We heard later today that there were 60 mph winds last night. That along with crashing waves against the ship, kept lots of passengers awake….including the Captain. Because of the extreme conditions, the Captain was on the bridge most of the night getting us through the worst of the seas. During his PM talk, Captain Jonathon promised that the conditions would improve, as he had steered the ship away from the worst of the waves and wind. That would take us slightly off course, but he assured us that the docking time in Osaka would be the same……about 8am.
Here is a bit of info about Japan. Tokyo is the capital, but we will not be stopping there on this trip. Too bad. The population is 127,100,000 living in an area of 145,875 square miles. And of course, the language is Japanese.
If you think of Zen gardens, sumo wrestlers, bullet trains, geishas, and Shinto shrines, you think of Japan. They also have space-age cities, or beach-fringed tropical islands, and forest trails on snow-capped mountains. With this weather, we may see snow tomorrow….something we usually never encounter on a world cruise.
If you want to see Japanese quirkiness, you'll find that it is a nation that sells underpants and neckties in vending machines. No kidding. One wonderful aspect of visiting Japan in the spring is seeing the cherry trees in full bloom. Unfortunately, we are too early for that spectacle.
The best time to visit is March to May to avoid the winter snow and the summer rain. Our first trip to this part of the world were in the spring and again in the fall. Both were memorable visits with comfortable weather.
Things to see begin with the capital of Tokyo with an unbelievable crush of humanity. We have never been to a shopping complex that was wall-to-wall people…..a sea of black hair. That was all we could see as we got mixed in with the crowd.
Historic Kyoto with ancient mausoleums in Nikko National Park, and the old capital of Japan, Nara, is fun to explore. Wild deer roam the parks there, and you can actually buy "deer cookies" to hand feed them.
Things to do are slurping noodles, as it is not considered impolite to do so. You can hike through the cedars on Yakushima Island, or learn many lessons with a visit to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We have seen both and found the visit comparable to the visit to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
What is there to eat? Raw fish, sashimi, wafer-thin slices with soy, wasabi, and preserved daikon radish. Their favorite drink is shochu, the national spirit of Japan, or sake, Japanese rice wine sometimes served hot to infuse the senses.
Trademarks include Mt. Fuji, ninjas, sumo, sushi, geishas in kimonos, bowling, and Cosplay (whatever that may be). Also trademarks are cherry blossoms, earthquakes, and the legacy of WWII.
A random fact is saying NO is considered confrontational in Japan. Most Japanese say "tabun" meaning maybe instead. Sounds better, doesn't it.
Some tours were offered tomorrow. We have been on several of them and would highly recommend seeing Osaka Castle and Temple for $80. Nearby cities of Kyoto and Nara both have interesting things to see such as the Nijo Castle with the nightingale floors. Why are they called that? Wooden floors were made the squeak so if there were invaders, you would hear them walking on the floors outside the inner rooms. Clever. Anyway, both of these tours run around $200 and do include lunch. A trip to Fushimi and Uji shares info on sake brewing and the chance to photograph the Uji-Bashi Bridge, a most famous sight. A new tour was added for those who cannot walk too far. It's more of a sight-seeing tour from the bus with little walking for 2 hours for $100. If the temperatures are in the 30's tomorrow, that might not be a bad idea.
Today was a re-run from yesterday. Lunch with Barb, a couples of brisk walks, computer work, and watching a few movies. We had hoped to catch Barbara H's talk on Osaka on TV, but it was not on. We went up to her desk later , and asked why. It was obvious that she had been questioned by many others before us, because she recommended that we put a complaint in at the front desk. In the past, she always had her own channel, and re-running her talks was not an issue. Now, with her talks mixed with two other shows, it is hard to find her lecture that would give us practical info on the port and surrounding areas. A must for going off on your own, as we plan on doing.
Only six of us were at dinner tonight, but what a treat we had when we found ribeye steaks on the menu. Five of us ordered one, mostly as a test, to see how good they might be. We were not disappointed. It was difficult finishing such large steaks, but we all did a pretty good job of it.
We are all going to be glad that we will have two full days in Osaka, and not sailing in rough seas for a while.
Bill & Mary Ann
Rough seas on our way towards Osaka……
Much colder than it looks
A mini-burger for lunch
Chicken enchilada
Cloudy and freezing
Sunset was at 5:41pm
