 45th floor was very short. The attraction is free and provides you with a wonderful almost 360 degree view of Tokyo.

 

36236496251_21729cbe69_k.jpg20161011-DSC_0100 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

In the late afternoon, we continued on to Shibuya to see the world's busiest street crossing. We found a great viewpoint at a strategically located Starbucks and watched masses of people march across the intersection.

 

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I finally decided that it was time to jump in and walk the intersection by myself several times. It was a lot of fun!

 

36236468981_8683d5b4a7_k.jpg20161011-DSC_0146 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

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Afterwards we visited the nearby Hachiko statue, which pays tribute to the loyal Akita waiting for his deceased owner to come back and meet him. I can highly recommend the movie, but get a good supply of tissues!

 

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We also traded our vouchers for the JR pass in the station at the info counter and reserved our seats on the bullet train to Hiroshima.

We returned to our hotel in the early evening and had dinner at one of the many eateries in the huge malls close to the hotel.

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On our second day in Tokyo we visited the fish market early in the morning. A lot of people were out and about waiting for fresh delicacies to be served. The lines for the food stalls were incredibly long.

 

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On our way to our next destination we found this special mail box. I wonder how many love letters are being mailed here on a daily basis? ;p

 

36204868632_c6a665dec7_k.jpg20161011-DSC_0262 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

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Since the weather was good today we decided to go the Mori Building in Roppongi Hills to get a view from the outdoor observation deck and helicopter pad.

 

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It is spectacular! On a clear day you will be able to see Mt. Fuji...

 

In the afternoon we returned to Odaiba to visit the Toyota Mega Web, a must for every car enthusiast. A museum features a variety of classic cars from different manufacturers and car memorabilia.

 

36328268576_6f07e32799_k.jpg20161012-DSC_0276 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

It is like a walk through an older town complete with store fronts and gas stations. Very well done! You will finish your visit in a huge showroom filled with an incredible variety of Toyota vehicles from prototypes to race cars to brand new models. My gearhead husband loved it!

 

By the time we emerged from automotive paradise it was getting dark. Walking back to the hotel I captured some photos of Odaiba at night

 

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HIROSHIMA

 

We left Tokyo early the next morning by bullet train

 

35537683674_46303e6e82_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0466 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

These trains are very, very fast. Ours went up to a max speed of 170mph. The seats are very comfortable and recline. There is plenty of legroom, even my tall hubby did not complain. Every seat has charging stations for your electronics. Our pocket wifi enabled us to catch up on emails and the latest news from the US and afterwards we just sat back and watched the world pass by.

We reached Hiroshima by noon and immediately checked into our hotel in Hiroshima Station, the Granvia Hiroshima. The rooms were considerably smaller than our previous accommodations, but were very well appointed and quiet! We found a place for a quick lunch and soon boarded the sightseeing bus (included in JR rail pass) to Peace Memorial Park.

We exited at the A-Bomb Dome

 

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and then walked across a bridge to the Peace Bell. Lots of school children and their teachers were visiting the park as part of field trips. The kids and teachers approached us with questions to practice their English. It was a lot of fun and exciting to connect with them.

 

35537676604_d38af493b4_k.jpg20161013-japan (8 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

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36328722446_f8b959c248_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0317 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

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We walked around the Memorial Park for quite a while and then left after visiting the museum and the Memorial Monument for Hiroshima with the flame of peace.

 

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We were determined to find Ground Zero, which is located a few hundred yards away from the park. A small marker on the wall of a now parking garage marks the hypocenter of the August 8th 1945 mid air nuclear detonation.

 

35976787700_be42a9a757_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0312 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

It felt awkward to walk around this now thriving city. It is hard to imagine it being a nuclear wasteland not too long ago. All the death and destruction! I felt the sudden urge to get a Geiger counter to check for lingering radiation. Luckily the museum answered a lot of my questions. Radiation levels are normal in Hiroshima and have been since the end of 1945. The bomb was detonated in the air, so most of the radioactive material did not settle to the ground. A tropical storm reached Japan about a month after the bombing and washed the dangerous material out of the air. It is now absolutely safe to visit and live in Hiroshima.

After the museum visit, I decided to climb a newly opened observation tower with sweeping views over the city and park.

 

36373628495_6768a62afc_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0339 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

36205407732_52ff435260_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0344 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

The observation deck is beautifully done and invited me to reflect on todays experiences.

 

Next we walked to Hiroshima Castle

 

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which was rebuilt in 1958 after being destroyed in the bombing. We then passed through Shukkei-en Gardens on our way back to the hotel.

There was an important baseball game going on in town that evening and lots of fans descended on Hiroshima. It was quite an experience seeing thousands of people marching from the train station to the stadium.

 

35565211033_ee2d5c4d86_k.jpg20161013-japan (9 of 77)-2 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

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I am enjoying your photo report so much, thank you for posting! My DH and I were in Japan in April on a Tauck/Ponant cruise and your excellent photos are bringing back such happy memories. Looking forward to more of your report!

 

Loving this, we are there in 48 days!

 

What fantastic photos and what a wonderful report.

 

Thank you

 

 

Thank you for your kind words and wonderful encouragement! More posts/photos to come soon.

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MIYAJIMA ISLAND

 

After check out of the hotel early in the morning, we stored our luggage in one of the many lockers around Hiroshima Station. They are easy to use, safe, affordable and can be found in every station. They come in several different sizes. We were able to fit both of our 20 inch carry-on bags in a medium size locker.

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We are taking the train and a ferry ( included in JR rail pass) to explore Miyajima Island.

A beautiful, "floating" Tori gate was greeting us upon arrival

36236923351_36560c5bad_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0386 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

Lots of deer roam freely on the island and obviously do their shopping early in the morning before most of the visitors arrive.

 

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We visited the Itsukushima Shrine which is also built over water

 

35537756534_c78fbbc694_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0405 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

and then continued on to the Daisho-in temple grounds. This temple is one of the most important in Shingon Buddhism.

 

36328664336_a8ef6729d7_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0410 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

Walking up the temple steps you can turn the Buddhist scriptures(Sutra). Turning these scriptures is believed to have the same effect as reading them, so everyone can benefit from the blessing that the reading is supposed to entail.

 

36236827741_05dbbb36bc_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0439 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

 

 

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We found the 500 Rakan statues, who represent the original disciples of the historical Buddha. They are each unique in their expression and poses. They are wearing knit hats in mid October to keep them warm and to protect them from the elements

 

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We saw the 1000 Fudo images

 

36328649506_6df748df88_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0425 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

and then found the Heniyokutu Cave with beautiful illuminations

 

36373547105_fcc266ff92_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0430 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

All around the gardens you will see small Jizo statues. He is the protector of children and travelers

 

36236879891_08c6dc944f_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0408 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

We also discovered hundreds of Ema, the wooden wishing plaques of Japanese shrines. Worshippers write down their wishes and prayers and hang them up at the shrine where the gods are believed to receive them.

 

36373561665_4b76ee3d68_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0423 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

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35976704040_f25716acea_k.jpg

 

36373531795_db3972cbfc_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0433 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

Visiting any shrine in Japan you will find a display of empty, wooden barrels of rice wine. This signifies a spiritual connection between the brewers and their Shinto gods

 

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On the way back to the ferry terminal we visited a 5 storied Pagoda

 

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It was late morning by now and more and more visitors were arriving at this magical place. We walked through the scenic town for a while

 

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35976761380_01cbb32332_k.jpg20161013-DSC_0394 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

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and soon headed back to Hiroshima.

We really enjoyed our visit to peaceful and magical Miyajima and can highly recommend it as a side trip from Hiroshima.

 

We boarded the bullet train to Kyoto in the early afternoon

 

 

KYOTO

 

We arrived at Kyoto Station a few hours later and walked about 10 minutes to our accommodation for the next 2 nights. We were staying at a quiet apartment in a residential area. The supermarket was around the corner and bus stops and subway stations were within easy walking distance. We had a small kitchen, a living room/bedroom combo and a nice bathroom with washer, dryer and laundry soap to do our laundry. We really liked the place!

 

A few weeks before our trip I made online reservations for an evening walking tour of Gion, Kyoto's famous entertainment district and the center of its traditional arts. We wanted to learn about the Geisha and Maiko (apprentice Geisha) traditions and to hopefully be able to spot one of the ladies. I was not trying to get too excited because the ladies are fairly elusive and tough to find.

We walked through a collection of streets with old, wooden buildings, tea houses and exclusive restaurants.

 

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and you guessed right...

we were very lucky to run into 2 Geishas and 1 Maiko

I apologize ahead of time for the blurry photos, but I usually don't stalk people like a paparazzi to snap their picture and had to adapt really fast

 

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The Maiko was exiting a theater after a performance and our guide knew about this. We waited until the end of the show and the young lady emerged through a side entrance. She didn't seem quite as annoyed with the pride of "photo lions" (including me) waiting for pray.

 

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The tour was absolutely wonderful and we returned to our apartment after a fantastic evening out.

to be continued...

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We got up very early on our second day in Kyoto and set out first thing in the morning to explore Fushimi Inari Shrine with its 10,000 Torii Gates. It took 5 minutes by train from Kyoto Station to get there and we were practically the only ones there at this time of the day

 

35537610844_50e38e3de7_k.jpg20161014-DSC_0487 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

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We discovered more Emas

 

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and learned about Omikujis, which are fortune telling paper strips. For a small fee you can purchase one and discover your fortune. Custom is to leave the Omikuji behind if you don't like what was foretold.

 

35976601100_29fb642a8b_k.jpg20161014-DSC_0494 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

Behind the temple we found the thousands of gates leading uphills and forming a covered walkway.

 

35537597814_99a5cdcd18_k.jpg20161014-DSC_0503 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

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The gates are donated by individuals and companies. The donor's name and the donation date are inscribed on the back of each gate.

This site is amazing and not to be missed!

 

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35537574174_472c1e9a52_k.jpg20161014-japan (19 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

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36205186802_cc7638542a_k.jpg20161014-japan (21 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

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After a fascinating 45 min walk uphill we reached a small view point and decided to slowly walk back down to Inari Station from where we caught a train to Saga-Arashiyama to visit the bamboo forest

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36013159130_63484b95d3_z.jpg

 

We walked along the shaded path for a while, listening to the wind moving the bamboo. All of the sudden lots of tourist appeared and we decided to walk through town

 

36328478696_11b52e008d_k.jpg20161014-japan (29 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

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crossed the river and hiked uphill for a while to visit the monkey park

 

35537544724_71359e54d2_k.jpg20161014-japan (33 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

It was great exercise and we met lots of free roaming monkeys, who were not the least bit shy. At the top of the hill we were rewarded with a wonderful view over Kyoto.

 

35976580490_957115cc8c_k.jpg20161014-DSC_0600 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

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After lunch we took the Randen Line to the last stop on the line, from where we walked for about 30 minutes until we reached the Golden Pavillion (Kinkaku-Ji).

 

35537541344_0325cb4ab3_k.jpg20161015-japan (38 of 77) by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

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Since this is a very popular and absolutely beautiful site, the crowds were almost overwhelming at this time of the day. Luckily most people stayed at the entrance to just take the obligatory photo, while we walked the premises on a marked path.

 

35976516720_a0d13ced45_k.jpg20161015-DSC_0623 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

We took the Raku bus back to Kyoto Station and walked back to the apartment.

It was a busy and exhausting day, but sooo worth it!!!

 

We purchased dinner on our way "home" at a 7/11. A 7/11 in Japan is a completely different experience than what we are used to in the US. They offer a huge selection of freshly prepared and tasty meals which are very reasonably priced by Japanese standards. All you have to do is heat them up in the microwave for a couple of minutes. They also have a nice selection of flavored waters, smoothies, wine and beer.

 

36205606662_d956105e7c_k.jpg20161021-DSC_0935 by Petra Graves, on Flickr

 

to be continued...

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Thank you so much for a great report and tons of useful information! Great pictures and what a wonderful experience!

Would you please post here how/where you purchased WiFi that you used in Japan?

 

Thanks a lot! And please keep posting! :-)

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