Tokyo, Japan

Thursday, April 30

We were up bright and early this morning in readiness for our bullet train trip to Tokyo. It was great staying so close to Kyoto Station and it certainly made things easy for us today.

Everything runs smoothly in Japan and their bullet trains rival the German ICE and French Thalys trains for punctuality and reliability so, right on 10.05am, our train pulled out of Kyoto and, just as the ticket said it would, pulled into Tokyo at 12.16 - 500+ kms later. We had to change to a local train to get to Shinjuku where we are staying but this was easy. It was then just a short cab ride to our hotel which is very centrally located.

Our bullet train pulling into Kyoto Station

Sadly, the foot of Mt Fuji was all that could be seen from our bullet train today

After getting our things sorted, we headed out to explore the area near our hotel. The difference between Kyoto and Tokyo is mind-boggling. We had settled in very nicely to the lovely calm pace of Kyoto so Tokyo's full-on pace with huge crowds, blaring noise and bright, flashing lights was a bit of a shock. We had read about an observation deck on top of the Government Twin Towers so made our way in that direction. We stopped at the airport limousine booking office to enquire re getting to the airport on Sunday afternoon and were bemused by the sign that read "Due to traffic conditions the bus may be happen to delayed" - almost, but not quite right! Anyway, the message is obviously to leave enough time.

The Government Twin Towers with Observation Deck at top

View over Tokyo

We wandered in and out of stores - mostly selling electronics - and, as usual, I had no idea what I was even looking at! The area also had lots of restaurants and they slowed our walk down considerably as we studied the menus along the way. Reaching the Government Towers was a bit like "just around the next bend". We could see them but getting to them was a different story. It was so worth it when we did though because it was around sunset so there was a lovely golden glow over Tokyo as we walked around the observation deck marveling at how far Tokyo extends in all directions. Apparently on a very clear day you can see Mt Fuji but it eluded us today. We had hoped to see it from the bullet train but, apart from the foot, it was under cloud cover when we passed through the viewing area so we'll just have to come back to see it another time. The observation deck is similar to Melbourne's Eureka Tower so viewing is from inside only, unlike at the Empire State's deck. The sun was a tad low so made viewing in a westerly direction a bit difficult but the rest was breathtaking. Tokyo's CBD has one of the most interesting skylines with really unusually-shaped buildings - a bit like Shanghai.

Interesting skyscrapers

We ambled back towards our hotel looking for somewhere to eat and decided on what looked to be a good restaurant. It was not flashy but was full of locals - always a good sign. Well maybe not tonight - after pointing to dishes on a picture menu and "conversing " with the waitress whose English was about as good as our Japanese, we selected a chicken dish and a vegetarian dish - we hope! While they were being cooked, Al picked up a menu that had some English translations and was amused that the choices included pork boobs, pig's stomach, pork uterus and "sesame cattle four stomach". My appetite disappeared immediately and even though what was served was quite tasty, I couldn't bring myself to believe it was chicken or enjoy it so I was very happy to get out of there. Al thoroughly enjoyed his meal so it probably was a case of "mind over matter".

Shinjuku at night - just like Times Square

The walk back to our hotel was "educational". There were people out everywhere and the mode of dress ranged from business to sub-culture. We were tickled at all the Karaoke bars where you purchase your own "golden microphone" and get dressed in costume to suit your "number" and couldn't believe the noise level in the gaming arcades that seemed to pop up after dark. Everywhere we looked, neon lights flashed in every colour imaginable and pictures danced on video screens. The whole experience was a real assault on our senses but not an unpleasant one. It will be interesting to see the same areas in daylight tomorrow.

Not just one vending machine - whole banks of them!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kyoto, Japan - Day 3

Wednesday, April 29

Today was our last day in Kyoto so we got an early start to see as much as possible of this amazing city. We headed straight to the Gion area as this is Kyoto's famous geisha district. It's also an old part of this city with lovely wooden merchant houses which are now tea houses or restaurants. In keeping with these traditions lots of the locals can be seen wearing kimonos and other traditional dress on the streets. There were lots of photo ops, with plenty of tourists around as well.

Hanamikoji Street in the Gion district

A poodle with pink ears and tail - only in Japan?

A family portrait with the tourists!

 

Next on the agenda was the Nishiki Food Market, which is part of some pedestrian lanes behind the big department stores in the downtown area. Like most things we've observed in Japan, this market was orderly, spotless and full of all sorts of interesting offerings - the trouble was we didn't know what most of them were! We did identify some things, but it was more the presentation of the food that we were impressed with, especially the takeaway food.

We know this is fish, but not sure about the other goodies!

 

The bus system in Kyoto is fabulous, and we've been using it to get around. It was quite a ride to the Kinkaku-ji Temple, but we have seen a lot of Kyoto as a result. This temple is also called the Golden Pavillion and it is set in beautiful gardens like most of the temples here. It is a shariden, or Buddhist hall which contains relics of Buddha, and is a World Heritage site. There were bigger crowds here than anywhere else we've visited, and we could see why - even the tickets were impressive.

But it was the Golden Pavillion that blew us away, and it was just the right conditions to get some nice reflections on the lake once we had got a clear spot from which to take some photos!

The Golden Pavillion

 

We then headed off to the Ryoanji Temple which dates back nearly 600 years, and is also a World Heritage site. It is famous for the Rock Garden, which is a rectangular Zen garden that contains only 15 rocks and raked white gravel, and was created by a Zen monk around 500 years ago. We had to take our shoes off to walk on the floor of the building it was part of, and it was very peaceful just taking in the different perspectives of the garden as you walked from one end to the other.

The Rock Garden

Walking around the gardens in this temple complex was easy as you followed a path, and there were many great photo ops everywhere. It was hard to pick between this garden and the Golden Pavillion as the highlight of the day as they were both fantastic.

Views of the gardens at Ryoanji Temple

 

We then headed back to our hotel to change before heading out again to the Gion area for a cultural show of traditional Kyoto music, dance and other performances. The show started with a tea ceremony, then a lady demonstrated flower arranging to Japanese harp music. Next was a comic play and we could follow this because the script was printed in the program we received! Then came the dance performed by two geishas, and finally a Bunraku or puppet play - again we could follow it as the story line was in the program.

Although the show was very tourist orientated it still gave us a taste of Japanese culture, and it was a great way to complete our visit to Kyoto. We can thoroughly recommend this city as it is easy to get around and there are lots of interesting and different things to see and do here.

 

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Kyoto, Japan - Day 2

Tuesday, April 28

We awoke bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after a good night's sleep thanks to cough suppressant capsules purchased yesterday that ensured I didn't cough all night long keeping both of us awake. We went downstairs to have breakfast and that was an absolute delight. The Japanese are so formal and polite so we were bowed to by the cleaning ladies we passed along the corridor, bowed to by the bellhop who was also trying to push a full cart of suitcases, then greeted with a "japenglish" good morning by every staff member in La Palisier - the breakfast restaurant of our choice - we had a choice of three. The food, in what we now realize is the Japanese way, was arrayed beautifully and looked absolutely delicious. All our choices were tiny little morsels but each one was so tasty - we would have been happy to stay there all day but Al had studied the tourist map extensively last night so that our day needed to get under way and quickly.

An alternative to walking to the Temple

Too big for our suitcases

At the beginning of The Path of Philosophy

We headed over the road to the station to find the Bus Exchange & Ticket Office to buy our Bus Day Pass. Our aim was to head towards the Imperial Palace to buy tickets for a tour tomorrow and, along the way, have a look at some temples and do "The Philosopher's Walk" along the old canal. The sun was shining and the top temp was forecast to be 28C - just lovely! We bought our bus pass and the bus we needed to catch pulled straight in - perfect! On the bus was a young couple we had seen on the ship and we found ourselves sitting next to each other. It's a small world - they are from Boronia. We were all headed in the same direction but, once off the bus, we told them to go at their own pace and not wait for us - the difference between being mid 20's and mid 60's!

The area is so pretty and these are residential streets

The old canal

Before starting the walk along the old canal, we took a short detour to have a look at the Ginkaku-ji Temple and this meant passing many tourist and souvenier stalls but they were fascinating. The old canal runs right through a residential area but you wouldn't know that you are in a major city and so close to the CBD. The walk is about 2kms long but there are lots of little lane ways running off just begging to be explored and that adds to the length of your walk. It is lined with cherry trees (sadly we are two weeks too late for cherry blossom time) and lies between two major temples - the Ginkaku-ji Temple and Nanzen-ji Temple. Local scholars called the little path flanking the canal, "The Path of Philosophy". It was absolutely beautiful strolling along, taking a little turn off to have a look at an artisan's work, read a sign board, etc. and enjoy the warmth of the sun.

The gates to Nanzen-ji Temple

After our walk, we caught a bus to take us closer to the Imperial Palace but, unfortunately, caught the wrong one and ended up back almost where we started from. By then (3 pm), we were ravenous so found a lovely little cafe and had a very enjoyable Japanese meal. When we came out it was peak hour and schools were out so the line for the bus was fairly long (but orderly as only the Japanese do) so we didn't have to wait too long. This time we made it to the Imperial Palace and found the Booking Office. We've done it again though - tomorrow is a public holiday and the palace is closed! The holiday marks the passing of an Emperor so certainly affects the Imperial Palace's opening hours but doesn't seem to be widely observed elsewhere and we were not warned about it at the Tourist Information Centre yesterday - oh well, another reason to return to Kyoto - not that we need one - it is such a lovely place. We walked though the gardens surrounding the palace wall and, whilst very nice, they were nothing sensational. It was good to see them being put to good use with lots of school kids enjoying sports practice on the various courts and fields, people out walking their dogs (or balls of fluff with fancy coats and bows) or people just taking a stroll.

One of the gates at The Imperial Palace

In the gardens outside the Imperial Palace wall

By this time there was a bit of a chill in the air so we decided to head "home", look at our pics, write the blog, study up on tomorrow's exploring, etc. then decide where to go and eat. It has been a great day and we feel as though we are really "in Japan" now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Kyoto Japan

Monday, April 27

Today was the day we said goodbye to our home of the last 28 days, the Volendam, and especially its crew who worked so hard to make our voyage a pleasant and memorable one. We also met some really nice people who, hopefully, we'll meet again. Today also marked the start of our next adventure in Japan.

We disembarked the ship and waited a little while for a taxi to take us to Kobe station. We then negotiated buying a train ticket for the trip to Kyoto, and boarded our bullet train at 10:25am. The journey only took 30 minutes with just a brief stop in Osaka - it was a nice introduction to an amazing rail system in Japan.

The Shinkansen or Bullet train

Our hotel in Kyoto is only a short distance from the station, but we only had the Hachijo Exit as a clue as to which direction to go. We found an English speaking lady at Tourist Information who pointed out our hotel just across the road. The station is HUGE, and has many shops and restaurants, and because we were too early to check in we spent some time getting to know what was there. The food mall was incredible and we enjoyed a huge lunch for about A$10!

Our hotel. Note cute pink "people" shapes supporting the barricade around the roadworks

 

After checking in we decided to explore the other side of the station, as there were some temples and other items of interest shown on the maps we had picked up. We love exploring a new city on foot, as you see so much more than when driving around, and you can observe the people and soak up the ambience. We felt very safe walking around and, compared to China, there weren't that many people around!

The first thing we saw was the Kyoto Tower, which looks a bit old fashioned compared to the one in Shanghai, but it certainly stands out in this neighborhood. Nearby was the Higashi-Honganji temple complex, where there are some major renovations taking place. The gardens and trees around this complex looked magnificent in their spring colours and new foliage while, in a little canal running along one side of the complex, were some brightly coloured koi fish that are so typical of Japan.

Contrast of old, modern and beautiful

Koi in canal, and reflection of temple

Spring time in Kyoto

On our way back to the station we walked down a small neighborhood street and got a feel for how the people lived in this area. It was a mixture of old houses and modern apartments, but very classy. We saw some houses that still had the sliding wooden screens, which didn't look too secure to us, but we got the impression it was a safe area and it was very clean and well kept.

Noelle can pick the expensive real estate!

 

Next to the station is a top end department store and we got a bit lost ending up in their fresh food hall - what a shame! It was the classiest food hall we've ever been in although we didn't know what most of the foods were but they looked good and the presentation was out of this world, along with the prices! We finally found our way out and back into the station proper, which is massive - bigger than any station we've ever come across. We had to walk through the station's restaurant section and most of the restaurants have window displays of their meals made out of bright plastic. We must have been getting hungry as they even looked appetizing to us!

A small part of restaurant street

Sample of one restaurant's meals on display

There was also a water feature amongst all the restaurants and we were fascinated by the patterns the cascading water made while continually changing as it fell down from the ceiling.

 

We finally made it back to our hotel and, to complete a day of contrasts from ships to trains, the view from our window looks over the railway line, so we can keep an eye on the bullet trains as they leave Kyoto and head for Tokyo on a regular basis.

 

 

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Day at Sea en route to Kobe, Japan

Sunday, April 26

Today is our last "sea day" and also our last day at sea. It's always sad when a cruise finishes and this one has been very interesting with ports of call as diverse as poverty-stricken Sihanoukville in Cambodia to the glitz and glamour of Shanghai and the ancient wonder of the Great Wall of China. There have been enticing aromas of eastern spices and foul smells of local fish markets. There has been mayhem as motorbikes dashed and weaved along roads in Vietnam to the peaceful calm of Halong Bay but for us, the thing that has been consistent has been the lovely people we have met in each country. Certainly some have been friendlier than others but all have tried to make us feel welcome in their own way and we are always amazed at how much can be communicated without actual language simply through a smile, nod of the head or a little "charade". Neither Al nor I feel like rushing back to Asia any time soon but we have experienced some wonderful things this trip that we would never want to trade.

As usual, we started our sea day with a sleep-in and leisurely breakfast but, unlike other sea days that we have just lazed our way through, this one required us to pack - the dislike of the task being one of the reasons we cruise in the first place - unpack once, re-pack once!

On last days, everyone rushes around trying to say goodbye to friends made during the cruise and swap email addresses, etc. and, for us, this took until lunchtime. We had arranged to meet another Aussie couple, Alan & Linda, to discuss plans for tomorrow's trip from the port in Kobe to the city of Kyoto - some 75 kms away. They are staying in Kyoto as well and, like us, had done some research before leaving Australia - so we figured we would swap notes. We had lunch with them, chatted to some Canadians afterwards and, before we knew it, it was almost 2 pm. We returned to our stateroom and started the job of fitting all the new purchases into our cases, deciding what could be discarded then just getting down to the job at hand. At the end, we were pleased to find our cases were still below our airline limit that is thankfully 30 kgs each.

We then took the opportunity to go and listen to Michael, a very good singer & guitarist, before meeting friends from Denver for dinner. We actually met Buck & Carol at lunch on our first day aboard but, because we were sitting opposite each other on a table of 10, we didn't get the chance to really meet. Our paths crossed a number of times after that but on the Halong Bay cruise we sat with each other and our friendship really took off. We decided to have dinner together in the specialty restaurant "Canaletto" for our last meal of the cruise and we all had a great night. We are sure we will see each other again before too long be it in their country or ours or maybe on another cruise. The dinner was a lovely end to an interesting cruise.

Buck & Carol from Denver

 

 

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Nagasaki, Japan

Saturday, April 25

There was an ANZAC service on the ship at 5:30am, but that was too early for us! However, it was ironic that we were visiting Nagasaki on ANZAC Day as we wanted to see firsthand the terrible effect of the atomic bomb dropped on this city on August 9, 1945.

We were greeted by a beautiful, mild sunny day, and the only thing that held us up was the queue of people waiting to go through the Immigration process in the terminal, as the Japanese officials needed to finger print and photograph everyone like they do when you enter the US. It took us an hour from when we lined up in the corridor on the ship to when we finally walked out of the terminal building.

Like in Korea the Japanese tourist people were on hand with maps, there was a currency exchange desk, a post office and a place to buy a daily tram pass, as well as some shops and handicraft stalls. The tram pass was only $5 each for the day, with the tram line only a few hundred meters away. We were told you enter the tram through the back door and show your ticket when you exit through the front door - there were even people at the stops to help you and everyone was very friendly. There are 4 lines and it was easy to change from one line to another.

A Nagasaki tram - note the driver wearing gloves and a mask

A retro Tram

The trams were cute and efficient, and it wasn't long before we arrived at the site of the epicenter of the blast. There were explanation signs next to each item, and you couldn't help but be moved by the magnitude of such devastation and destruction from just one bomb.

Hypocenter memorial and remains of Urakami Cathedral

One of the many signs and peace sculptures at the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter

We continued this sombre tour into the Peace Park, and its impact on us was just as moving - you couldn't help think about the hundreds of thousands of innocent victims.The park was founded with the desire to promote world peace, and after what we saw today we certainly hope there isn't another atomic bomb dropped anywhere in the world. Again there were lots of sculptures donated by various cities and countries, but the most famous statue is quite stunning, symbolizing the threat of nuclear weapons and the desire for peace and tranquility.

Noelle hoping the noise in the sky really is just a helicopter!

84 year old survivor of the blast at one of the monuments

The gardens here were magnificent, especially with the spring flowers in bloom, and there was also a lovely fountain with the water sprays in the shape of doves wings. After a quick snack it was time to move on to the Atomic Bomb Museum.

You didn't feel like taking lots of photos in here, but a before and after photo will suffice. The museum has done a great job balancing the facts with the human stories, as well as highlighting the dangers of nuclear weapons. It was certainly a moving experience spending time looking at the displays, photos and videos, artifacts found around the city, and the destruction caused by this event.

 

We caught the tram back to the terminal, and in a nearby park we could see some tall masts so we went to investigate. Being such a beautiful day there were lots of people about and some great photo ops.

This lightened our mood greatly, and as we were re-boarding the ship we saw some school kids setting up to give us another nice send off. It turned out to be a school orchestra, with some of them doing some form of dancing/marching/aerobics. We waved goodbye to them as the ship pushed away from the dock, and we were really impressed with the warmth and friendliness of the people on our first visit to Japan.

 

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