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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.

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. IMG_1526.mov 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.

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!

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. IMG_1291.mov IMG_1309.mov IMG_1359.mov 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 IMG_1357.mov

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! IMG_1269.mov

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 IMG_1232.mov

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 IMG_1162.mov

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. IMG_1144.mov 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. IMG_0981.mov 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. IMG_1129.mov This event was very memorable and a highlight of our trip

We join you on the 13th after being in Japan since 3/29. Looking forward to a rest as we have been on the go logging 10 hour days and about 12,000 steps a day! Any intel on the CD and GM - not that it matters much to us as we are not labor intensive!

We wanted a land trip prior to the Regent pre cruise so we booked with Gate Ine Travel. We are a group of 22 (now a group of 20 as one of our group fell the other day, breaking several bones in her arm which requires surgery. She and her friend fly home tonight). Gate One always emphasizes cultural experiences. This is our third land tour with them, the others were to Cuba and Machu Pichu.

Day Eight - Kyoto We had a long and exhausting day touring Kyoto, seeing some of the most iconic sites. Our first stop in the morning, and my favorite so far, was the Tenryu-ji Zen temple and garden. The garden was the most exquisite I have ever seen. There were winding paths, bordered with manicured trees and shrubs so that every scene had an intimate view and a “borrowed” view in the distance. Many flowers and trees are in full bloom. The garden borders the Arashiyama bamboo forest. The forest consist of mostly moso bamboo, six inches in diameter and so tall they block the sky. After a long walk through the grove and down to the river, we wandered through a quiet part of the town until we reached a rickshaw stable. Two to a rickshaw, we climbed aboard for an unforgettable tour of the village. Our rickshaw driver had a good command of English and I had a very basic command of Japanese so we communicated well. All the drivers had formidable leg muscles but our driver said he still goes to the gym to develop his upper body. Legs and cardio are completed by pulling corpulent tourists through the street! Shameless flirting with the rickshaw drivers! A short drive away, the Kinkaku-ji temple, or Golden Pavillon, completed our bucket list of iconic Kyoto. The site of Kinkaku-ji was originally a villa called Kitayama-dai, belonging to a powerful statesman, Saionji Kintsune. Kinkaku-ji's history dates to 1397, when the villa was purchased from the Saionji family by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu. When Yoshimitsu died the building was converted into a Zen temple by his son, according to his wishes. After lunch, we walked to a residential area near the food market we visited yesterday. I had noticed that throughout Kyoto there are stores where you can rent kimono for the day, as many Japanese do to celebrate the seasons, or birthdays, or weddings and such. We entered a private Kyoto-style home, where the women went to one room, the men to another to change into traditional Japanese dress. The kimono were beautiful but I had no idea how complex it is to put on and wear everything that is underneath the beautiful garment. We stripped down and put on a white cotton short yukata. This was tied TIGHT. Then another strap was tied TIGHT around the waist. Then a broad strap I called the Japanese mammogram, was tied TIGHT around the breast. Then a wide plastic plate was placed on the upper torso and strapped in TIGHT. The final step was the kimono and obi. The obi was about six feet long and wrapped TIGHT and secured with decorative bow in the back. At this point, it was hard to breathe and hard to move and it was hot! My hair is a problem as I didn’t have anything to get it off my shoulders until I found pen in my purse and used it as a pin! Our final stop at the end of a very long day was the Gion geisha district. No geishas to be seen but thousands of tourists milling around thanks to the cherry blossoms in full bloom.

Day Seven - Kyoto We have had remarkably good weather this trip. It is cool enough to wear a light puffer jacket without getting hot enough in the afternoon to devolve into a sweaty mess. Our first site was the Nijo-Jo Castle. This is one of the seventeen historic monuments of Ancient Kyoto which have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. Nijo-jo Castle has witnessed some of the most important events in Japanese history in the 400 years since it was built. The castle was completed in 1603 on the orders of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder and first Shogun of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603-1867). Tokugawa Ieyasu unified Japan after a long period of civil war, and ushered in a period of over 260 years of peace and prosperity. The government that Ieyasu established lasted for fifteen generations, and was one of the longest periods of stability and prosperity in Japanese history.p The Ninomaru Palace served as the residence and office of the shogun during his visits to Kyoto. The palace consists of multiple separate buildings that are connected by corridors with “nightingale” floors, as they squeak when stepped upon as a security measure against intruders. The palace rooms feature decorated ceilings and beautifully painted sliding doors (fusuma). The castle area has several gardens and groves of cherry and Japanese plum trees. We are fortunate that Japan has had a late spring and the trees are just beginning to flower. As the week progresses, they should be in full bloom. Sakura soft serve! One of the distinctive features of our tour is that daily cultural experiences are included that we would not stumble upon if left to our own devices. Our next stop was a Buddhist temple in Higashiyama area where we were instructed in Zazan, or seated Zen meditation. It was a fascinating exercise and worth including in my day when we return home. We moved to an adjacent room for a tea ceremony. It takes twenty years to become a tea master and the ceremony is infused with required symbolic gestures, including eating a sweet rice cookie before drinking the tea so that the bitterness of the matcha is not a shock to the system. After lunch we went to the Nishishinjuku food market. Although interesting, the crush of people navigating the small alley was not for those who tend to be claustrophobic. All sorts of food and drink were in offer. I was charmed by the octopus lollipops! There is a Shinto shrine at the end of the path where you can catch your breath before facing the gauntlet for the return trip. Our final event was a private Shamisen and Koto performance in a private house in a quiet neighborhood in Kyoto. The shamisen is a three stringed instrument that is similar to a banjo. The shamisen can be played solo or with other shamisen instruments and ensemble. lč The koto, a type of Japanese zither, is the most popular Japanese musical instrument. Much of the traditional music accompanied kabuki performances. It is a bit difficult for western ears to appreciate IMG_0622.mov but the musicians also included a piece composed in the 1980’s which was quite beautiful. IMG_0628.mov Another vista in Kyoto!

Day Six - Takayama to Kyoto We had an early start to a long day including a half day in Takayama and a long bus ride to Kyoto. We anticipated free time in this beautiful town, but first we went to the museum that houses some of the floats used in festivals which is adjacent to a beautiful Shinto shrine. The city is famed for its biannual Takayama Festival, going back to at least the mid-1600s, celebrating spring and fall with parades featuring ornate, gilded floats and puppet shows. From morning to late afternoon of both festival days, the festival floats (yatai) are displayed in the streets of Takayama. Several of the festival floats are decorated with so called karakuri ningyo, sophisticated mechanical dolls that can move and dance. IMG_0451.mov A portable shrine (mikoshi) is carried around the town in a parade during the two days of the festival. The mikoshi contains the shrine's kami (Shinto deity). The festival is the only time of the year when the deity leaves the shrine to be carried around the town. IMG_0454.mov We then had two hours of free time to explore Takayama on our own, starting with the Morning Market which borders the river. We walked past interesting shops and food stands, bought gifts, and coveted beautiful objects that we didn’t need. Lunch: grilled hida beef brochette and minced hida beef in a warm sticky rice cake. This couple was in Takayama to celebrate their wedding. The bus ride to Kyoto was about 3.5 hours and the landscape went from mountains to rolling hills dotted with cherry trees in full bloom. Our hotel is in the city near the train station and packed with tourists. All of our hotels have been spacious and well appointed. I particularly liked the small metal sculptures above each door. Every door was a different botanical with lovely detail. We were pretty tired at the end of the day and opted for a hotel restaurant. It was an upscale buffet with Asian and western dishes, the highlight being the appetizer and salad bar. They had interesting little amuse bouche that were absolutely luscious. My favorite (bottom right corner of the picture) was a fois gras mousse wrapped in a fruit leather with a slice of dehydrated kumquat in top. Mmmmmmmmm

Day Five - Kaga to Suganuma Village to Shirakwago Village to Takayama We left Kaga in the early morning, traveling by the Sea of Japan until we turned east, traveling through a series of tunnels as we traversed a range of mountains. We soon arrived at Suganuma Village, a World Heritage site, known for its thatched roof “gassho” houses. The houses are called gassho as the form of the roof is shaped like the praying hand gesture in Buddhism. There are nine gassho houses in the village that are still used as homes for the villagers. Thatching roofs is an art form requiring renewal every so often. There is fear in Japan that it is a dying art form as it is labor intensive and requires considerable technical skill. Pools of water are required in case of a fire. Every family is also required to plant more thatch but they often need to buy more than they grow for repairs. Leaving Suganuma, we went on to Shirakawago Village, a much larger community bordering a river. It was a cloudy morning that morphed into showers which then morphed into a steady rain and wind. We were intrepid travelers but after an hour we were cold and wet and the picturesque gassho houses became increasingly less interesting. Our next stop was the city of Takayama. Takayama is in mountainous Gifu Prefecture and is known for its wood, harvested from the surrounding mountains. The narrow streets of its Sanmachi Suji historic district are lined with wooden merchants’ houses dating to the Edo Period, along with many small museums. Our first stop was lunch. Takayama is known for its hida beef which is a variety of Wagyu beef. Our lunch restaurant served us Hoba miso, a local dish of miso, beef, green onions and vegetables, grilled on a magnolia leaf. The koji miso is seasoned with sake, sugar, and ginger and the magnolia leaf gives it a unique aroma as it grills. It was getting late in the day but before getting to the hotel, we visited Jinya, the old government building. It was a fascinating glimpse into the protocols and customs of old Japan. Our final stop was the Funasaka Sake Brewery. Sake is still a very ritualized process, with a sake master, the toji, supervising all aspects of the process. When a batch is finished in the fall, a cedar ball is hung outside of the brewery and stays in place until the next batch is brewed. Our hotel was located a bit above the city with wonderful views of the valley and mountains beyond. Its main feature, though, was not the view but the onsen - a communal bath and spa. I was shy and tired the previous night so I skipped this experience at the ryokan. The women in our group were very encouraging, though, and counseled me not to let my self-conscious body shaming from missing an iconic experience in Japan. So, taking a deep breath, I donned my yukata, and shuffled along in my sandals to the bath. It was incredible. The picture I included is from the hotel website as pictures in the spa are strictly forbidden, of course. The spa protocol is to shower in your room or thoroughly wash in an area of the facility before entering the pool. There was a steam room, an indoor pool and a series of small and large pools outside with varied water temperature. The outside pools overlooked the valley and the night lights and low clouds made for a very atmospheric experience.

We used Gate One Travel. We have been on two other land tours with them (Cuba and Macau Pichu) and we think they run excellent tours. The itinerary is packed, though, but they always include interesting activities that we wouldn’t necessarily stumble upon on our own. We will be with them until Monday, when the group travels to Osaka for flights home and we return to Tokyo for two nights before joining the pre-cruise group in Tokyo. FYI, our Tokyo hotel was the Keio Plaza in Shinjuku which is right around the corner from the Tokyo Hilton. We dropped two suitcases off there before leaving Tokyo and they will hold them until our return. Japan also has a very easy to navigate luggage transfer system so there is never a need to lug your luggage around.