Best of Japan - Millennium 5/2 - 5/15

[DaKahuna]

9 minutes ago, scorfman said:

It uses Ghost Tequila, which is a passable Blanco with some heat added by Habanero essences.

 

 The Ghost Tequila is what Clifford, the evening bartender in the Retreat Lounge, used to make my spicy margarita’s on Cinco de Mayo.  They were surprising delicious for a drink made with Blanco. 

[DaKahuna]

16 minutes ago, scorfman said:

enjoying a couple Timmy's Margaritas. These are just the same as a regular classic margarita but substituting Agave syrup for the orange component (triple sec, Cointreau, or whatever.) I like it with the Teremana Reposado personally.

 

 I was introduced to the Mexicali Martini last night at the Martini bar.  They were quite delicious and I’ll have to go back for another - but ask them to add a little more Jalapeño as I think he only used two pieces and I think three would have been more to my tasting. 

 

[monkey@cruise]

2 hours ago, rinshin said:

Don’t know time constrains on this Hakodate stop but if you have any free time, your wife would love Hakodate Asaichiba for all the incredible fresh seafood offering, esp fresh ika.  It is right in town.  Take a cab.  

Are you talking the Hakodate Morning Market Ekini Market? If the ship docks at Wakamatsu Wharf Quay, will be walking distance. The market closes at 2pm. The good one is fishing your own squids for your Donburi. 

If you missed the Hakodate one, go to Aomori's AUGA basement fish market, the Aomori Gyosai Center (Aomori Nokkedon) is too touristy.

[monkey@cruise]

Hakodate DIY (if you are the last person off the ship at 1pm, then eat before you leave).

- Purchase a tram day pass (600 yen) from  Tourist Information Center (near the central exit) at Hakodate Station.

 

There are only two tram lines in the city, and they follow the same route except for the last three stops, at the foot of Mt. Hakodate. The routes are distinguished by color and number:
* Route 2 (red, station codes starting with Y): Runs from Yunokawa, stopping at Matsukazecho, Hakodate-Ekimae, and Jujigai, and terminates at Yachigashira.
* Route 5 (blue, station codes starting with D): Runs from Yunokawa, stopping at Matsukazecho, Hakodate-Ekimae, and Jujigai, and terminates at Hakodate-Dokkumae.

 

To ride a tram, make your way to the closest tram stop, which are islands (very narrow) in the middle of main streets, use tram pedestrian crosswalks to the island. DO NOT JAYWALK ! Look at the signs to be sure you’re boarding a tram going to your destination. Trams arrive every 6 to 12 minutes during the day. Board the tram by the middle or rear door, front door for EXIT only. Some of the trams have a vintage look and some are very modern in appearance.

 

Trams for Goryokaku 

For the historic fortress of Goryokaku, from Hakodate-Ekimae near Hakodate Station get on either a Route 2 or Route 5 tram going toward Yunokawa. Get off at Goryokaku-Koenmae (D/Y 09) and walk about 10 minutes to Goryokaku Park.

 

Trams for Mt. Hakodate Ropeway, Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse and Motomachi:
-- For Mt. Hakodate Ropeway, from Hakodate-Ekimae near Hakodate Station get on either a Route 2 or Route 5 tram going toward Yachigashira or Hakodate-Dokkumae. Get off at Jujigai (D/Y 20) and walk uphill, about 7 minutes, to the Mt. Hakodate Ropeway terminal.

-- For the Kanemori Red Brick Warehouse shopping mall area, from Hakodate-Ekimae near Hakodate Station get on either a Route 2 or Route 5 tram going toward Yachigashira or Hakodate-Dokkumae. Get off at Jujigai (D/Y 20) and walk northwest, about 7 minutes, toward the bay.

-- For Motomachi, where you can visit historic buildings such as the Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward and the Former British Consulate, from Hakodate-Ekimae near Hakodate Station get on either a Route 2 going toward Hakodate-Dokkumae. Get off at Suehirocho (D21) and walk uphill toward Motomachi Park.

 

Japanese snacks and beers:

 

10 min walk from cruise terminal to MAXValu supermarket, Eating area on 2nd floor, microwave available.

[rinshin]

1 hour ago, monkey@cruise said:

Are you talking the Hakodate Morning Market Ekini Market? If the ship docks at Wakamatsu Wharf Quay, will be walking distance. The market closes at 2pm. The good one is fishing your own squids for your Donburi. 

If you missed the Hakodate one, go to Aomori's AUGA basement fish market, the Aomori Gyosai Center (Aomori Nokkedon) is too touristy.

I have been to Hakodate several times on own and not by cruise ships so no idea where the cruise terminal is but it is close to the station. The best fresh squid we ever tasted.  Yes, the Asaichiba.

Edited May 10 by rinshin

[monkey@cruise]

11 minutes ago, rinshin said:

I have been to Hakodate several times on own and not by cruise ships so no idea where the cruise terminal is but it is close to the station. The best fresh squid we ever tasted.  Yes, the Asaichiba.

 

5 min walk there. If you can leave the ship before 1pm, have lunch there, price is much cheaper than onboard Sushi on 5 and without the 18% gratuity.😜

[monkey@cruise]

Cruise ship will dock on the right behind the overpass, the fish market back entrance is on the left, you can make it in 3 min.

[scorfman]

Trip day9, Cruise day 8

 

Welcome to Busan, South Korea!

 

We woke up and prepared to meet our fellow tourers for the day. On the Cruise Critic thread for this cruise, we were lucky to find a couple who were looking for more people to join a private tour they were arranging for the day. We signed on and boy am I glad we did. At 8:00am we went in the Guest Services area and met up with the other six, 2 from Sydney, and 4 from Miami. What a great group and we were fast friends. We knew it would be a fun day together. At maybe 8:30am they cleared the ship and we disembarked. We met our guide BK outside just before 9:00am and made introductions, took some photos, and piled into the van to depart for the day. The van was sized well for the group so we were all quite comfortable I think.

 

From the port we first drove about 40 minutes, arriving at Haedong Yonggung Temple. BK entertained us with some facts and nice talk along the way as we all got to know each other a bit better. It was a short walk from parking and BK kept us all together and on the right track. It wasn't too crowded yet and we were able to spend about 50 minutes seeing the sights. This is a really beautiful temple and there were several monks chanting while we were there.

 

On the way back to the van we admired the various food and item stalls. Near the end, we saw a stall selling beondegi, which is a sort of cooked/stewed silkworm snack quite common in Korea. I knew instantly that we were part of the right group as BK grabbed a cupful and we all gave it a try. Lot's of laughing and chewing. It wasn't bad and had a bit of a nutty taste. I don't think I'd have it again but YOLO! BK remarked that in all his many tours, no group had everyone had a try. I could tell he was genuinely surprised and impressed. As it turned out, one member of the group sneaked out of it, but I shall not name and shame. One person had a second helping, so we agreed that made up for it.

 

 

Back in the van and off to our next destination. Along the way we were passing Haeundae Beach. There was a sand sculpture competition going on there so we called an audible on the tour and stopped for a 15 minute look. Good time for a bathroom break as well for many. The sand sculptures were huge and amazing and we were fortunate to have seen them. I found a geocache here as well so yet another country for geocaching!

 

 

Next, we drove to Chrysanthemum Park, home of the Nurimaru APAC House. We went by way of a scenic road climbing up a hillside drive lined with cherry trees and fancy residences. This park was beautiful and smelled wonderful owing to the flowering bushes all around. It was also filled with magpies singing and flying about. We enjoyed the quieter side of Busan here, taking a nice long walk with amazing views as small breaks. The APAC House was nice and we all stood where the world leaders had their photographs taken the last time there was a meeting here. We just couldn't get over the views of the city, the ocean, and Haeundae beach from this perspective. Even the drives to and from each place on the tour were beautiful and interesting. So many bridges of different styles.

 

 

After the loop around the park we were back at the van and off to lunch! BK offered 3 choices: Samgye-tang,  Korean BBQ, or vegetable BiBimBap. We all agreed to go with the Korean BBQ and arrived just a few minutes later at Obanjang restaurant. They warmly greeted us and sat us at a table for 8, with 2 grills. There was an array of Korean salad, and other tasty items to go with the meat. I think we all ordered the same, which was a portion of pork shoulder and a portion of pork belly for each person. We all ordered a beverage of choice, such as soda or beer, and of course we had to order some Soju, which is said to be the most consumed alcoholic beverage in the world. It is similar to a watered-down vodka in taste. We all toasted and enjoyed. The meal was amazing and we found a few things we will add to our regular dining repertoire at home. I fell in love with the bean sprout salad. With full bellies and warm hearts we headed out ready for whatever was next.

 

 

We took a lengthy drive to Gamcheon Culture Village. We definitely took a roundabout way there and it didn't disappoint. With great commentary from BK we passed a lot of great views, got a look at some of the shipbuilding and dry docks here, and several historical bridges. I enjoyed the industrial workshops we saw. Then began the drive up the narrow streets to the village. BK stopped at a few vantage points, and it was fun to see us maneuver around the occasional opposing traffic.

 

 

We arrived at the village and parked in a parking garage. Goodness knows how they built it on this hillside. BK took us first to a great viewpoint overlooking the village for photos. We then ventured through a very narrow alleyway past houses both lived in and those that had been abandoned and had art installations in them. Fascinating. After winding around up and down we emerged at a shopping street where we were given 30 minutes to make our way back to the parking area. We found a souvenir along the way, and even found a stamp here. Obviously not an eki stamp as in Japan, but the local equivalent and we stamped it in our book. We also found one at the beach, and at the port.

 

 

Next we visited the Jagalchi Seafood Market. I've never seen anything like it and the variety of live seafood was astounding. I wish we'd had a chance to buy and eat some. It was a quick visit but not to be missed if you've never seen the like.

 

 

Last we walked a short distance to BIFF Square, passing all manner of live and dead seafood stalls and other people selling, smiling, beckoning, and eating.

 

 

In BIFF Square my wife sighted an Olive Young store. This is her commercial skincare Mecca. BK set us loose for 30 minutes to explore the area and she beelined for it. I have mixed emotions but she was smiling and the credit card survived with only minor burns and some chafing. After that we looked around and noticed down toward the International Market there were a series of tiny tables in the middle of the street. Women were sitting on cartons preparing bibimbap and their customers sitting on child seats eating away. It looked fabulous and reminded me that food safety has a place, but it is overdone in the states. That said, we didn't test that theory.

 

 

At the specified time we met back with BK for the short drive to the port where we parted ways. Unlike Japan where tipping is discouraged, I think we all gave BK a bit extra which he certainly earned and accepted with grace. I feel we all have a friend in South Korea now and would go out of our way to book him on any future visit. You can find him on Tours By Locals.

 

On the way back to the ship we stopped to get a refund on sales tax, then quickly had our passport scanned for exit. There was a Korean dance group performing as we walked back on board which was nice. On the ship, we dropped stuff off in the room and took Celebrity up on their invitation to the Sail Away on the helipad. We departed on-time and the view was stunning leaving the port and passing under the Busan Harbor Bridge.

 

 

We were late for dinner in the MDR but that wasn't an issue. The wife had a salad, and I had a tasty pork spring roll. We both had the chef's special of Katsu chicken with curry and rice. Dessert was a lava cake for her, and some butter pecan ice cream for me.

 

If that wasn't enough for the day, we stopped in the Martini Bar for a drink and the bartender flair show. After that we went to the 9:00pm theater show with King Jamsheed to wind down, and crashed in the room after that. What an amazing day.

 

later in the evening we wondered at the number of fishing boats out getting all those fish we saw at the market.

 

 

The weather was unbeatable with clear blue skies and 70 degrees. BK said it had been gloomy for days and this was an unusually nice day. Blessed to make new friends, eat good food, and see the world. Pinch me.

Edited May 10 by scorfman

[wendyam76]

3 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I was introduced to the Mexicali Martini last night at the Martini bar.  They were quite delicious and I’ll have to go back for another - but ask them to add a little more Jalapeño as I think he only used two pieces and I think three would have been more to my tasting. 

 

Thank you for your wonderful review! I always ask for a spicy Mexicali - but I’m afraid to admit I also ask for it to be “half shot” as I don’t like as much alcohol in them! 
wendy

[DaKahuna]

@scorfman  Wow what an amazing tour that must have been.  Kind of wishing now that we had taken advantage of the offering when we saw it on the Roll Call.  Quite a bit more immersive than our walk to the Lotte Mall and back.  Greatly appreciate your sharing it with us.  

 

 

[DaKahuna]

 

 We attended the Japanese Styled Tea in the Retreat Lounge this afternoon.  It was a lot of fun.  There were kimono’s for me and women to dress up in and have their pictures taken, there were four different types of Japanese green team, and there was Japanese beer and sake. 

 

 

 

We hung around after it was over as we had a scheduled meeting with the future cruises manager at 4:45 PM.   We ended up booking a 17-day Sydney to Honolulu, via Fiji, for April of next year on Solstice.  There goes more of our kids inheritance 🤣

 

 

 

[DaKahuna]

Dinner this evening in Luminae was very good.

 

the Amuse-bousche was a plug of watermelo with some goat cheese on top 

 

 

My wife started with the Pear and Radicchio Salad

 

 

i tried ordering 5-gallons of the Spiced Louisiana Gumbo again but

 

 

instead all I could get was a very large bowl.  Words cannot describe how much I really love this gumbo, even with the lack of adequate rice.  I mean okra is the gift of the gods and improves every dish you add it to. 

 

We both had the pork tenderloins for our entree 

 

 

And at our waiter’s recommendation I ordered a small portion of the Linguini Alle Vongole for us to share — very good in my opinion. 

 

 

For dessert my wife was in the mood for some fresh watermelon 

 

 

And I went for the chocolate ice cream — there has been a discussion on @Jim_Iain and @Norwaylady live reviews about the taste and quality of  the ice cream.  The ice cream tonight was very good.  I even had my wife, who has a much more refined palate than mine, taste it and she even said it was good.  

 

 

After dinner we sacrificed some OBC to the casino gods, who were not in a sharing mood tonight, and stopped at the Martini Bar for a drink on the way to the room.  

 

 

 

Edited May 10 by DaKahuna

[Norwaylady]

@DaKahuna that ice cream looks really nice 👌🏻 

it’s dark and looks good 👍🏻 

 

Our has a pale colour of chocolate and it’s just not as velvet as your looking like ❤️ 

[DaKahuna]

1 hour ago, Norwaylady said:

@DaKahuna that ice cream looks really nice 👌🏻 

it’s dark and looks good 👍🏻 

 

Our has a pale colour of chocolate and it’s just not as velvet as your looking like ❤️ 

It was really smooth and creamy, almost more like gelato than ice cream. 
 

[hcat]

5 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

@scorfman  Wow what an amazing tour that must have been.  Kind of wishing now that we had taken advantage of the offering when we saw it on the Roll Call.  Quite a bit more immersive than our walk to the Lotte Mall and back.  Greatly appreciate your sharing it with us.  

 

 

Agree it was a great tour  other than the worms!  I have issue with heights so would not have done well at several points along the way!

[hcat]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 We attended the Japanese Styled Tea in the Retreat Lounge this afternoon.  It was a lot of fun.  There were kimono’s for me and women to dress up in and have their pictures taken, there were four different types of Japanese green team, and there was Japanese beer and sake. 

 

 

 

We hung around after it was over as we had a scheduled meeting with the future cruises manager at 4:45 PM.   We ended up booking a 17-day Sydney to Honolulu, via Fiji, for April of next year on Solstice.  There goes more of our kids inheritance 🤣

 

 

 

Any pics of the dress up?  Sounds like fun   Congrats on  the new booking!

[rinshin]

13 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I was introduced to the Mexicali Martini last night at the Martini bar.  They were quite delicious and I’ll have to go back for another - but ask them to add a little more Jalapeño as I think he only used two pieces and I think three would have been more to my tasting. 

 

Have to try that.  Sounds very interesting. 
 

Many, many years ago, we were attending a captain’s club venue and my husband picked up a drink for me from a walking waiters with menagerie of drinks.  In those days, I’ve never had a martini but I already did not care for things sweet. I tasted one and thought “wow, this is very different but I really like it”.  I asked my husband to try it and he looked toward the bar in anger and said I am getting you another drink, this is awful.  I said, no, no, I like it.  My first time with dirty martini.  Since then, I have experimented with making martinis at home and although my husband is mostly a beer drinker, he likes some I’ve made like French, guava or watermelon martinis. 

 So, I am looking forward to the martini bar in few weeks. 

[rinshin]

6 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 

 

 

 

instead all I could get was a very large bowl.  Words cannot describe how much I really love this gumbo, even with the lack of adequate rice.  I mean okra is the gift of the gods and improves every dish you add it to. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Haha, we also like okra too.  But growing up in Japan, we did not have okra but now youngish Japanese think okra came from Japan instead of Africa because it sounds lke Japanese and so abundant in Japan.  Some are shocked it is not of Japanese origin.😂

Edited May 10 by rinshin

[txtechmk]

Love this review!  And the photos are great!  Thanks for sharing.

[Swordfish1949]

What a wonderful review. I'm totally enjoying it....many thanks.

[DaKahuna]

9 hours ago, hcat said:

Any pics of the dress up?  Sounds like fun   Congrats on  the new booking!

 Sorry - neither my wife nor I participated in the dress up and did not want to seem like a creeper by taking pictures of other men’s wives so, no I didn’t take any pictures. 

 

[DaKahuna]

Good morning from Hakodate, Hokkaido.  

 

 We are just now tying up to the pier.  The whole ship will need to undergo Japanese immigration again today.  We have a ships excursion booked that assembles at 1145 in the theater.  Just a short 3.5 hour sightseeing tour and then we are going to be walking around on our own afterwards. 

 

Just a few photographs as we made our approach this morning. 

 

The pilot being dropped off by the tug 

 

 

Clearing the breakwater 

 

 

A JMSDF vessel, a frigate or destroyer not sure which 

 

 

A Japanese Coast Guard vessel

 

 

Some random views from our balcony.  Unfortunately, we are on the starboard side and the ship is docking with the port side facing the shore. 

 

 

 

Anyone up for a cable car ride to the top of the mountain?

 

 

 

 

 

[monkey@cruise]

The cable car ride is Mt. Hakodate, foothills is Motomachi area. You can see the Red Brick Warehouse near the bay. try the Pastry snaffles.

[monkey@cruise]

Osaka Castle

 

 

Hakodate: left - Red Brick Warehouse,   Mt. Hakodate,  Motomachi at foothills

[DaKahuna]

Todaywas a short ship’s excursion to two locations.  I wish I had paid better attention to the timing of this as it was assemble at 1145, depart at 1230.  Obviously everyone had to get through customs.  

 

We assembled in the theater and they actually called our group/bus number early.  We proceeded down to deck 1 and off the ship, made the long walk down and then turned right and ran into the traffic jam of people waiting to clear customs.  While there the Retreat Manager was walking back toward the ship after escorting some Retreat guest up to the head of the line and grabbed us and one other couple traveling in the Retreat and escorted us to the front of the long queue.   All in all, I think it took us 15 minutes from the time we walked off the ship until we were in the terminal and headed for the bus.  

 

The bus did not depart until late because everyone did not get through customs in a timely fashion. I expect some people waited until 1145 before going to the theater while a lot of us arrived there much earlier.  In any case we were about 10 minutes late leaving. 

 

Our first stop was at Goryokaku Tower, which overlooks Fort Goryokaku.  

 

 There is an elevator that takes you from the 1st floor (ground floor), up to the top floor, which I believe is the 8th floor.  You get off there and it’s the observation point for the tower and you can see in 360 degrees by walking around the top floor.  To exit the tower you have to walk down one flight of stairs and again there are windows all around the perimeter of the floor.  From this floor you catch the elevator down to the 2nd floor and then take more stairs to return to the 1st floor and to exit the building.  

 

 Here are just a few of the pictures I took of and from Goryokaku Tower.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 In the center in all four directions there are these signs showing significant points that can be viewed from that location.