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Takayama

We took the Kagayaki Shinkansen (bullet train) from Tokyo to Toyama with a switch to the Hida line from Toyama to Takayama. Beautiful mountainous scenery with snow capped peaks.

After passengers disembarked, the cleaning crew went onboard to clean and swivel the seats in opposite direction. When they got off they gave a bow (which I wasn’t quick enough to catch) and then proceeded on their way)

Takayama is a charming town nestled in the “Japanese alps” with unspoiled Edo-period streets lined with small shops, pubs and eating places. The homes are mostly built of timber (Japanese cedar) and the windows to the streets are mostly shuttered or louvered. The Miya River runs through the town; water runs in channels along all the streets and everything is immaculate.

Lunch time. Miso soup and good draft beer!

A cute “fast food” stall in Takayama

Another lovely pagoda with massive and ancient willow tree.

It was alongside the river that we saw our first abundance of cherry blossoms.

…..and then more …

Now I am satisfied!

These tots seen on a school bus late afternoon! School can be just too exhausting.

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Yokohama and Kamakura

This morning we arrived in Yokohama, Japan – the end stop on our part of the cruise. Many do back to back cruises, but two weeks is enough for us.

First impressions of Yokohama are very favorable, even though we won’t get to explore this mega city – second largest in Japan.

We took the train to Kamakura – a smaller town about 20minutes away. It is clearly a popular destination for the locals, and we especially enjoyed the walking streets with some lovely small shops selling items I am mostly unaccustomed to.

The rolls of paper are for origami. We see people using the wash towels (top right) all over the place!

Confections

We ended up at the Shinto Tsurugaoka Hachimangū shrine where we observed a wedding taking place. It was very interesting and quite a solemn occasion.

Yokohama at night from our balcony.

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Shimizu and Mount Fuji

Shimizu is a port where many cruisers took trips and excursions to visit Mt. Fuji, but low-key cruisers like us opted to hang out in the small and friendly town of Shimizu where locals stood on each corner and directed us to any points of interest.

Fish drying on racks in the sunshine.

We visited a couple of shrines and cemeteries that were peaceful and interesting.

We spent an hour or so on the bow of the ship, on the helipad, this morning as we entered the port and had the first possible sightings of Mt. Fuji. She was elusive, as is often the case, but the snow capped peak became visible amongst the clouds which gradually dropped and showed her outline.

We could see the mountain’s position behind the clouds from our balcony and during late afternoon she shyly showed herself for a brief time, but never fully exposed.

Shimizu waterfront.

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Himeji Castle

Himeji castle is an imposing structure built on a high bluff in the city of Himeji. It dates back to 1333. It is the grandest of the 12 remaining feudal castles in Japan. Among the Japanese, it is better known as the “white heron castle” and one can see why.

Its military architecture with (formerly) three moats qualifies it as the ultimate samurai castle. It has seven levels, including the basement and each floor is designed to ward off any attack. There are chutes for dropping stones on anyone attempting to scale the massive dry stone constructed walls. There are 997 openings in the walls – called Sama -oblong slots for bows and arrows, square, round and triangular ones for the guns. One floor is the armory with built in racks for the guns. We climbed right to the very top in our socks, careful not to slide on the well worn Japanese cypress wide plank floors. At the very top is a shrine – one that was relocated from the hilltop.

A scaled model of the castle. Timbers are Japanese Cypress.

In former times up to 40,000 samurais lived within the outer moat to protect their Lord. The castle was handed down from family to family over its long history until it became a military barracks in the 19th century. Selection of the family depended upon their strength. Restoration started in 1910 and in 1993 it was named a World Cultural Heritage site.

We also enjoyed a Japanese tea ceremony in a tea house within the beautiful and serene Kokoen gardens. We were served green matcha tea in a bowl with a small bean curd sweet (similar to marzipan) covered with a cherry blossom flavored wrapping.

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Kobe and Nara

The ship docked conveniently downtown and next to a light rail service. On the first morning we opted to walk the 30-Minutes to Sannomiya station in order to activate our JR rail passes and book our seats and trips for when we disembark on Sunday. We then hopped on a rapid rail train (not a bullet) for Nara via Osaka.

(1) An elevator car park with turntable (2) street in Kobe (4) colorful vending machine

Markings on the station platform that everyone dutifully observes.

Nara Park, on the north end of the city, contains most of the treasured and ancient buildings from 5he time that Nara was the capital. Back then, in 710, it was known as Heijo-kyo (citadel of peace) and was one of Asia’s most splendid cities. The city was at the far eastern end of the Silk Route and was an important Buddhist mecca.
The grand Todaji temple was constructed in 752 to house Nara’s great Buddha and to cement the position of the city as the capital and powerful center of Buddhism.
The park is also home to hundreds, if not thousands, of very tame deer who are completely at home with the locals and tourists and pose very kindly for selfie shots!
Kofuku-ji temple was founded in 669. Of the 175 original buildings, only precious few remain. The five storey pagoda burned to the ground at least five times, but the current one dates from 1426.


Unfortunately, due to warmer than usual Spring weather in Japan, the cherry blossoms peaked about two weeks ago; luckily we are able to find a few stragglers!
We walked back to the train station via a semi-pedestrian shopping street that had some interesting windows and was great for people watching.

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A day onboard Millennium

A spectacular day of sailing in the calm, blue waters off the southern coast of Japan. Dolphins jumping and diving, views of mountains and chalk cliffs lining the coastline of one of the islands. We saw no evidence from the eruption of Mount Shinmoedake.

So far we’ve had a very enjoyable time meeting people from many different countries and walks of life. Some we meet in passing over a meal, others we reconnect with.

…and an interesting tour of the galley. We discovered that all waste is collected, reduced and sold at a receiving port. Food waste is kept in barrels with a bacteria that removes all moisture so that it ends up like pellets and is sold to companies that recycle such waste for fertilizer, animal food, etc. Cans, plastic and cardboard are crushed and packaged. Broken glass and dishes are ground and recycled. Proceeds from the sale of these recycled materials go to a fund that is used for crew members for emergency travel or parties!

The chef on the left is the Executive Chef and is responsible for all the menu planning based on passenger demographics, cruise location, etc., for all the galley staff, and just about everything involving food on board. The man in the black shirt is responsible for all the breakfast food and works from 2-10a.m.

It is a mammoth operation and seems to work quite seamlessly despite the need for adhering to USDA regulations and the need for absolute sterility.

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Jeju Island, Korea

Jeju Island, also known as the “Island of the Gods,” is a popular vacation spot for Koreans and foreigners. It remains the top honeymoon destination for Korean newlyweds and offers a wide range of activities. The climate remains mild year round, and rarely dips below freezing.

The local traditional culture stands in stark contrast to the mainland (and much of Asia) as being matriarchal. The role of seafood gathering on the island has been dominated by women. As such, a common sight around Jeju’s coastline is that of the “haenyo” or “woman diver”, a figure that has become somewhat iconic. Even more evident are the “dol hareubang” or “grandfather statues”, giant basalt statues. These statues first appeared in 1754.

We took a bus that went around the town and along a short distance of the coastline. We got off at the Jeju Folklore and Natural History museum.

After our visit there, it was an enjoyable walk down hill to Dongmun market and Black Pork street. The Jeju Black Pig is a breed of domestic pig on the island, and barbecued black pig meat is commonplace here and we ate some at a stall in the market.

This seemed to be a neighborhood recycling center.

The market definitely offered a different selection of foods to most markets I’ve visited.

Lots of kimchee and fermented vegetables and fish.

I believe the long silver fish are called Oar fish. The other fish appears to be smoked or semi-dried and is expensive at $40 -per kilo?

Some of the prepared food.

Not sure what these are!

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Temple of Heaven

This was the fourth, and last UNESCO World Heritage site that we visited in Beijing.

Originally, this was the place where emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties held the Heaven Worship Ceremony. It is the largest and most representative existing masterpiece among China’s ancient sacrificial buildings. First built in 1420, during the 18th year of the reign of Emperor Yongle of the Ming Dynasty, Temple of Heaven was enlarged and rebuilt in 1545 from a square structure to the round one that exists today. It was used to pray for good harvests in early Spring. The hall is supported by four immense pillars representing the four seasons.

In 1988, it was opened to the public as a park. It’s layout and buildings give insight into the practices of the ancient Eastern civilization.

Our group of 10.

Today at the Temple of Heaven: There are over 60,000 varieties of tree which create a quiet environment and an ideal resort for the locals to do their morning exercise. Residents living nearby enjoy many activities here, such as running, cycling, singing, dancing, playing chess, flying kites, etc.

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The Summer Palace and Dowager Empress Cixi

The construction of Summer Palace started in 1750 as a luxurious royal garden for royal families to rest and entertain. It later became the main residence of royal members, most notably Empress Dowager Cixi – also known as the “dragon queen” for the power she exerted.

She was selected as an imperial concubine, for her beauty in her adolescence, and gave birth to the only son of the Xianfeng Emperor. After the emperor’s death in 1861, the young boy became the emperor, and she became the Empress Dowager. Cixi ousted a group of regents appointed by the late emperor and assumed regency. Cixi then consolidated control over the dynasty when she installed her nephew as emperor following the death of her son at an early age; this being contrary to the traditional rules of succession of the Qing dynasty that had ruled China since 1644. Cixi rejected Western models of government and the reforms that the Emperor supported. She placed the Guangxu Emperor, who had tried to assassinate her, under virtual house arrest for his support of the radical reformers. The death of both Cixi and the Guangxu Emperor in 1908 left the court in the hands of Manchu conservatives, a child ( the last Emperor) on the throne, and a restless, rebellious public. Historians both in China and abroad have long portrayed her as a despot responsible for the fall of the Qing dynasty.

This is clearly a very popular spot for Chinese tourists and local residents. A 700 meter covered and decorated walkway runs alongside the lake .

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The Ming Tombs

The thirteen Ming tombs are situated at the foot of the Tianshou mountain in the Changing district of Beijing. The site was chosen according to the principles of Feng shui by emperor Yong Le, whom many consider the most important emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He selected his burial site in 1420, and created his own mausoleum after the construction of the Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) where he resided.

This is a cemetery complex for 13 emperors and covers an area of 80 sq.km. From Yong Le onwards 13emperors and their wives were buried here. The bronze statue of Yong Le is quite imposing and magnificent. The bottom photo is of some old, embroidered silk.

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The Great Wall of China

One of my lifelong dreams was met today!

The Wall, one of the greatest structures built by humans was built over two millennia, but the most extensive and best preserved sections were built during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Originally built as fortification against neighboring Chinese kingdoms, the “10,000 Li-long Wall” (translation of the wall’s name in Chinese), is 5,500 miles long.

We visited the Juyongguan section which slopes on both sides of the Juyongguan Pass. It is known as one of the eight famous scenic spots and it strategically located and difficult to access. We can attest to that!!! It was vertical!

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Around Beijing

It snowed the night before we arrived, and the temperatures hovered not much above freezing for our stay. However, it didn’t inhibit us intrepid travelers, we just layered the clothing and off we went!

Some images of modern Beijing, to include the birds nest and dragon building built for the 2012 Olympics.

In the past, men have retired at 55 and women at 50, and they get out in the parks to exercise, do Tai-chi, play games, and visit with one another.

This group of seniors was particularly energetic!

Beijing is the most populous capital city in the world, but it is very orderly, clean, and has lots of green space and trees. It is flat, and laid out on a grid system N-S and E-W (in accordance with Fung shut) with very wide avenues at the axis and wide streets elsewhere.

Spring blossoms around the city.

Leaving the main thoroughfares and entering the hutongs (older and more traditional neighborhoods) the streets become narrow and the houses smaller. However, they are still built in traditional Chinese style with the parents occupying the north section, and the other buildings surround a small courtyard. Bathrooms are communal, and this is the reason that many of the younger generation prefer to move to a high-rise in the suburbs.

We visited this lady’s home and were served jasmine tea while she told us about her life. The art of painting inside glass bottles and globes has been passed down from generations, and her niece is the latest to practice this art form.

The city’s history dates back three millennia, and Beijing has been the capital for the most of 800 years.

Love these framed in tuk-tuks!

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Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City

The Forbidden City palace complex is in central Beijing, adjacent to Tiananmen Square. We first walked across the square seeing Mao’s mausoleum, the massive central government building, and the national museum – on three sides of the square, and then crossed the very recognizable wide boulevard, from the days of the student uprising, to enter the Forbidden City.

The Forbidden City includes the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty – the years 1420 to 1912, and now houses the Palace Museum. The Forbidden City served as the home of emperors and their households to include a wife, 3,000 concubines, their many children, and up to 5,500 eunuchs as well as being the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years.

The complex was constructed between 1406 and 1420, covers 180 acres, and has 9,99.5 rooms. It is beautifully restored and was named a UNESCO World heritage site in 1987.