5. Japanese cultural experiences

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, but after a while our necks started getting sore so it was just easier to smile sweetly and continue on. It goes without saying that the food on display was just out of this world and we had fun trying to guess what some of the things were.

Eventually we reached the drinks department and the helpful lady assistant was describing to us just about everything that was on display. We explained that we had never actually tried sake before, so she brought out little cups and poured a sample, and then another, and another. I lost count after six different flavours and grades of sake had been proffered for us to taste, and we decided that the cherry blossom scented one was the nicest.

Moving on we reached the tea and coffee counter. The assistants brought out all kinds of pictures and brochures showing us how to choose which tea and what parafenalia is needed to make the best cup. Claire decided to buy a small round tin of a high grade matcha green tea which seemed to be a good choice and the little pot was taken away and expertly gift wrapped in the blink of an eye. Generally speaking the packaging of foodstuffs in Japan has to be seen to be believed, it invariably amazingly elaborate and colourful.

Next came payment. Now, in Japan there is a certain etiquette for paying for goods and I daresay it applies whether you are buying an expensive watch or a packet of crisps from the local seven eleven. 

Your money has to be placed on a little tray on the counter and it is checked in front of you. The sale is then rung up and the change placed in the same little tray and counted again so that you can check that it correct. If you are happy, the tray is lifted up with two hands and then presented back to you with profuse gratitude.

Our shopping experience completed we went back to the hotel and caught the transfer bus to the port of Yokohama. By now, the sky was beginning to lighten and the constant rain of the last three days looked as if it would soon be stopping and I thought the hour's drive to the port might give us a chance to see a little more of suburban Tokyo. But I was wrong. We descended into a tunnel which, after a rough time/speed/distance calculation must have been at least 10 miles long. It was far and away the longest tunnel I have ever been through. 

To be fair, there is no such thing as suburban Tokyo anyway as the city is so vast it takes in all the surrounding areas for miles around, including Yokohama and all there was to see was evidence of heavy industry manufacturing.

One of the perks of being frequent travellers on Princess is that we are entitled to priority boarding and thus it took no longer than 10 minutes from getting off the coach to entering our stateroom. 

The ship is pretty much in the usual Princess layout so orientation is not a problem. About 25% of the passengers are Japanese which evidently, is on the low side for a cruise catering for the Japanese market. After the mandatory safety drill we celebrated our first evening on board with a cocktail and a sample of the local brew before heading to the restaurant for dinner. As the Japanese like a more regimented lifestyle than us Westerners, and also so as to make things easier for the waiting staff from a language point of view, there is no anytime dining. Thus we are on the late seating fixed time dining with a couple from Seattle and a couple from Yorkshire who all seem to be pleasant company. 

Today, Wednesday, is a sea day and we are sailing northward with the coast of Japan visible on our port side and it will be the first formal night. I'm rather looking forward to seeing how the Japanese dress up in their finery and will do my best to report back in my next posting.