Our port of call for today was Shimizu, Japan, and a new one for us and many others that we know. We docked portside to the Hinode Pier with the Mein Schiff 6 docked right in front us. We all had a bird’s eye view of Mt. Fuji only 14 miles away although there was a haze that covered the 12,000-foot volcano most of the day. It was good that the other cruise ship was here because the port authorities will provide a free shuttle with ships of 2000 guests or more. We would not have qualified, but with a total of about 4000 people, we were included with that group and shared the buses. The bus took us to the JR Shimizu Train Station with a stop at another station on the way. The shuttles ran every 20 minutes with the last shuttle for us at 7pm. All aboard was 7:30pm, extended from 5pm because the distance to the next port of Yokohama was quite close.
The ships were also located very close to the Shimizu Marine Park and the PARK-side shopping mall, all within walking distance. And it was going to be a nice day, even with the overcast skies. It was not cold but a comfortable 63 degrees with 75% humidity and hardly a breeze. The tours today included a ride to Sunpu Castle Park with views of Mt. Fuji for 4.5 hours and $135. Next was a trip to Nihondaira Outlook and a shrine for 3.5 hours and $160. Last was Fujian Honga Sengen Taisha Shrine & Mt. Fuji World Heritage Center for 4 hours and $160. Speaking of tours, we heard that the day before we arrived to Nagasaki, lightning hit the slope car rope at the Mt. Inasa observation platform. It cause enough damage that the rope ride was shut down. You can trust one thing….there will be no rope gondola rides for us any time soon, if ever.
We left the ship around 10am and joined the shuttle line with the Mein Schiff 6 guests, most of whom we believe were German. Watching from the bus, we noticed there were few people walking the streets, so we were glad we did not attempt to hike this route. The first stop was at Shin Shimizu train station, where many folks got off to catch a train out of the city. We stayed on and went to the end of the drive at JR Shimizu Station with two venues to see.
Lucky for us, we ran right into friends who gave us directions to the fish market by the name of Kashinoichi Fish Market which had opened before 11am. We heard that they did not open before that time, so don’t rush to go there early. The local docents at the bus stop had pointed to the direction of this market but said it was 5 minutes away. Not exactly, taking our time, it was more like 20 minutes. We had to go up an escaltor through the train station, over a highway on a raised pedestrian walkway, and make our way to the upper level of the fish market building. We entered through a door where nicer restaurants were located, then found our way to the street level store. Compared to other fish markets we have seen worldwide, this one was very neat and clean with most everything covered with plastic wrap and labeled. Not sure what some of the fish were, nothing smelled fishy here. The vendors offered some samples for tasting, but we thanked them and just took photos. Even without speaking any English, these folks were quite friendly.
We did not find a suitable place for us for lunch and it was still too early for us. Back-tracking, we walked through the train station to wander through their Shopping Mall which was covered like the one we saw in Naze, only bigger and better. The name was Shimizu Ekimae Ginza Shopping Street – all pedestrian. It was described in their brochure that it was a charming, covered arcade where locals greeted you with a smile. We happened to run into our friends once again as they were already on their way out after finding some treasures. Ginny said the best bargains were to be found at their version of a Dollar Store back in the states.
One of us had a total of 700 yen in coin to spend somewhere. It was worth close to $4.40 USD. And we did find some useful items all priced at 110 yen. They included a pocket calculator, a magnifying glass, a marking pen, bandaids, a pair of “cheater” glasses, and a Burberry coin purse. What a deal. We window-shopped the rest of the arcade, then headed back to the shuttle for the 15 minute ride.
Back at the pier, we walked over to the more modern mall called S-Pulse Dream Plaza, where we saw many of our crew headed for shopping and dining. The main mall had just a few stores like Uni Qlo and an outdoor shop as well as a Starbucks. On another level, we saw a shoe store, a mini market and another clothes shop. The second building had a kiddie land arcade with rides for the little ones and a flywheel for everyone. Then we entered the lower level where we found all sorts of foods for sale and a food court. Another level had a series of restaurants, nothing fancy, a supermarket, and sushi. Sake and more could be bought at a liquor store. The ramen and tempura cafes were favorites for the crew. Of course, there was no venue that appealed to us, so it was back to the ship for lunch. On our way out of this mini-mall, we went to the harbor here and saw lagre black fish swimming in the shallow waters. People must toss food to them, because when the fish spotted us, they came right over to the edge.
While we were walking around the harbor area, a bus load of Japanese tourists came running down a path from a coach. Apparently they had been on a long bus ride so their guide brought them here to use the public restrooms. These folks were not young, so to see them run like that was rather impressive. Those kinds of things do not need an interpreter to explain as we have all been in that situation one time or another.
Passing by the entrance to the Mein Schiff 6 dock, there were souvenir tents set up with some unusual trinkets. Besides the usual magnets, keyrings, and t-shirts, they were selling jewelry made from old roofing tiles. Charcoal gray in color, they had necklaces and earrings with the claim you would be wearing part of their history that might be centuries old. Then there were small replicas of Mt. Fuji that actually smoked when lit. Looked like the folks were liking all of it too.
Our ship had no tents, so we went back onboard and ordered room service salads and mini burger sliders. That was around 3pm and a good time to catch up on online work. We watched as the Mein Schiff 6 pulled away from the dock by 7pm. Then it was time for a dinner of udon noodle soup, ground lamb meatballs, and a crab/shrimp roll. Both of us ordered the chicken piccata with fried polenta and found it to be an ample serving. We finished the meal with a sliced banana, and lime jello. While we were having our starters, the Executive Chef Noorul Ari stopped by to chat with us. We have been asking our head waiter, Eko, about the change in the Caesar salad dressing. Honestly, he really could not explain why Ken’s Caesar Dressing was replaced with a nasty, oily substitute. So he promised to look into it, and worse comes to worse, he would personally whip up some fresh dressing for us. Then the subject of yogurt came up. He was sorry to say that the ship had run out of all of the yogurt and they were making their own version of it from scratch. It has been more like yogurt soup, and nowhere near close to Greek yogurt, which is always firm and creamy. Once again, he hoped the next delivery they get in Yokohama will include better dressing and lots of yogurt. Nice of him to stop by and ask. Maybe he heard more than he wanted to, but someone has to tell them. Their biggest concern seems to be the ratings they get from the questionnaires after the cruise. They are most pleased when given the chance to make something right and the only way that happens is if someone speaks up.
Showtime in the World Stage was an illusionist and mentalist named Andrew Lee. The teaser was be prepared to be wowed out of your seats in this mind-reading show. Really?
Looking forward to two full days in Yokohama for Tokyo. Going to be a busy two days.
Bill & Mary Ann
