Quasi-Live Westerdam Oct 1st Japan

[Ferry_Watcher]

5 hours ago, travelholics said:

Really enjoyed your reports, thank you so much for your dedication. 

We are on Westerdam in March/April, so your information has been extremely useful. The $25 shuttle cost, was that each way or return? We have 2 visits to Kochi during the 28 day trip, did you hear of any other excursions people enjoyed? Safe journey home

The $25 was round trip 

I didn't talk to anyone that took an excursion.  There was a lady on that tram (street car) that we took to get to the museum (and Kochi Castle), she said that she bought an all day pass that she found out at the tourist office.  She said that the tourist office directed her to a nearby place to buy it.  She said it cost her about $3,USD.  I can't confirm that, but that is how she described it.  Without that pass, that tram cost us 200Yen ($1.35 US)

 

If possible, try to have Japanese Yen in hand before arriving in Japan.  We brought the equivalent of $500 USD in Yen with us from home.  Pack light, buy the laundry package if you don't have that 4*Star perk, and have good walking shoes.  You might consider adding walking up stairs while at home/office, etc to prepare you for all the stairs.

 

If you are staying in Tokyo on your own during your trip, I can recommend the Tokyo Ginza Aloft Hotel (Marriott).  Great location, and walking distance to lots of restaurants and some very upscale stores.  There is a fish market about 1/2 mile from the hotel that you can walk to and grab a bite to eat during the morning/early afternoon.  The Tokyo Ginza Aloft is also close to two subway/train stations.  This is the second time we have stayed at the Aloft, and have been happy with it.

 

I am jealous about your upcoming cruise - I would love to be back here that soon.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Disembarkation day.  Our cruise ended in Yokohama on a Saturday morning. We had been in Yokohama two weeks earlier when the first half of the  cruise ended (Seattle/Yokohama), and then we remained on board for the two weeks sailing around Japan.  While we were in Yokohama during run-around day, we checked out where the subway/train station was since that was the transportation we plan to use to get to our hotel in the Ginza area of Tokyo   You can Google any station and find out about accessibility.  For example, the station closest to the cruise terminal has entrances about a block apart from each other.  One entrance has stains going down, the other had an escalator.  Obviously, with luggage, the escalator is the better option.

 

Originally we were going to wait until we got off the ship, but breakfast in the dining room was quick, and we were ready to go earlier.  I am actually glad that we did leave earlier, mostly because the subway/trains were not yet crowded before our start time of about 8:45 am.  The closer we got to Tokyo, the more crowded the subway/train became, but it was still comfortable.  It took us about 1 hour to get from the train station to our hotel in the Ginza area of Tokyo.  Google Maps works really well to navigate the Tokyo subway system. We only had to change trains once.

 

We arrived at our hotel after 10 AM, but of course we couldn't check in that early.  They took our luggage and we hung out in the lobby planning what to do. DH planned our days, and I did a post for this thread.  Then we headed out, but decided to stop at one of two nearby Starbucks.  Japan Starbucks has different seasonal drinks than the US, so I got to try a 'Chocolate Moussed' latte.  Instead of whipped cream, they added this whipped topping that tasted like chocolate mousse.  I was glad we stopped because shortly after noon DH got a message from the hotel saying our room was ready.

[Ferry_Watcher]

The Starbucks that we were in is on a very wide Avenue that has some of the world's most exclusive brand stores located on it.  When we left Starbucks after 12 noon, the Ave had been shut down to cars and it was now a giant pedestrian walkway.  We remembered it closing last year when we were here in the Ginza neighborhood.  When we arrived back at the Aloft Hotel (about 3 short blocks), I asked the desk clerk and he said it closes down on the weekends and holidays 12 noon + 5 pm.  It is quite the sight to behold, just people everywhere, just walking, lots of people taking photos.  They even put small round tables and chairs in the middle the Ave so folks can sit and watch and enjoy.  Very festive.

 

After getting into our room,  headed back out to a giant  Halloween Cosplay event call Ikebukuru Cosplay Festival, which DH found on timeout.com by Googling "what's on in Tokyo today.". The participants we dressed as their favorite anime or manga character. There was an entrance fee, and you were either a "participant' i.e., in costume, or you were a 'photographer'.  There was an scheduled Red Carpet where some of the participants walked along a block long red carpet lined with fans on both sides.  It was roped off with event staff keeping an eye on things.  Of course, with the polite Japanese, they monitor themselves, so it was all quite calm.  We stayed just outside the rope line, but managed to get some fun photos.  It took two train rides, about 30 minutes to get there.

 

We returned to the hotel and hung out a bit.  We decided on an early dinner (we are American after all LOL).  But before we left for the restaurant, we stopped at the Aloft 's rooftop bar called Roof Dogs.  Weird name, but beautiful setting on the 16th floor, all outside.  There are clear wind screens which helps keep you warm, but it is all open above you.  It was nearly a full moon, so very pretty with the rising moon, and the lights of the city coming on.  It was still very mild out, so lots of fun to be sitting out there.

 

We returned to a restaurant that we went to last year - Edowan restaurant. It is a restaurant that does only small plates.  We had a number of fish type of dishes.  It was good.

 

After leaving the restaurant, we stopped by a really cool bar that we fortunately were directed to last year by a Japanese woman who worked at a nearby Yakitori restaurant that we had gone to.  After our meal last year, she walked out of the restaurant with us and asked if we were staying nearby.  We said yes, and she gave us a business card to a bar that her brother owned.  On our last night in Tokyo last year, we decided to try to find it.  Turns out it was about 2 1/2 blocks from the Aloft Hotel.  We found the building, saw that it was on the 4th floor and decided to step outside our comfort zone and give it a try. 

 

OMG, so glad we did.  The 4 person elevator opens you right at the entrance to the bar.  The bar has been there since 1953.  It is a whiskey bar, so lots of Japanese Whiskey, Scotch, etc.  Honestly, I don't know if they even have wine or beer, I don't think so.  Anyway, the bar is like something you would see in NYC decades ago.  Lots of beautiful wood, a small bar, about five tables, in total seating for about 24, maybe 30.  Jazz was piped in last year, and jazz was playing there last night.  DH had a Japanese Whiskey, and I had a Manhattan  (actually we both had two). 

 

I love this place.  It was funny when we walked in last night, there was a group of 6 Japanese sitting together at one end of the bar, and they just looked at us, like WTH are these people doing here? After they left, we were there with just the bartender for a while until a group of 4 Japanese men came in and they just stared at us, but I think we may have been sitting at their usual table.  The barkeep had them sit in a little alcove behind us.  The barkeep is/was very gracious, and even with the surprise looks from the Japanese that we were there, we still felt welcomed and comfortable.  The bar is called Bar Taru. Apparently you can find them on Instagram as well.  They are closed Sundays, but I hope to get back there Monday night before we head home on Tuesday.

 

After the bar we headed back to the Aloft, and had the best night sleep the entire trip!

[bennybear]

Thanks for taking us along!  Sounds like you had really lovely weather.  I’m slow reading so wanted to respond about some of the ports. 
 

We really enjoyed visiting the fortress in Hakkodate and enjoyed the very fresh crab for lunch. It’s a short reasonable taxi ride.  
 

 

[bennybear]

We also really enjoyed the Adachi museum and garden.  We did this on a private tour along with a visit to the black Matsue castle. 
 

 

[bennybear]

In Kochi we really enjoyed the castle and the straw fire roasted tuna.  Plus some wonderful vintage silk kimonos for sale.   We just used the HAL shuttle and walked easily. 
 

Hope it’s okay that I shared these photos.  We so thoroughly enjoyed our trip and found it much easier than expected to visit.

Edited October 29, 2023 by bennybear

[ECCruise]

10 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Thanks for the great picture @bennybear

 

Wonderful Katsuo no tataki!

 

We were in Kochi twice this year and had it both times, plus at a Kochi themed restaurant in Osaka.

 

Unfortunately, bonito is really difficult to find in North America.

 

 

[travelholics]

10 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

The $25 was round trip 

I didn't talk to anyone that took an excursion.  There was a lady on that tram (street car) that we took to get to the museum (and Kochi Castle), she said that she bought an all day pass that she found out at the tourist office.  She said that the tourist office directed her to a nearby place to buy it.  She said it cost her about $3,USD.  I can't confirm that, but that is how she described it.  Without that pass, that tram cost us 200Yen ($1.35 US)

 

If possible, try to have Japanese Yen in hand before arriving in Japan.  We brought the equivalent of $500 USD in Yen with us from home.  Pack light, buy the laundry package if you don't have that 4*Star perk, and have good walking shoes.  You might consider adding walking up stairs while at home/office, etc to prepare you for all the stairs.

 

If you are staying in Tokyo on your own during your trip, I can recommend the Tokyo Ginza Aloft Hotel (Marriott).  Great location, and walking distance to lots of restaurants and some very upscale stores.  There is a fish market about 1/2 mile from the hotel that you can walk to and grab a bite to eat during the morning/early afternoon.  The Tokyo Ginza Aloft is also close to two subway/train stations.  This is the second time we have stayed at the Aloft, and have been happy with it.

 

I am jealous about your upcoming cruise - I would love to be back here that soon.

Thanks so much for the info,  it will really help us with final detailed planning.

[travelholics]

23 minutes ago, bennybear said:

Thanks for taking us along!  Sounds like you had really lovely weather.  I’m slow reading so wanted to respond about some of the ports. 
 

We really enjoyed visiting the fortress in Hakkodate and enjoyed the very fresh crab for lunch. It’s a short reasonable taxi ride.  
 

 

Mant thanks for the pictures and information. Really look ofrward to trying all that seafood!

[Kristal Blade]

Great photos bennybear,

We will be visiting Kochi so good to know it is easily walkable from the shuttle.

[SUESEABE]

@bennybear Thanks for sharing the photos.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

@Ferry_Watcher Thanks so much for taking us along on your Japan cruise, brought back lots of memories of our 2017 and 2019 Japan cruises plus we were recent on the Westerdam in September to Alaska and realized how much we missed the Vista Class ships. We were deck 5 corner aft and yes there is some weird vibrations going on back there but oddly for the most part we slept right through it and considered it part of the charm of the aft cabin. Granted those cabins are not for everyone but we just feel at home in them.

Hope you enjoy the rest of your days in Tokyo!!

[Ferry_Watcher]

4 hours ago, bennybear said:

In Kochi we really enjoyed the castle and the straw fire roasted tuna.  Plus some wonderful vintage silk kimonos for sale.   We just used the HAL shuttle and walked easily. 
 

Hope it’s okay that I shared these photos.  We so thoroughly enjoyed our trip and found it much easier than expected to visit.

Thanks for shaythe photos!  A picture is worth a thousand words.

[Ferry_Watcher]

On 10/30/2023 at 3:35 AM, bennybear said:

In Kochi we really enjoyed the castle and the straw fire roasted tuna.  Plus some wonderful vintage silk kimonos for sale.   We just used the HAL shuttle and walked easily. 
 

Hope it’s okay that I shared these photos.  We so thoroughly enjoyed our trip and found it much easier than expected to visit.

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

Sunday in Tokyo.  Had breakfast at the hotel, then headed out to the large fish market about 1/3 mile (straight shot) from the hotel.  We were there last Oct '22 and had a good lunch.  It was on DH's short list to have a fish breakfast there.  We got there about 10 am, and the place was packed.  It was mostly Japanese folks, but with a healthy number of Westerners sprinkled in.  We walked the stalls, but honestly it was so crowded that we decided to come back early on Monday morning.

 

We then headed to Shibuya Crossing  - the busiest intersection where when all the traffic lights turn red, folks swarm across the 5 corners.  Again, it was a beautiful warm Sunday, and it was crowded.  We had gone there to look at the 3D billboards.  We found the Panda billboard, and the dog one.  The third one was elsewhere, so we skipped looking for it.  

 

Again, it was super busy, so we decided to find a quieter place.  We got on another subway and headed to Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden.  We enjoyed the peacefulness of the garden, and it recharged us.  

 

From the subway station to the garden we passed multiple restaurants in a quiet, tree-lined neighborhood that had lines of people waiting to get in.  One restaurant caught my eye, and after leaving the gardens we decided to get in line and have a very late lunch.

 

The restaurant was called Cafe La Boheme.  It was Italian food, but what appealed to me was the room/setting.  It was across the street from the Garden, but there was a row of trees/bushes, so while you couldn't actually see the garden, you did look out on a lot of green.  The road in front of the restaurant was just for carpools and bikes, so not much traffic.  The restaurant had an European feel to it - the dining room was an open 2 story room, with large multiple paned windows, and glass and brass chandeliers.  The floor was a muted black and white tile.  It just spoke to me.  We waited in line for about 45 minutes, and I appreciate that DH was a good sport about that.

 

We opted for the 3600Yen for the full lunch option (salad, pasta, main entree, dessert and a drink).  There were only 2 choices for the entree: beef slices (me), or a white fish dish (DH).  The surprise hit was one of the pasta dishes, Mentaiko Pasta.  I think it was a Japanese take on a pasta dish.  It was a spaghetti in a rich tomato sauce (probably with cream) with roe and calamari .It was topped with slivered seaweed.  It was so good, that I am going to try to make it once I get home.  

 

(Other menu options were just salad, pasta, drink, or just a dessert and drink).  There was an a la carte menu as well.

 

After leaving the restaurant we went back to the hotel, we didn't have dinner because we were so full from our late lunch.  We did stop by the hotel bar and I had a glass of the only champagne they served (Cliquot) after the Moon Viewing Festival.

 

 We then went to a full moon viewing festival (Tsukimi) at the Haramikyu Garden 1/2 mile away. The garden is otherwise closed at dusk. You walked along a wide garden path to a spot by a tea house.  A small boat (like a large canoe) floated from across the garden pond, with costumed musicians playing traditional Japanese music celebrating the new moon.

 

We were at the 6 pm moon viewing event to see the musicians in the boat preforming.  They returned at 7 & 8 pm.  Of course it was dark at 6 pm, and lucky for us there were no clouds to obscure the moon viewing.

[Ferry_Watcher]

Monday in Tokyo - we were up early to get to the fish market so we could have our fish breakfast.  We were surprised that it was somewhat busy, but nothing like what we saw on Sunday.  We walked the stalls and while there were lots of places that had lines, we were beckened into a small restaurant and we decided to go in.  They did have a picture menu in English, and we both ordered the 5 pieces of assorted sashimi over rice.  It came with some cold green tea.  The seafood was tuna, roe, sea urchin, salmon, and a couple other fish.  DH was happy, and I enjoyed it as well.

 

After leaving the little fish restaurant, we wandered around the stalls, got in line for some beef, but I decided that I wanted to keep going thru the market.  There was a Wagyu Beef stall, and we stopped there. OMG, it was so good.  We ordered one skewer that had 5 cubes of beef for about $22USD.  It was just so good.  We walked around so more, but at that point I was just tired and we headed back to the hotel.  

 

DH still had energy, so I suggested that he could go out on his own, and I could rest.  He decided to go to the Ueno Royal Museum, where was taken over by a Monet exhibit, which he said was amazing.

 

We went Monday night to Team Labs Planet, an interactive multimedia art exhibition/performance like nothing we'd ever experienced prior.  We had read all about it, so we knew that we would be walking thru nearly knee high water, so we dressed appropriately.  We walked thru rooms with incredible lights and mirrors; a room with giant lighted balls,;  a room whereyou could lay on the floor and watch a 'falling flower' light show: walk thru a room with knee high water with koi, minnows and water lilies projected into the surrounding water.

 

We ended our last night in Tokyo with duck ramen and duck over rice at a duck only small restaurant named 9 Keisuke that only serves duck,  followed by a stop at my nearby favorite bar, Bar Taru.

 

 

 

[Kristal Blade]

What a wonderful day.

your descriptions are spot on!

I’m trying to do a similar on the go review of my river trip on Capella. We boarded last night and already loving the ship.

Have an enjoyable time in Tokyo and a safe journey home.

I love that you have picked up a new recipe to try at home!

[Ferry_Watcher]

Real time - it Tuesday, and we are waiting at the gate ready to board.  It was an amazing month!

[bluesplayer]

Was it easy to use credit cards at the fish market? And other places ashore?    Thank you..

[cruisemom42]

I’m thinking of a possible Fall trip to Japan in future. How was the Fall color on your trip? Was it peaking or just starting?

[cruiseaholic78]

15 hours ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

We went Monday night to Team Labs Planet, an interactive multimedia art exhibition/performance like nothing we'd ever experienced prior.  We had read all about it, so we knew that we would be walking thru nearly knee high water, so we dressed appropriately.  We walked thru rooms with incredible lights and mirrors; a room with giant lighted balls,;  a room whereyou could lay on the floor and watch a 'falling flower' light show: walk thru a room with knee high water with koi, minnows and water lilies projected into the surrounding water.

 

We got on when you got off, Team Labs was amazing, it seemed to be fully booked but on Friday I looked again and for 12:30 tickets had become available so its worth checking. It was indeed a surreal experience.

Rosalyn

 

 

 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

7 hours ago, bluesplayer said:

Was it easy to use credit cards at the fish market? And other places ashore?    Thank you..

 

Generally speaking, you should plan to use cash for just about everything.  

[Ferry_Watcher]

6 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I’m thinking of a possible Fall trip to Japan in future. How was the Fall color on your trip? Was it peaking or just starting?

  

We really didn't see any Fall colors while we were there.  It was still pretty warm just about everywhere.

[Ferry_Watcher]

6 minutes ago, cruiseaholic78 said:

 

 

Thanks for sharing your photos.  It was such a cool exhibit - so vibrant.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

8 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

I’m thinking of a possible Fall trip to Japan in future. How was the Fall color on your trip? Was it peaking or just starting?

We were there in mid October 2016 and had hoped to see some fall foliage and did not. This cruise went to Akita and we took the Shinkansen several small towns out heading north. Had we gone to Hokkaido I think we would have had a better chance of seeing some color in October. The next trip was in September 2019 we did get to Hakodate but of course way to early, but that cruise also got us to the Southern region of Japan which was quite warm. We want to return and are actually booked for March 2025 but that is peak season and costs for air, hotels and cruises are higher than the September October time period so we are rethinking our 2025 plans.