Last Stop Muroran

   Muroran is our last port before heading out today for the 7 day crossing of the north Pacific as we head for Alaska! We had a very interesting breakfast with a captain of a Bering Sea fishing boat. I think he was on that television series. He did do a lecture the other day on his experiences and will be doing another. The others at breakfast included a Toronto fireman and an enrichment lecturer who will be doing the commentary on the Golden until September for the Alaska voyages. We did not try to get off the ship early because of a long to buy tickets and take the shuttle. Yes another wait in line!

Overlooking Muroran

 

Lighthouse

  We had taken a tour in Muroran the last time here so we decided to just take go into town. Muroran is not exactly a tourist hot spot. It is all rather old buildings and working docks with a wood processing plant and a steel mill. Sapporo is a train ride away and it is the modern city Actually what the shuttle turned out to be was a hop on hop off bus that stopped 7 times. We skipped the shopping/downtown area and headed for the Cape Chikyu lighthouse which was rated the #1 attraction here by trip advisor. It is a really picturesqueness spot with the lighthouse perched high above the water on a rocky outcrop. The only problem was that the temperature was about 8C (47F) all day with a strong wind. A rocky outcrop is not the place that you want to be! It was worth the photo op.

Ramen

   One of the things that we noticed in all our stops was the price of gasoline. A litre of gas here was about the same price as in Windsor. Now Canada has plenty of oil and Japan has none yet gas costs the same. The other thing is how clean and litter free Japan is. We were constantly looking for garbage bins to toss our garbage but you simple do not see them on the streets and even in the shopping/eating venues. However you rarely see a piece of paper on the ground and certainly no Tim Horton or 7 Eleven cups!

   We made our way to a stop near a very long suspension bridge. There we a number of things in the area but the weather was not pleasant enough to go for a hike to the top of the large hill or wander down to the hot spring. They did have one building with a large display showing the making of the bridge. It also had few street food tents where we bought so we bought 2 bowls of pork ramen and had lunch. We had wanted to do that for a few stops and this was the best opportunity. Besides we were hungry! It was quite tasty. We passed on the grilled octopus parts and left them to the Japanese. 

Japanese Golf

       One of the strangest things here was 4 - 9 hole golf courses. However it is a cross between golf and goofy golf! They use a wooden mallet (like croquet) and a ball about the size of a baseball. They drive off a rubber mat and have sand traps hills, etc. There were both par 3's 4's and 5's. It was quite entertaining to see people play. I guess with the limited flat land and the cost of golf that this is a perfect compromise. If you just looked at their approach to the tee shot, you would thing that they were playing on a real course.

   After that we headed back to the ship. That was the last stop on the route and of course the bus was packed. They did not push us on but it was basically the same thing. We headed straight to immigration when we got back aboard and for once the line was so short that the officers we glad to see us. We were done in seconds. After all the immigration hassles that we have gone through, I think they wanted to leave a good impression. We even did this in the comfort of one of the lounges and not in a tent ashore. Tea finished the afternoon.  

     During all our shore wanderings I have been taking photos of strangely translated signs. They get the point across but to us always in a humorous way. I hope that I have enough to do a small presentation to the photography club next winter.

We left Muroran around 6. The weather looks to be “good” for at least the next several days after The storm that went through a few days ago. We have had 2 good crossing before and we hope for more of the same. No big entertainment tonight! Sea days here we go.

A Long Day In Hakodate

   What a tiring day! We arrived in the city of Hakodate early in the morning on the north island (Hokkaido) of Japan and did not sail until late in the evening. Since we had a long stay, we decided to explore as much of the city as possible. It was a wonderful visit in the 8 hours that we were ashore. A shuttle dropped us at the main station where the tourist bureau is located. We were looking to get a little more information about the city. What a small world. The person who helped us went to Windsor University in the '80's. It was not the first time we have come across someone from Windsor in a far off place.

Up The Hill

   Our first stop was a very crowded Morning Market. The many shops were selling many different types of sea food – not as extensive as Busan but by the number of sellers a very active area. It struck us at how different this part of the world. We know very little about the riches from the sea and the sea food that is consumed!

   We continued along the waterfront to an area called “ Red Brick Warehouses”, which go back to when Hokodate was first opened to western trade. The building are filled with shops but they all seemed to be selling the same variety of souvenirs. We stopped at a street vendor and bought some fresh fried home made potato chips. They were very thick as they had been hand cut and were served hot! They were delicious and we snacked all day. A perfect “mid morning” snack.

Mt Hakodate View

    Next we headed up the steep slope to the Motomachi district. It was originally settled

Western Church

by the Russians who were trading here. It is a neat well kept area with houses unlike the usual style found in other parts of the city. After all the shires that we have seen we came across an Episcopal, Russian Orthodox and Roman Catholic church. In all 3 churches we had to take off our shoes in order to enter. This area also serves as the base for the Ropeway to the top of Mount Hakodate. The Princess crowds were long gone by the time we went up the mountain for wonderful views of the city. A quick 10 minutes and we were at the top.

Cherry Trees

   Our final destination was Goryokaku Park which is at the other end of the city! We knew that after a short walk from the ropeway we could catch a trolley. Travelling by public transportation in a foreign city is always an adventure. We jumped on the tram but could not figure out how to pay! We took a ticket and stood for the entire ride. When leaving the tram, you pay by the number of stops that you have passed. Fortunately we had enough coins to pay!

     The park is an old “fort” area complete with a moat and some original buildings. Since we are in the north part of Japan, the cherry blossoms are still very visible although they are past their prime. The local festival was a last week. The area had hundreds of trees still in bloom and there were many people were taking pictures as we walked through the park.

At the "Fort"

Another very crowded tram ride (no they did not push us in!) back to the central station and the shuttle back to the ship ended our time ashore.

    We made it back just before the rain started! There was a Japanese show in the theatre with traditional singing. Of course we did not understand any of it! We had been ashore in the city all day and returned happy but quite tired from all the walking. Tomorrow we are in our final port before crossing the north Pacific as we head for Alaska! We are looking forward to the relaxing days at sea.

North to Hokkaido

Ready

Ready

Today was a lazy day at sea. Although the captain warned about rough seas, it has been a relatively calm day. The seas are up but we are running with the waves and there was very rocking except for some gentle side by side motion. The day started with a light breakfast and then zumba. The instructor is good and the venue is full. The floor the sides the back – people are all over the place. The workout was about 35 minutes long. We see more people doing zumba during these cruises. We then attended the port lecture and he was a bit better today. He at least said that there is a shuttle bus at the first port but did not know where we would docked for the second port. After that we stayed for a lecture on Magellan and his voyage around the world.

   We were at the specialty restaurant “Crab Shack” which was a gift from CAA. We met

The End!

our friends around 12:30 and enjoyed a leisurely 2 hour lunch. Our waiter was a bit disorganized but we managed to enjoy the sea food and a glass of wine. Fried battered shrimp and poppers, clam chowder and then crab legs and peal and eat shrimp, wine followed by a nice dessert and tea. After all that we wonder if we will need dinner!

  The Princess theatre show was a comedy and Acrobatics act by 2 from Canada. It was funny and well received. A light dinner followed. Late night had a discovery at sea where they turn off the upper deck lights and explain the heavens. We have done this before tonight it was cloudy and we saw very little. They may try again on another night.

  Tomorrow we are in Hakodate on the north island. It may be the best stop on this cruise.

Why Sakaiminato?

My Pal

   More immigration, more waiting seems to be the theme so far of this cruise. It took over an hour again this morning to clear immigration here in Japan. All the tours had priority again. Because we left and then came back, we had to go through the whole entry procedure again which means photo and fingerprints. In 3 days time we will have to do the exit procedure for Japan once again. I wonder if we will need to do that when crossing the International Date line? After an early breakfast, we tried to get off the ship as fast as possible. So much for being ready!

     

Main Attraction

After immigration and the bus transfer into the city, we wondered if they paid Princess to dock here. The expression “one horse town” came to mind. They dropped us in an area “Mizuki Shigeru” where there are small statues (of spirit monsters) or mystical creatures from stories written by a local author. If there had not been a steady rain and a place to have a local beer, it would have made more sense. The statues were interesting but the area was very run down and filled with stores selling stuff (and we didn't find any interesting stuff!) We did stop for a big puffy dumpling filled with crab and pork. We put that down as tasting the local cuisine.

Bamboo Eater

Judy tried to eat the bamboo that was the base! Needless to say I think we missed the reason for the stop that was described as “endlessly captivating sights .... in this charming city”. We never found a modern downtown (if there was one) or the castle. The place did not “astound” us.

We spent the afternoon reading, doing puzzles, etc. and enjoying a slice of pizza. We looked but could not find the high volcanic cone in the area, the clouds were with us all day. The rest of the time before dinner was spent enjoying some wine and a glass of champagne. Dinner was good but the waiter does not seem interested. We have had much better servers in the past.

   The evening entertainment was called “Stardust”, the music of Doris Day and Perry Como. They should retire that one as we are not that old. When we got back to our cabin, a Princess bottle stopper was there. I won it for answering the question of the day and being selected in the morning draw. Tomorrow is a sea day as we head north to our next port which has the potential to be really good. Captain announced that we may be in for some weather in the next day or so.

Ashore In Busan Korea

   After an early breakfast, we tried to get off the ship as fast as possible. However we needed to go through immigration here in Korea. Although the ship said that independent travelers would go first, they made sure that the 45 buses of ship tours had priority. Immigration was very fast but we were still about an hour late leaving.

Fish Market

Seaweed For Sale

    Today we again toured with 2 women from Ontario so we acted as tourist guides because we had been here 3 or 4 times before. The city did have shuttle buses available to take us downtown. Our first stop was the fish market. They are preparing for a world expo in the area and all the vendors were out on the streets. The eatery was still in operation inside where you pick out the live fish (or whatever) and they cook it while you wait. It is always interesting to see that most of the stalls by tradition are run by women. How they can sell all that fish is a mystery as the street is about 4 blocks long!

   

Street Food

 Next we headed for the International Market which is nothing more that block after block of stalls selling everything you can think of. Who buys the thousands of hats, running shoes, etc. is also a mystery but the place was very crowded. We learned latter that there was a national holiday in Busan. There are many food street vendors selling all types of food but you need to know what you want which we definitely did not! The ladies did but a hat each. Judy still has not locate her Tilly which she may have left at security a few days ago. “We” did “misplace” her camera last night but it was in lost and found this morning.

At The Market

     After the street market we headed to the large Lotte department store. We ate Korean in the food court then headed to the top of the 12 story building for great views of the city. Later, we left the ladies to explore the gardens and tower on their own and we headed back to the ship. Still fighting a cold makes wandering around all day a bit hard. A rest before dinner was in order.

    We sailed around 5:30 and the rest of the evening was the usual round of snacks and a drink (eating before dinner!) and an Effy Store presentation. By the time we finished dinner it was getting close to the show so we decided to skip the cabaret showtime. We are in Sakaiminato Japan tomorrow which means more Japanese immigration and then another day of discovery.

Sailing To Busan Korea

Today was a restful day at sea with with light winds and a calm ocean. After the fiasco of the boarding yesterday there was plenty of complaining. People basically said that Princess should have given some information as to why there was a delay. One rumour was that the port authority would not allow the ship to open a second gangway although it was opened in the morning. Another was that the “authorities” were upset that the ship was going to Korea.

    We started our usual sea routine with zumba in the morning followed by a port lecture. The guy has to be the worse one that we have ever encountered. Again we learned all about his career and so very little about the ports. He did 2 ports and there was nothing of usefulness in either of them. I am glad that we did our own research before the cruise! Besides we have been to Busan before so we know what we want to do. We will tour with our friends again.

Under the Weather

   Lunch with tea at the International Cafe and then a peek at the line dancing followed. As usual it was very basic but I never expected anything different. Judy went back to bed as she is still fighting a cold. Our CAA agent gave us a voucher for dining at a specialty restaurant so we made reservations at the Crab Shack. They serve nothing but sea food. We have been before and enjoyed the shrimp, crab, etc. They only have it available for lunch 1 day during the cruise. Our shore friends and a couple that we dine with will be joining us.

   The rest of the afternoon was a quiet one. Our appetizers arrived at 5 pm. After a glass of wine, we headed to the Skywalker's for a drink, then went to see the Australian comedian again. It was a different show from the other night but we both found it funny. We were late for the welcome aboard party and the champagne waterfall but managed to hear the Captain welcome everybody. He noted that there were over 500 Canadians on the ship which is the most of any group except for Americans. Dinner was very good and was the new (to us) production show Born To Dance. We were glad to see that Princess has modernized the routines.

  Tomorrow Busan and another immigration experience.

Around In Osaka and Then The Wait!

At The Castle

Today proved to be long and tiring. We went ashore around 9:30 and did not get back on the ship until 7:30. We toured Osaka with 2 Canadian women who we met at the airport.

Our first stop was Osaka Castle which dates back to the 15^th century. To get there we needed to take the subway and we did have some help buying the ticket. Because Osaka is a large city, you pay for the distance that you actually travel. The castle is the centrepiece of a large park in the middle of Osaka. The castle itself is surrounded by a wide moat. Being Sunday it was very crowded. The inside presented a history of the castle and the various rulers but what was missing were the rooms decorated in period furnishings.

Downtown

After wandering for a few hours, we headed by subway for the center of Osaka. The downtown area was very alive with large crowds. More wandering until we finally stopped for lunch and a beer. We did not order the octopus balls this time although we did see them being made. Instead we found a Japanese restaurant where we could sit and enjoy the lunch. After that we navigated the 2 subway lines back to the ship where we stopped to ride the “world's largest wheel”. The wait was nearly an hour for the 20 minute.

     The worse part of the day was getting back on ship. Because we are leaving Japan, we needed to clear immigration. This time it had to be done face to face. However they would not do that until every single passenger was off the ship. You can imaging what it must be like to get every single person to do something like that. It was suppose to start at 4 but apparently not every one left on time. The result was that 2600 people had to wait for the few and that took until after 5 because not everyone left “on time”. The backup was very long, worse that the lines at Disneyland! The few who were tardy got back on the ship immediately but we waited an hour for immigration. In addition the ship only had 1 gangway in operation and everyone needed to be checked back into the ship and have their goods scanned. Princess could have opened a second gangway. They had 2 working in the morning. In all it took about 2 hours from start to finish. Needless to say there were many unhappy campers. We did not finally get onboard until about 7:30 which made for a very long day. It was another very tiring day. On this trip we need to do the same in Busan, then again in Japan when back into Japan and finally another face to face to leave Japan. I hope that the next 3 times we do this it moves a bit better. Tomorrow is a sea day and we are both looking forward to that! ride.