Derek in the Far East

We have just completed five full days at sea. To be frank, the first four of those were not particularly pleasant as the sky has been overcast although not raining, and the seas have been rough with waves in excess of 20ft at times. Most people, including ourselves, seem to have gained their sea legs and therefore it's not been too much of an ordeal but the constant shuddering of the ship as it was battered by the waves became rather wearing. At least on the fifth day the sea calmed somewhat and a few laps of the deck were possible without getting blown away. And it has always been pleasantly warm. So, it's now morning on the sixth day and we are supposed to be docking in Chan May ready for a day ashore in Hue, Vietnam. However, overnight the wind speed rose once again, the sea state has worsened and the captain has just announced that we are not going to dock as the port is effectively closed. So, we are now heading for Hongkong and waiting for further information as to what i...

As we have no ports of call for a few days, I will fill up part of the gap with a few notes on life aboard the ship. The Japanese are the largest group aboard, followed by the Americans, the British, the Chinese, the Australians and then a smattering of other nations. Everything is announced in English first and Japanese afterwards and there are as many Japanese speaking staff on the entertainments team as English speaking. Likewise the guest services and tour desks.  So far, the food has been excellent. The self service buffet caters for both eastern and western tastes as does the evening dinner menu. Perhaps the only complaint is that the portions are on the small side, but we have been told that this is deliberate as the Asian nations have a smaller appetite than the gluttonous west. Having said that, the waiting staff have more than encouraged us to order a double portion of anything if we want to! Speaking of the waiting staff, our servers, Sandra and Bernardino have been frie...

The first leg of our trip came to a close as we sailed back into the port of Yokohama, and so at this point I will deal with the disappointment first. Our return to Kagoshima has been cancelled and thus our plans to visit Sakurajima volcano must wait for some other time. We were advised that Tropical Storm Saola was heading towards Japan, was expected to intensify and then become a full blown typhoon (pun intended) within a few hours and therefore for the comfort and safety of everyone we must track away from the worst of the storm. Yes, it is a shame but at least we got the opportunity to visit a few days ago unlike the new passengers who have only just embarked the ship. It means that we now have five sea days in a row, but as a small plus, we have been given $50 each for both of our cancelled ports of call and had the port fees refunded, so that is some $250 in total applied to our account to spend on cocktails or somesuch. But on to the good news. We had a chance to rebook our fogg...

Our return to Japanese territory didn't start well as although the ship was due to dock in Kagoshima at 10am, our allocated immigration time was 1.30pm....a waste of a day given that by the time we had been processed and been driven into town there would be less than 3 hours of daylight left. So we just ignored the appointment time, joined the immigration line at 11am and within an hour we were in the city centre. As we were now in the far south of the country, the temperature was noticeably warmer and the area around our berth was lined with palm trees. The Kagoshima tourist office had lots of information and was well geared up for an influx of foreigners, so we caught one of the hop on hop off buses for a 75 minute ride around the city and its outskirts. The cost was just ¥190...about £1.25! This gave us a chance to familiarise ourselves with the main attractions and tourist sites as we will be returning in a few days, it being the first port of call on the second leg of our crui...

As Saturday afternoon progressed and typhoon Lan approached the skies became ominously black and the waves became higher, but it was certainly not uncomfortable onboard the ship. By the time we were ready for bed the lights of the South Korean coast were not far off the starboard side and indeed, by the early hours we were safely in Busan harbour and secured alongside. By the time we were ready to go ashore after breakfast the clouds were parting and there was warm sunshine breaking through. The only fly in the ointment was a very strong wind but we could put up with that easily enough. Once through immigration the shuttle bus dropped us in the downtown markets area and we set off to explore. There was much to stimulate the senses in terms of street food and it seemed as if every narrow alley was crammed with market traders selling every kinds of wares imaginable. We sought sanctuary for a few moments in the courtyard of a Buddhist temple before stopping for coffee. Then pressing onwar...

Friday's port of call was Akita, a city of some 300,000 people and famous in Japan for two things; its the home of the Akita dog breed and its reputation for having the prettiest girls in the country. Upon disembarking we picked up a city map from the tourist desk. In true Japanese style it contained loads of information including several suggested walking guides, all colour coded and in flow chart style with directions, landmarks, distances and timings. As it was still dry, we picked the first route which took us around the local park. As well as taking in some lovely views of the Autumn colours of the leaves, the park also contained a little museum of all things samurai, and a reconstructed castle, the top floor of which afforded a spectacular panorama of the entire city. As that walk came to an end, the drizzle that had been threatening all morning began. We were well prepared and out came the coats and umbrellas as we started on the next suggested walking route which took us to...

Aomori is the first port of call on this trip and thankfully the day dawned with clear skies, although a little chilly. As the ship was berthed only 15 minutes walk from the centre of town, it was an easy walk in. Aomori is famous throughout Japan for its very large apples and cider making, and more recently for being directly in the line of fire of the North Korean missile tests. The first stop was the ASPAM Building, the main tourist office and which also contains an observation deck on the 14th floor. After the gloom of Tokyo it was a relief to be able to see the entire city, the mountains to the south and the other Japanese islands to the north. Nestled in the shadow of the building is the Hakkoda Maru, a ship which used to ply the route between Honshu and Hokkaido before the tunnel was built and which has now been turned into a museum. Although all the information was in Japanese, it was still an interesting half hour or so looking round. We then moved on to the Warasse Building, ...

I am tempted to call this post "part 1" as I have a feeling that there will be more cultural experiences to come! Anyway, Tuesday was embarkation day and we had a couple of hours to kill before having to pick up the coach from our hotel to the port. There was still a steady drizzle falling although not quite as heavy as the previous days. We headed across the street and into the station/shopping centre where the vast Tobu department store was about to open. The customer greeters in their smart uniforms opened the big glass doors and stood in the doorways and then at the stroke of 10am and with a coordination that would put a synchronised swimming team to shame, stood back, bowed deeply, and welcomed everybody inside. We walked into the food hall and along the aisles. At every counter, the assistants stopped, bowed to us and said konichiwa or a similar greeting. Can you imagine that happening at your local Tesco? No, I can't either. We did our best to return their welcome,...

As expected, the day dawned with leaden skies giving rise to persistent rain and a thick mist. But not to worry, we had arranged to meet with our friends Hiromi and Monica, who, as Tokyo residents, had offered to be our city guides for the day. Our first stop was the Askusa shrine, Tokyo's most sacred and spectacular temple and a place that the Japanese say every visitor to the city must see. Yes, it was also a tourist trap, but the various stalls, combined with statues, the five story pagoda, chanting monks and the air heavy with burning insence all combined to give a unique atmosphere. Close to the shrine was a view across the Sumida River and the relatively new Tokyo Sky Tree. I use the word view in a rather loose sense as everything above the first few floors of the Sky Tree was completely immersed in cloud and mist. Moving on we stopped in the very beautiful Rikugien Gardens for some peace and tranquility from the bustling city and also for some green macha tea and bean paste ...

A good tailwind meant that we arrived into Narita ahead of schedule although it was rather strange to experience a takeoff before sunrise, an entire day pass, and then a sunset all within the space of a nine hour flight. Thankfully our luggage also arrived at the same time that we did and then with typical Japanese efficiency we were soon being whisked to our hotel in central Tokyo. We then ran into our first, and hopefully our last, little problem. Unlike the UK it appears that in Japan, you will be given a smoking room at a hotel unless you have specifically prebooked a non-smoking one. This had never even crossed our minds when we booked and therefore at checkin there were no basic non-smoking left although there were some Executive rooms available as an upgrade. We opted to pay the premium rate and will bring the matter up with our TA later. Having set the alarm for an early start the next morning we then drifted off very easily having completed our long journey. Despite the local ...

Everything went smoothly on our journey to London and by 10.30 we were strolling down a surprisingly quiet Oxford Street. There were a few items on our shopping list which were easily found and purchased. A very pleasant lunch was taken at An Italian bistro close to Covenant Garden. For the evening we had booked tickets to see comedienne Kerry Godliman at the Soho theatre and we were not disappointed. Her act is primarily that of a frazzled mother and housewife and is stand up comedy at its best.  A long and busy day meant that it was not a late night! We had a couple of hours to kill the next morning (Friday), so we had a very pleasant stroll around Hyde Park watching innumerable squirrels foraging for winter stores.   The journey to Heathrow and the check in process was all very straightforward and after a very small delay we were boarding the flight and on our way to Tokyo, via a two hour stopover in Doha. We are scheduled to arrive in Tokyo on Saturday evening, local time....

For much of my working career I was involved in administering a number of accounts for large Japanese companies. During that time I had to become familiar with, and eventually became fascinated by, elements of Japanese culture and the Japanese way of life, especially from a business perspective. Although I never had an opportunity to travel to the country during my working days, I became good friends with a number of work colleagues and clients and vowed that one day I would visit . Fortunately, that day has now arrived and from the middle of October, Claire and I will be visiting Tokyo and then taking a cruise on the Diamond Princess around the Japanese archipelago, before venturing a little further afield and with ports of call in several other South East Asian countries. I would be delighted if you, dear reader, would like to join me on this venture through the means of this little blog.