Hong Kong holiday ends

Hong Kong Holidays end.

We awoke around 6am showered and commenced packing our suitcase before heading to breakfast and leaving our stateroom at 8am. We were in the rendezvous lounge waiting for our departure time which was 9.30 when a staff member advised us that we could leave when ready as we had opted for a unassisted departure. We left through the terminal without any immigration check and caught a cab to our Hotel, the Prudential on Nathan Road Kowloon. After checking in and depositing our luggage we proceeded to the Jordan MTR station which was conveniently located beneath the hotel. We purchased our Octopus cards for 70 hkd and caught the train to central where we made our way through the terminal to the exit that gave best access to the Victoria Peak tram. 

As we arrived early the crowds were minimal and having the Octopus cards enabled us to skip the cues for tickets and proceed straight through the turnstiles and wait for the next tram. It really is a must do activity in Hong Kong and even though we had taken trip before it was great doing it again before the crowds arrived. After descending we wandered back through Central checking out some of the shopping precincts before boarding a Star Ferry back to Kowloon. We caught the MTR from Tsim Sha Tsui Station to Mong Kok which is the closest station for the Ladies market, after wandering around there for a couple of hours checking dubious bargains and multiple sports stores we returned to our Hotel with the only purchase being a phone cover for Jennifer. After getting settled in our room we ventured out to catch up with Maureen and Lee, they had called into our hotel and left a message so we thought we would return the visit. They were situated at the Novotel hotel which was a short distance from our hotel. We went to their room and heard all about their adventures the previous day. They had taken the Hop on bus and spent a sizeable chunk of the day in waiting due to incidents beyond their control. We returned to our hotel and dined in the local food hall before catching the train to the waterfront to watch the Symphony of Lights we arrived half an hour before the show and managed to get a good position to sit and watch the show. We then caught a bus up Nathan Road and found a supermarket to purchase some items for breakfast and lunch.

Our last full day in Hong Kong we decided to take a recommended tram ride from as far as Kennedy Town  in the west, to as far as Shau Kei Wan  in the east, in order to get a strong contrast of "East meets West" and "Old meets New". So we set out on the MTR to Central and then transferred to the Island line for the journey to Kennedy Town, from there we asked directions to the tramline which was only a couple of blocks down through a traditional old area. We boarded the tram which was going to Happy Valley race track. Along the way we chatted to a young lad and his mother, he was studying in Sydney to be a Naval Architect and was happy to chat with us. The rain set in while we were on the tram so we disembarked at central and went into the IFC mall which was also the ferry terminal. We had a coffee and watched the rain set in even harder. Luckily there are covered walkways between the buildings so we made our way from mall to mall. Along the way we witnessed a strange site, there was around 500 ladies camped along the edge of walkway in makeshift cubicles made from cardboard, they seemed happy preparing meals chatting and knitting all with their shoes off as they were inside. We asked what they were doing there and got the response that they were carers and this was their day off. Quite a strange site. We caught the train back to Jordan and returned to our hotel. After having lunch we ventured back out in the weather to visit the Hong Kong Museum of History which was only ten minutes walk from our hotel. The rain was still persistent and we took a different path to stay under shelter so it took a little longer. It was very busy as everything seems to be in Hong Kong we stayed for an hour before making our way back to the hotel via shopping malls and shops, buying a couple of last minute items. For tea we met up with Maureen and Lee for our last dinner of the trip, it was then back to the hotel to relax and get ready for the return journey, our hotel was very comfortable and quiet so we both slept well.

Cruise end Hong Kong

At sea and Hong Kong journeys end days 16&17

Thursday the 22 of November, important day for one of the tourists, we started the day with a spa before breakfast and then some shopping for alcohol before checking out future Cruises and making a tentative booking for a London to Saint Petersburg Cruise next July, though the intention is to change to a Cruise the following year. We then joined Stella, Lee and Maureen for another game of 5 crowns which Maureen won. It was a great way of killing time on an at sea day which was a bit crowded in most the public areas as the weather was a bit inclement and this kept people indoors. We shared a dinner table with Lee and Maureen in the Metropolitan dining room and after dinner we had a quiet shot on the pokies before having a nightcap in cafe Bacio and chatting with Anne Marie and her friend, we turned in around 11pm.

We didn’t spend to long on the Ship Friday morning,we took advantage of the Shuttle bus to Diamond Hill, Hollywood Plaza we wandered around the centre for a short period before heading to the MTR and organising our Octopus card and catching the train to Jordan Station, from there we found our accommodation for the next few nights the Prudential Hotel which we would check into on Saturday. We then did a lap of Nathan Road before heading back to Hollywood Plaza to catch the shuttle bus back to the Ship.

We spent the evening in the Oceanview cafe and planned to meet up with Stella and John to hopefully catch a glimpse of the Symphony of Lights show which is projected from buildings on the Kowloon side of the Harbour at 8pm every evening. While we did manage to catch a view of the light show the best experience is had by being in position on the mainland. Still it was nice sitting in that location and watching the lights in the harbour. We said goodbye to various friends we had made on the cruise and gave out a few gratuities to staff that had looked after us, Gusti our cabin steward Helena in Café Bacio who was a great companion throughout the cruise and Vaseesh in the dining are who was a pleasant young man.

We returned to our room around nine to contemplate packing for departure as we had to vacate our cabin by 8am.

Day 10&11 at sea and Shanghai.

Day 10 an at sea day started with a sleep in as  we put the clocks back by an hour as we moved to Chinese time zone. It was an interesting breakfast with a couple from Charleston South Carolina and a women who was a researcher for the Democratic Party in America, Jennifer she was a bit of a history buff and though interesting she proceeded to give a American history lesson through out our breakfast. James went to the gym for an hour after breakfast while Jenny did some shopping as they had a sale on. We ended up having Lunch in the Metropolitan restaurant and after Lunch headed up to the Cosmos bar for the Music quiz before catching up with Lee and Maureen plus Stella for a game of five crowns, Jenny won followed by Lee and Maureen and Jamie and Stella finishing last.

We then had a coffee before heading out for tea once again in the Oceanview cafe, we did not stay for long as we were traveling in a fairly heavy swell and Jenny was feeling seasick.

Saturday we awoke early Jennifer had booked breakfast in the stateroom for six am and James went down for the express breakfast in the dining room. We had to meet in the departure area at 7.45 for our best of Shanghai tour.The Ship had docked in Baoshan which was around a forty minute drive from Shanghai. Our tour include the Bund area which is the river bank precinct with traditional architecture overlooking the new city on the other side of the river. 

We also visited the impressive Shanghai Museum which had an impressive array of exhibits across all eras of China’s history some dating back 8000 years. From there we went to the newly built theatre for lunch a Chinese banquet this took place on the eighth floor convention area and was a nice meal shared with ten others from our bus. Shanghai was amazing with the amount of growth and development 24 million people live there and an appartments cost over a million for a modest unit of around 300 square metres.

Another highlight was the Jade Buddha Temple which featured a six foot tall Jade Buddha inlaid with diamonds and agates. The temple was part of a new project encompassing the older temple.

The next stop was the Yuyuan Garden this also had a Buddhist Shrine and was supposed to be surrounded by five acres of beautiful scenery but was actually a newly built market place with traditional style structures. This we found quite tacky and especially after getting lost not a enjoyable part of the day.

Another interesting happening was as James went through the immigration check on arrival he got taken to one side and had his temperature checked ( in the ear not rear )

We had booked this tour before departure and had received a generous discount it ended up being nearly half the price charged on board I guess it makes for a good value excursion.

We returned to the Ship and had a casual dinner on deck ten before having a couple of night caps at the Cafe

Keelung & Taipei days 14&15

Keelung & Taipei days 14&15

We arrived in the busy port of Keelung around midday and when cleared by the local authorities we left the Ship around 1.00 pm to meet Marcia, Uncle Robert we had a brief lap around the local shops before heading back to the terminal to meet Robert we eventually hooked up around 2pm ther was some. Robert and his wife Angela organised a taxi to ferry us around for the day, so we set of around the coast road which was quite busy with lots of scooters ducking in and out between the trucks and cars. Our first Port of call was Yehilu Geo Park which is a popular and pretty area of coastline with a sandstone or limestone base which has been eroded by wind and ocean over time, with most of the structures quite close to the sea they have attendant’s standing by to ensure you don’t get to close to the ocean or handle the sensitive structures. The areas are connected by a 2km board walk so it was quite a walk around the precinct. From there we visited a market precinct were Jennifer brought some more Skechers though these were copies and quite cheap. Robert also got us to try some local food. We had a almond based yoghurt desert which was tasty and also a Bean and Tarot root and Pumpkin cold soup affair which was quite different being a little sweet and a strange consistency.

We then hopped back in the taxi which Angela had arranged to wait for us, very convenient, and ventured back towards the Port district and the  vibrant food and clothing market that take up three parallel streets adjacent to the Passenger Terminal. We wandered through there and sampled some more street food, some sticky rice that was quite tasty and some chicken broth/soup. Robert offered for us to stay at his place for the night to save commuting time in the morning, but we didn’t want to put them out so we returned to the Ship around 7.00 pm. It had been a busy day so we had a extra bite and coffee in the cafe and retired early after a busy day of walking.

Wednesday morning we arranged to meet Robert and Angela out side the terminal around 9am we received a call from Robert to say that he was running a bit late. Upon his arrival we  headed towards the Keelung Station to board the train for Taipei. The attendant at the station advised Robert that it was actually quicker to catch the local bus so we backtracked to the bus station and boarded the bus to Taipei. It was quicker than expected and we then had to wait for Angela to  continue on to the first tourist destination. The National Palace Museum which has the world's best collection of Chinese historical artifacts and antiquities. The museum is in Shilin. The nearest MRT station is Shilin (士林), with frequent buses from Shilin heading for the Palace Museum. Look for the displays on the buses. Some are written in English. It's a must-see for first time visitors. We left the Museum and on our way we purchased some Pork Dumplings from a vendor by the Station, they were quite possibly be the most yummy dumplings you could eat. From there we traveled by train to the The National Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, the famous symbol of both Taipei and the Republic of China. It is here that the nation's flag is raised every morning, and the huge court yard in front of the memorial serves as a place for both national celebrations as well as a platform to voice one's disapproval of the government. The memorial consists of a large bronze statue of Chiang Kai-shek, watched over by two motionless honor guards who are replaced every hour in a rifle twirling ceremony. Downstairs, there is a museum of Chiang's life, complete with his sedans and uniforms. Even if you are not into memorials, the gardens, with their Chinese style ponds, are definitely worth a visit. The memorial has its own MRT station on the Xindian line.

We left the Memorial and as the afternoon was wearing on, we had advised Robert that we should return to the Ship around four pm, so we parted from Angela at this point and Robert escorted us back to the bus station and traveled with us back to Keelung, along the way we chatted and Robert showed us some video of his karaoke performances which we have to say were very good. It was a real highlight of our trip to meet and share some time with Robert and Angela. We relaxed for a while on our return to the Ship before catching the evening show which was a Soul act with negro performers who had belonged to the Band the Drifters. It was then time for dinner for two and a nightcap before retiring for the night.

Day 12&13 at sea and Okinawa

Day 12&13 at sea and Okinawa .

We started the day with breakfast in the Oceanview cafe we shared a table with a couple from Grimsby UK which is near Hull, their names were Nick and Mandy, they had enjoyed the Cruise so far and had also Cruised on a high end Cruise line to the Monaco GrandPrix being F1 fans. We then went and checked on some shore excursions and departure options with the people at customer relations.

After lunch we met up with Lee, Maureen and Stella for a game of five crowns which killed a few hours, James was lucky enough to win that round. We then killed a few hours before having tea with Lee and Maureen before taking in the 9.00 pm show in the theatre which on the occasion was a Aussie hypnotist name Matt Hale who performs a good show, he had ten people on stage in a trance and doing some weird stuff all good natured. After the show Jenny had a go on the Poker machines while James had a nightcap in Cafe Bacio.

Okinawa

We had to adjust our clock again and in the morning we were allotted time slots to leave the Ship and clear immigration, we had not finished breakfast when our turn came around so we waited until the last group was called as we had no tours booked. We left the Ship around 9 am and shared a cab into the city with a Canadian couple from Calgary as the free Shuttle Bus was taking a while to do the loop. It was actually only a twenty minute walk into the city from the Terminal. While we were waiting fighter jets were flying overhead, the airport which is quite close to the cruise terminals is home to the 204th and 304th Tactical Fighter Squadron of Japan plus the US airforce presence.

We really didn’t feel like doing too much exploring so we just walked up the main drag and checked out the tourists shops, there is also a overhead monorail service in the city which is quite accessible and as always being a prefecture of Japan the people in Okinawa treat you with courtesy and respect. We purchased a pottery lucky charm for the house of local Shiha Lion Dogs which are sold in pairs male and female with Gender is variously assigned to the shisa. Some Okinawans believe the male has his mouth closed to keep bad out of the home, while the female has her mouth open to share goodness. We did not stay to long in town the weather was a bit patchy with a few showers creeping in but the temperature was still quite warm. We ended up walking back to the Ship having lunch of course and then having a spa and a dip in the pool before James hit up the gym. We had tea in the Oceanview cafe with Lee and Maureen.

Tuesday we were meeting Marcia’s Uncle Robert in Taipei we had given him a call during the afternoon to arrange a suitable meeting time.

Day 10&11 at sea and Shanghai

Day 10&11 at sea and Shanghai.

Day 10 an at sea day started with a sleep in as  we put the clocks back by an hour as we moved to Chinese time zone. It was an interesting breakfast with a couple from Charleston South Carolina and a women who was a researcher for the Democratic Party in America, Jennifer she was a bit of a history buff and though interesting she proceeded to give a American history lesson through out our breakfast. James went to the gym for an hour after breakfast while Jenny did some shopping as they had a sale on. We ended up having Lunch in the Metropolitan restaurant and after Lunch headed up to the Cosmos bar for the Music quiz before catching up with Lee and Maureen plus Stella for a game of five crowns, Jenny won followed by Lee and Maureen and Jamie and Stella finishing last.

We then had a coffee before heading out for tea once again in the Oceanview cafe, we did not stay for long as we were traveling in a fairly heavy swell and Jenny was feeling seasick.

Saturday we awoke early Jennifer had booked breakfast in the stateroom for six am and James went down for the express breakfast in the dining room. We had to meet in the departure area at 7.45 for our best of Shanghai tour.The Ship had docked in Baoshan which was around a forty minute drive from Shanghai. Our tour include the Bund area which is the river bank precinct with traditional architecture overlooking the new city on the other side of the river. 

We also visited the impressive Shanghai Museum which had an impressive array of exhibits across all eras of China’s history some dating back 8000 years. From there we went to the newly built theatre for lunch a Chinese banquet this took place on the eighth floor convention area and was a nice meal shared with ten others from our bus. Shanghai was amazing with the amount of growth and development 24 million people live there and an appartments cost over a million for a modest unit of around 300 square metres.

Another highlight was the Jade Buddha Temple which featured a six foot tall Jade Buddha inlaid with diamonds and agates. The temple was part of a new project encompassing the older temple.

The next stop was the Yuyuan Garden this also had a Buddhist Shrine and was supposed to be surrounded by five acres of beautiful scenery but was actually a newly built market place with traditional style structures. This we found quite tacky and especially after getting lost not a enjoyable part of the day.

Another interesting happening was as James went through the immigration check on arrival he got taken to one side and had his temperature checked ( in the ear not rear )

We had booked this tour before departure and had received a generous discount it ended up being nearly half the price charged on board I guess it makes for a good value excursion.

We returned to the Ship and had a casual dinner on deck ten before having a couple of night caps at the Cafe

Day 8&9 at sea and Kagoshima

Day 8&9 at sea and Kagoshima.

We had our first at sea day traveling between Kobe and Kagoshima, we started by have breakfast in the Metropolitan dining room and then chilled for and hour before heading back down for a behind the scenes tour of the galley and meet and greet of some of the key food and beverage personnel. The Millennium is rated the best ship in the Celebrity group for quality of meals, the staff seem to loyal stay with the group with one team member having 35 years service with the company through its various brands. We then went and checked out a future cruise presentation which took the form of a quiz then a sales pitch regarding the destination dealt with in the question. Jamie won a bottle of wine and Jenny one a international power adaptor.The tour got us ready for some Lunch after which we headed for the spa for some afternoon relaxation we checked out the evening Show which was Steve Carte an illusionist and comedian who’s had some good lines though he did go overboard with a participant from the audience, a young mother who had her children in the audience. We then had dinner in the Oceanview restaurant and had coffee in the cafe before retiring for the night.

We arrived in Kagoshima at 7.00 am and had an early breakfast before leaving the Ship and taking the free shuttle bus for the twenty minute drive to the ferry terminal which was adjacent to the centre of town. The Japanese ports have been fantastic for the service the offer. After leaving the bus we took the ferry across to Sakurajima island / volcano, this volcano is active over 800 times a year and the island that it is situated on has a circumference of around 40 kilometres. We were advised to buy a Cute travel card which would give us unlimited travel on the ferry bus and tram services available. The card was only $14 dollars so it represented good value. After arriving on the Sakurajima island we hopped on the bus that circled the island with a heap of other tourists from the bus. The bus had around a dozen stops on the route with three of them allowing you time to get off the bus and take photos at the nearby observatory points.

James was thinking of hiring a bike and riding around the island but was glad he didn’t as the climbs were very steep. The. Bus  was struggling to get up the hill and the driver seemed to take the bends on two wheels to keep the momentum up. After taking the photos at the stops we caught the ferry back to the mainland and rather than catch the local bus with the other tourists and we found the tram line a couple of blocks over. 

We felt like real tourists on the Tram we certainly stuck out as we were the only westerners on the local tram. We went  about five stops to the central shopping precinct and browsed through the stores until we found a local coffee shop to have a cuppa. Once replenished we thought it was about time to head for the Ship it was around 2.30 pm, we needn’t of hurried back as once we returned we got stuck in a line to clear immigration. The immigration officials wanted everyone of the Ship before they commenced to process the departure from Japanese territory. We ended up being in line for over an hour, but you cannot hurry immigration officials so we just sucked it up.

We eventually got on board around 3.30 and Jenny went to grab a late lunch while James went to the gym for an hour. We then had a coffee before catching up with Lee and Maureen for a late tea in the Oceanview cafe and then another coffee in the cafe before retiring for the night.

Kobe days 6&7

Jennifer slept in to after 8pm while James did his usual routine at the gym 30km on the bike followed by strength and stretching routines, we eventually wandered down for breakfast around 9.00 am and it was crazy busy in the Oceanview Restaurant we had our breakfast and wandered down to Cafe Bacio for our coffee, hoping it would be a bit quieter. We had our coffee and returned to our room we had a bit of time to kill before the Ship docked and our tour commenced at 12.30. We  boarded the bus and our tour director who we called Kay as we could not pronounce her full name, gave us the rundown on the days schedule. 

Our first stop was a Shinto Shrine, Sumiyoshi taisha which was founded by Tamomi no Sukune in the year 211 A member of a powerful family in the area. This was quite a experience Kay did her best to explain the significance of each temple, though some things she wrote off as not being  Japanese but influenced by China she proudly proclaimed that Japan had  stolen lots of things from China including writing, plus plenty from America. The Shrine was very old and included a tree that was over 700 years old. There was a cat Shrine and this one you purchased a cat statue every year for four years to graduate to a larger cat figure and after 24 years you could actually make a wish. Kay declared that she was not really religious at all, she had a dry sense of humour.

Our next stop was Osaka Castle the Castle was built from the 16th century and played a great role In unifying Japan. The Castle grounds cover around 15 acres, it certainly was a impressive structure with the key stone in the battlements spanning 16 square metres and weighing 130 tonnes. The central castle building is five stories on the outside and eight stories on the inside, and built atop a tall stone foundation to protect its occupants from attackers.  

 

The Castle was built by the Shogun Toytomi and he held the Castle until he was defeated by the Shogun Tokugawa. In modern times the Castle was used as an armoury for the Japanese army it was damaged during the war and restored around 1995. When we arrived there it was around a two kilometre walk through the beautiful parklands before you arrived at the battlements, upon entering the Castle you are advised to proceed directly to the 8th floor a lift was available but Jenny declined, she regretted that by the fourth floor. But it was a great view from the top. On the descent you could read through the displays, dioramas and videos of the history of the Castle. It was a well put together exhibit. We then went back to the Ship and arrived back around 6pm Jenny didn’t feel like eating in the main dining room so we had tea in the Oceanview dining and then proceeded to the Cosmos bar at the bow of the Ship and participated in the quiz show ( Jenny won two rounds). We had a night cap in cafe Bacio and retired for the night.

Tuesday morning after gym we decided to have breakfast in the Metropolitan Dining room, it was a much nicer experience being served fully and much quieter surroundings we chatted with a Welsh couple Clem and Jackie. We then headed out for the day, our plan was to take the courtesy shuttle bus into the city. We were dropped by the main shopping precinct and there was a great variety to experience from high end department stores to  a  nice China Town plus a huge market area that stretched for a couple of kilometres under the overhead train line. They also had a Uniqlo which Jenny could not resist, she brought another top and was informed by Jamie that that was the last Uniqlo that we were entering on this trip.

We returned to the Ship around 1.30 pm had some lunch and returned to our room to put the bathers on to have a spa and chill out by the pool. We then had a coffee before getting changed for the evening show. The entertainment was a a Stevie Wonder tribute show headed by a Gary Walker who apparently had performed with Toto, Ringo Starr plus others. It was a pretty decent performance, we stayed for the entire show, it was then of to dinner in the Metropolitan restaurant and we shared our meal with Lee and Maureen, two ladies from Melbourne. It was a pleasant evening and we retired around 10pm.

Shimizu day 5

Shimizu day 5

We had a leisurely morning as the Ship was not docking until 8.00 amp this gave us time to go to the gym or sleep in a little whatever floats your boat. We left the Ship around 9.30, the town had provided shuttles to take you to the local train station and one other city location. Our initial plan was to catch local train for 300 yen to a nearby Shizuoka town, to see the Sumpu Castle. There was also a local market by the train station and we abandoned our initial plans and wandered around the market instead. This ended up being one of the highlights of the trip for Jenny as the local ladies were offering the tourists the opportunity to try on traditional Japanese attire. It took up to three ladies twenty minutes to get Jenny decked out in a beautiful kimono and Jenny was quite chuffed with the results.

We then ventured back through the market and crossed the bridge over the train terminal and checked out the local fish market Kashi no Ichi one of the first in Japan to sell direct to the public and with over a million visitors a year it was worth a look, we saw a marvellous array of seafood including sashimi tuna packed in 200 g trays selling for over $100.00 a kilo. There was also eateries preparing fresh local produce to consume on the spot. We wandered around there for a while then headed back on the shuttle bus to the Cruise Terminal and Jenny found another Uniqlo store to visit. From there we boarded the Ship had a late lunch and a lazy afternoon, Jenny booked a tour for our first day in Kobe, the Highlights of Osaka tour. We caught the 7pm performance in the theatre a dance and song production called Elysium, it was a hodgepodge of some popular tunes and some more obscure ones. The female lead had a nice voice but the show didn’t quite cut it for us. We left a few minutes early to get a table for dinner and shared a table with two couples from Wales, John and Stella and Terry and Sue. Sue apparently is struggling with some health issues but the evening went quite well and we enjoyed their company. Dinner finished around 10pm. We went through to the casino so Jenny could have a play and after that we turned in for the night.

Tokyo to Yokohama day 4

Tokyo to Yokohama day 4.

Saturday was our day to board our Celebrity Cruise, we had been up late the previous night getting our laundry updated so we had a small sleep in and after breakfast we packed our cases and checked our baggage in the lobby.  

Saturday was our day to board our Celebrity Cruise, we had been up late the previous night getting our laundry updated so we had a small sleep in and after breakfast we packed our cases and checked our baggage in the lobby. 

We still had time for a bit of last minute tourist activity, we went in search of the Tokyo Government building which has a great observation deck on the 45th floor. We had attempted to find it on Wednesday night but our helpful guide directed us to the local hospital instead some language barrier I guess. We still  took a round about route to get there but we did reach our goal and enjoyed the view, if we visit again we will definitely take advantage of the cafe at the observation level. We then returned to the hotel via Uniqlo as Jenny could not resist one last purchase.

 We returned to the Hotel in time to catch Godzilla’s performance at midday, we the collected our luggage and walked up Godzilla Road towards the Shinjuku Sanchome Train Station to catch our train to the Yokohama Passenger Terminal. We purchased our tickets and made our way to the platform, we were advised to let the first train go through and just as well because it was jam packed. We boarded the next train and managed to get a seat for the 45 minute journey. A Japanese lady sitting next to us saw our concerned faces and assured us that we were on the right train. The train actually traversed three different rail services all operating on the one line, so when we arrived in Yokohama we had to adjust the fare as we had only been required to pay for the first three stops. After leaving the station we walked towards the terminal around 800 metres which was a slog for Jenny but worth it once we boarded. We had priority boarding and our luggage made it to our room before we did. We must make mention of how beautiful the Yokohama Port area is, it is definitely the most pristine and welcoming port we have encountered. As the Liner left the wharf people were lined up waving Fluro Lamps and a brass band played as we sailed of. 

We unpacked our suitcases and had a late lunch before taking a dip in the spa and pool. There is a requirement that a emergency drill is performed on the first day this was around 8pm, afterwards we checked out he evening entertainment which was a English comedian who gave us a few chuckles before we went to the bistro for a late dinner. Day over after that we returned to our room about 10.30 pm and climbed into our comfy bed.

Tokyo Mt Fuji, Hakone plus Bullet Train, day 3

We awoke to dreary weather we left the Hotel expecting nice weather only to be disappointed. We boarded the Gray’s tour and collected the fellow travellers, some who had been with us on the previous days tour. Our guide for the day was  Yoshisura who informed us that it might not be the best day for viewing Mt Fuji and that we would possibly need a umbrella and warm coat. The tour bus made its way out from the Tokyo city and through the outlying suburbs and eventually through to the  countryside with whatever farmland available squeezed in between steep valleys and heavily wooded slopes. The clouds hung heavy over the Mountain peaks as we headed towards our first main stop for the day the Mt Fuji 5th Station.

 Whatever hopes of the weather clearing were dispatched on arrival, the weather had set in, luckily the Philippino Lady in the seat in front of us gave us a spare umbrella before we ventured off the bus. The weather was that wild that the umbrella turned inside out within 5 metres and we scurried into the Tourist centre without even attempting a photo opportunity. The 5th Station is 2,300 metres above sea level and should offer a great view of Mount Fuji alas today was not a good viewing day.  

Our next stop was in Gotemba for a traditional Japanese lunch which was ready on our arrival it consisted of steamed rice plus a stock pot of chicken shiitake mushrooms and udon noodles plus a dish of Tempura Prawns and vegetables, plus side dishes of pickled veggies and desert of fresh fruit and a tasty sticky rice dumplings. We then ventured onto the Hakone district which is very popular with tourists because of the hot springs and beautiful Lakes. Our group was to take a gondola ride which if the weather was nice would of been spectacular. We could barely see through the foggy windows and spent most of the Journey chatting with a Canadian couple, you have to make the most of every situation and the group remained in good spirits all day. The gondola terminated in the  Owakudani Valley which is a volcanic valley with active sulphur vents and hot springs in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It was created around 3000 years ago, as a result of the explosion of the Hakone volcano. Once again the weather was inclement and did not give us to many photo opportunities.  

Our last adventure for the day was a Pirate boat cruise on lake Ashi, finally the clouds lifted and gave us a beautiful view of the surroundings, lovely wooded mountain slopes and just a brief glimpse of Mt Fuji, everyone was pleased to finally catch a glimpse of  Japan’s no 1 Mountain. The group split up after the Pirate boat cruise with some taking the Shinkansen Bullet Train back to Tokyo and the remaining tourists returning by bus which would take a good two hours longer. Our guide Yoshi gave us information on changing trains in Tokyo and tickets to get us safely back to Shinjuku Station. We arrived at 6.00 pm with ten minutes to spare before our train arrived and were blown away when two other bullet trains thundered through the Station at breathtaking speed. We boarded the train with the remaining members of our tour boarding the same carriage and on arrival worked our way through Tokyo Station at peak hour and made our way to the Chuo line to board our train to Shinjuku Station and then say goodbye to our travelling companions and browse through some shops and buy some dinner on the way back to our Motel, it was after 7 pm and we had enjoyed a full day.

Tokyo day 2

On Thursday we boarded the all day Tokyo Bus tour. After collecting other passengers from Hotels our first stop was the Tokyo tower 333 metres high offering a great view over the wider Tokyo area. The Tower is celebrating its 60th birthday and in total is higher than the Eiffel Tower.

Meiji Shrine is dedicated to the Emperor Meiji and his wife.Construction began in 1915 under Itō Chūta, and the shrine was built in the traditional nagare-zukuri style, using primarily Japanese cypress and copper. The building of the shrine was a national project, mobilising youth groups and other civic associations from throughout Japan, who contributed labor and funding.It was formally dedicated in 1920, completed in 1921, and its grounds officially finished by 1926. 

We then drove by National Diet Building which is actually the National Parliament not a building dedicated to keeping the Japanese people slim. 

Imperial Palace Eastern Garden  The East Garden is where most of the administrative buildings for the palace are located and encompasses the former Honmaru and Ninomaru areas of Edo Castle, a total of 210,000 m2 they are the former site of the Edo Castle which was built for the Tokugawa Shogun who  ruled between 1603 and 1867.

We then Drove through the Ginza Shopping district which made Jenny twitchy. 

After a very tasty traditional lunch we then drove to the Hama Rikyu Garden Built by the mouth of the Sumida River and completed in 1946 April 1, 1946. The park is a 250,165 m² landscaped garden surrounding Shioiri Pond, the park itself surrounded by a seawater moat filled by Tokyo Bay. It was remodelled as a public garden park on the site of a villa of the Shōgun Tokugawa family in the 17th centuryIn the garden you can find a pond with a teahouse in the center.Visitors can cross one of the three bridges to reach the teahouse, where they can enjoy refreshment such as matcha and Japanese sweets in a tea ceremony style. The garden has a peony garden, a plum tree grove and cosmos fields with flowers for every season. Japanese falconry and aikido are demonstrated at New Year. 

We then boarded a water ferry  for the Sumida River Cruise this gave us a great view of the city from the Ocean Port to the bustling business district some notable buildings included the Headquarters of Asahi Brewing alongside which was their boutique beer hall a beautiful building designed by French architect Phillipe Starke. 

Our last stop was the Asakusa Kannon Temple or  Sensō-ji  Kinryū-zan Sensō-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai Sect of  Buddhism, it became independent after World War 2. Adjacent to the temple is a five-story pagoda Shinto Shrine the Asakusa Shrine ,as well as many shops with traditional goods in the Nakamise-dōri. The  stalls were interesting and very clean,tidy and safe. Jenny managed to get her photo taken with three young girls dressed in traditional geisha outfits. 

We then worked our way back to the bus to wait for the people who always seem to be late on the bus tour. The tour organisers dropped us near Akihabara Station as it was a quicker option to take the train rather than wait for the bus to drop every one else at their Hotel.

A very busy day we ended up back in our room around 7.30 pm and that was it for the day.

Tokyo day 1

Tokyo flight in and day 1

We were up before 4am for our flight to Melbourne and Tokyo.

Graham drove us to the airport and we boarded on time, on arriving at Melbourne the plane was delayed due to weather so we landed 40 minutes late and had to be chaperoned through the terminal to immigration, we raced onto the plane only to sit on the runway for 80 minutes. Great start to the journey. The plane made up about twenty minutes over the 10 hours and we arrived in Tokyo around 6pm. The airport was very busy    . By the time we cleared immigration and customs left the terminal and headed towards the train terminal received conflicting advice and eventually taking the option that we had explored before departure caught the two trains to Shinjuku Station and arrived at our hotel Gracery Shinjuku it was approaching 9.30pm, along day travelling. The train journey was fast, clean and convenient and arriving at Shinjuku Station was as Jenny said like hitting Time Square on steroids. We needed some orientation on arrival and checking at one of the kiosks the owner was kind enough to write the address in Japanese and two business men walked us through the terminal insisting on helping with the luggage they got us too the exit and a lady walked us through to Godzilla Way, that led to our hotel so helpful it was amazing.

Our hotel room was typical Japanese small but well appointed and clean we dropped our luggage and headed out for a evening drink, just tea for two on this occasion as we were both tired.

Day two we awoke quite early and had a relaxing morning sorting the room out for our stay having a relaxing 

bath before heading down for breakfast. It was hard for Jenny to find something to eat as no one in Japan is a Coeliac. Jamie certainly tried to get the most out of the breakfast on offer and after dining we had a chat with the concierge and arranged some activities for the coming days. We decided on day one to have a self guided walking tour around the Shinjuku precinct taking in some the department stores followed by a tour of the Shinjuku Gyoen National Gardens before foraging for some food that Jenny could comfortably eat and then resting for a hour in the afternoon prior to taking in the Robot Restaurant show.

The Shinjuku Gyoen Gardens were beautiful the Chrysanthemums displays are the main feature this time of year as the Camellias were not quite ready to bloom though the autumn colours are definitely worth taking the stroll for.

We headed out in the late afternoon for our show and thought we had navigated well but over shot the runway there seemed to be plenty of signs all pointing in a different direction. We eventually paid our money and got booked we had a bit of a bonus viewing of a dinner show with some of the main entourage this had a dude signing  Joe Cockers "With a Little Help From My Friends" in Japanese with the back up singers harmonising in English. The next act was a bit more AO with a S&M theme. The signing was pretty good. Then it was time for the Robot show, this followed a theme of Japan from feudal times through to Robots taking over before Humans ultimately dominating with the assistance of Mother Nature, though I am not sure if I drank enough beer to understand it fully. We then found a restaurant that had a few Italian dishes and enjoyed a light salad dinner which we hoped was the safe option for Jenny.