Asia – Day 21, Tuesday, October 28, 2015

Our plane wasn’t scheduled to leave until 5:05pm so we had time in the morning to sleep in a little and then go to the area of town that is the major electronic area so we got on the subway and rode two spots to the shopping area.

 It was about a 5 square block area and just jammed with every kind of electronic and game type store.  We walked around, bought a few souvenirs and then took the subway back to the hotel.

 As a shuttle bus to the airport was $60.00 and a cab was $200.00 we took a short cab ride to the airport shuttle bus location.  The only problem we had was where we were dropped off was across a huge street from the bus stop.  So, we had to roll our suitcases across the street where we met a very nice man who was responsible for loading everyone on the bus and he helped with the suitcases.

The bus ride took 1 ½ hours and then we arrived at the airport at about 3:00pm.

 On flight from Tokyo was on Japan Airlines on a new 787 and what a difference between US carriers and Japan Air.  We had great food, great service and everyone was always smiling.   We have a totally new respect and appreciation for the Japanese culture.

Tokyo is like most big cities except it is cleaner, the people are very friendly and they go out of their way to help you.  Also their transportation system works.  Other nice thing is that there is no tipping.

 

The flight from Tokyo to San Diego was 10 hours and it was on time, followed by a 3 hour flight to Dallas and finally a 2 hour flight to Bloomington and we arrived at a little past 10:00pm, right on time.  We had been up for 29 hours by the time we arrived in Bloomington.

 

 What a trip and we can’t share what we learned and saw on the trip.

 

Our morning snack on the plane - beef and rice

M

The free breakfast at the Marriott

More breakfast

and more breakfast!!

$553.58 for the new toilet seat with all the controls

Lunch before flying home

Barb's lunch before the flight

Dinner on the flight home

 

 

Asia – Day 20, Monday, October 27, 2015

             What a beautiful day it was when we awoke in Tokyo.

Ed, as usual, had breakfast while Barb got ready. 

First we went to a Buddhist Temple that on the outside showed an Indian influence and then on the inside it was all Japanese.  It was very peaceful and a lot of people were worshiping there. 

Then it was off to the gigantic Tsukiji fish market.  If you wanted to see the Tuna auction that goes on every day, you had to be one of the first 60 in line at 5:00am.  That was a little too early for us, so we missed that auction.

But we did experience one of the largest markets we have ever been to.  It also seemed like every other stall was a restaurant as well as a wholesaler of fish products.  There also were a few other vendors there but mostly they were fish vendors.

We ate samples at a lot of the booths and also purchased food as we worked our way through the stalls. 

We ate tuna, calamari, squid, a root vegetable and then what Ed liked the best was a seaweed wrapped item made up of rice and vegetables or some type of seafood.  It was really good and he had a couple of different types.

Then we took the subway to the Tokyo Tower, the largest free standing broadcasting tower in the world.  The highest we could go was to the 450 meter level, which is 1,476 feet tall.  The elevator in the tower went up 115 stories in 50 seconds – that’s fast!  Had we know how long it would take we might not have gone up the tower, but we did.  It probably took us 1 ½ hours just to get to the window to purchase the tickets.  Then you took an elevator to the 350 meter level and then purchased another ticket and another elevator to get to the 450 meter level.  On a clear day, you could see Mt. Fuji; however, it was not clear today.

Next we were back on the subway going across town to see one of the famous Shinto shrines, the Meiji Jingu Shrine.   The souls of an Emperor and Empress are enshrined here.  The gourds are massive and have approximately 100,000 trees along with some beautiful ponds and walkways.  It was a very peaceful place to be.

By then it was 5:30pm so we took the subway back to the hotel for a nap.  After an hour nap, we took the subway to a major shopping, food and entertainment area when we walked around a lot and then had dinner.

All we know for sure was that both dishes were very good.  One was very spicy; however, we finished both of them.

Then it was time to go back to the hotel for the evening.

Tomorrow we have the morning in Tokyo and then we take a shuttle bus to the airport and WE ARE COMING HOME!!

If we get a chance, we will write about tomorrow; however, if we don’t it will be because we ran out of time.

It has been a wonderful trip and can’t wait to be home.

Night from Tokyo.

Toilet seat controls

Rice, other things and seaweed



Going for a walk at the Shrine

Part of the gardens at the Shrine

Snack time

Dinner tonight

Shopping area where we ate dinner

The alter at the Shrine

 

Asia – Day 19, Sunday, October 26, 2015

There have not been many cruises where we didn’t just fly straight home and this is one of them as we are going to spend the next couple of days in Tokyo.

The good thing is that I once again have internet that is fast and is totally free.  We had free internet on the ship but only for as long as our free minutes held out so we couldn’t really “surf” the web if we needed to.  Also, the internet on the ship was terribly slow and it wasn’t Celebrities fault – it was the governments and the locations.

Enough of that – we were supposed to be off the ship by 8:10am and we were finally off at 8:30am.  We found our luggage and had a cab take us to a luggage forwarding place as it is impossible to move the amount of luggage we had by train to Tokyo.  It cost us $30.00 and they took our luggage and delivered to the hotel by 7:00pm – what a great service.

We arrived too early to check in so we checked our luggage and went out onto the street.  The hotel fronts on a major Ginza street and there was a 2 hour massive parade celebrating the major areas of Japan beginning and it passed right in front of the hotel.  So, we sat on a curb and watched the entire parade – what fun.  The first units that went by could have been any college marching band and they even were playing US music.

We ate on the street and had a fried yam for lunch.  It looked like a thick pancake with lots of “stuff” in it and was it good.

After the parade and lunch we checked into our room and it was terribly small, even though they said they had upgraded us.  We went back to the lobby and requested a larger room – and they put us in the biggest one they had, a corner room that is really nice.  Not as large as Shanghai and Beijing, but this is a Courtyard.  They do have drinks, snacks and breakfast for Platinum holders something that the US Courtyards to not have which is wonderful.

After we unpacked we took a nap.  Then we went to a major shopping area and stayed until 8:00pm and even ate at a little Japanese place.  The subway system here is really great; however, we haven’t experienced rush hour yet and that may prove to be a challenge.  We will find out tomorrow.

Tonight is being spent updating the blog and tomorrow we will have a full day of sightseeing.

Night from our first day not on the ship.

A Parade - 42nd Anniversary

More parade

Yams and contents cooking



Ed eating the cooked yams and they were good!!

Loved the heated seat!

Entrance to a large shopping - eating area



Dinner was ?? and it was good

Saw this on the street late at night.  Barb is talking to the driver

 

 

Asia – Day 18, Saturday, October 25, 2015

As we woke up you could see the port of Yokohama, our last cruise port on this trip.  Yokohama is a big industrial city and the gateway for us to get to Tokyo.

We took the free shuttle bus to the train station and boarded the train to Tokyo.  Once we got to the suburbs, we switched to a subway and came out very close to the Marriott where we were staying tomorrow.

 

It is a Courtyard; however, it doesn’t look like any Courtyard we have every stayed in before.  It will

be interesting tomorrow to see what the rooms are like.

We went in and asked the Concierge about tours, and we found out that all of the Sumo’s had finished their bouts and had left town for another town to practice in.

So after checking emails, we walked about 10 blocks to a Hop On- Hop Off bus and bought tickets for one of their rides.  While we were waiting for the bus, we had a small lunch.

The bus ride wasn’t very good although it did take us around the gardens of the Presidential Palace which were very beautiful – so cross that off our list.

By then it was time to go back to the ship so we bought return tickets and found our train.  The funny thing was that we went into a first class car and didn’t’ realize it until a conductor came by with only 3 minutes left in the trip.  She told us to go to the next car but when we opened the door, there was no way we could fit in.  Were we lucky when she took us back a car and let us stand in the middle between trains for the last couple of minutes.

It took us a little bit to find the shuttle bus but soon we were back on the dock and on the ship, after fist buying a couple of scarves at dockside.

We had a snack and then took a nap before dinner. 

As tonight is the last night of the cruise and the casino wasn’t open, we packed after dinner.

Sad but the cruise is over – now a couple of days in Tokyo and we will be home.

The next email will be from the Marriott in Tokyo.

Night from the ship.


People at the port watching the ship dock

First snack

Imperial Palace Gardens

Part of the train station

Yokohama at night from our balcony

Asking directions from a policewoman

First train ride into Tokyo





 

 

Asia – Day 17, Friday, October 24, 2015

We were able to sleep in a little as this was the day to arrive at Mt. Fuji and we would not get there until Noon.

Ed did his usual, ate and then went up on the deck and reserved a couple of lounge chairs.  Barb followed soon afterwards and we stayed on deck in a beautiful sun for the rest of the morning.

At about t 11am as we were approaching the port, the Captain came on the speaker system and announced that we could see Mt. Fuji in the distance on the left side of the ship.  There was a huge rush of people at that time. 

We went up one deck where you could see better and when Mt. Fuji came into our view it was another “Oh My Gosh” moments like when we first saw the Great Wall. 

Mt. Fuji was right there in front of us and it looked exactly like the pictures you have seen forever.   It was huge and a perfect crown of snow at the top.  The Captain said it was one of the few times that the sky was clear enough to see the mountain.

We ate lunch and cleaned up as the ship docked and then waited for a couple of hours to leave the ship. 

Basically, the only reason to be in this port is to see or go to Mt. Fuji and we found nothing interesting in town.

We had been fairly close to Mt. Fuji when we were arriving so we saw no need to take a bus to a viewing area 4 miles closer. 

We came back to the ship just in time for Geisha performance of music, dance and song.  It was pretty neat to see.  These were local Geisha and very authentic. 

We had met a lady of Korean descent at blackjack and she was a very good player.  She is of Korean origin and she and her husband live in Vancouver, Canada.  In the afternoon, she had asked us to have dinner with them so we ate with them in the specialty restaurant, The Olympic and dinner was quite good.

Maitreya and her husband Edward live in Vancouver, B.C.and travel all over buying and selling antiques and so we had a lot of fun at dinner talking to them.  They may join us on the Black Sea cruise next October.

Then we went to the evening show and it was one that we have seen before about Broadway and it was very good.

Since the casino is not open, we went back to the room to finish the blog and plan our day tomorrow when we land at Yokohama.  We don’t know yet whether we will go into Tokyo or stay in the port city.

Night

Trimming trees with small scissors

Maitreya - our blackjack friend

Mt. Fuji

Mt. Fuji - what a sight

 

 

Asia – Day 16, Thursday, October 23, 2015

We awoke to a beautiful day in Kobe.   The shuttle bus starts at 9:00am so up we were and out the door to go downtown at 9:15am.

Originally we were going to take the City Loop bus to get to our destinations but we found out that we could walk faster to our first stop, a place called the Master Garden.  It wasn’t like we anticipated so after a brief visit, we walked to the second stop looked like a couple of block but turned out to be about a mile away which was the Sorakuen Gardens.  The gardens were built on the grounds of the former Mayor of Kobe City and were very beautiful.   The annual Chrysanthemum exhibit was being held and we were amazed at the size of these flowers.   As they advertised this was a secluded oasis in the middle of the city, unchanged for over a century.

Then we took a cab to the Kobe Herb Gardens & Ropeway.  The Ropeway is actually a lift to the top of the mountain.  Along the way you pass over a lot of herb gardens that you can see if you choose to walk down the mountain.  We decided to ride down and see them from above.  At the top, there was a great display of herbs and blowers.  They advertised that there were 75,000 herbs and flowers of about 200 kinds blooming throughout the year.

Then it was time for lunch and we had chosen a restaurant that Trip Advisor ranked as the 3^rd best Kobe Beef restaurant in the city.  We did not know exactly where it was so Ed went into a nearby hotel to get the exact location written in Japanese.  We have not found any cab driver yet in Japan or Korea who spoke any English.

Cabs are cheap and after a 15 minute ride down from the mountain; we arrived at restaurant we wanted which was in the city center for $7.60.  We arrived at 12:30pm and were told there was no room without a reservation as they were full.  We pleaded that we had come all the way from the US for their food and he found a spot for us at 1:30pm.  So, we walked about, almost got lost and got back to the restaurant at 1:30m and were seated.   It was a very small restaurant that had 4 floors and seating for about 10 people on each floor.  Also each floor had a table top flat grill that two chefs stood behind cooking the meal. 

We ordered two steaks that totaled about 10 ounces and the meal came with salad and vegetables and words do not describe the experience.   The chef cooked on the grill like a typical Japanese restaurant; however, they do not do tricks with their knives like in the US – this is serious cooking at its best.

The Kobe Beef was better than advertised.  You, of course, ate with chop sticks and the beef probably could melt in your mouth.  It was an amazing dining experience.  Imagine thinking paying $120.00 for a lunch meal was worth the money – this was!!

By this time it was 2:30 and it was time to get back to the ship as it sailed at 5:00pm.  We walked to the shuttle bus, stopping along the way to visit a small Japanese Shrine.

Since the sun was hot, we went out on the deck until 4:30pm, came in showered and took a nap.

We then went to the 7:00pm show which was very good.  It was a Vietnamese woman who was a concert pianist and she put on a great performance.

For dinner, we were joined by another couple from Canada and they had been on over 100 Celebrity cruises.  They told us that there were a total of 48 couples who had been on more than 100 and that 9 of them are on this cruise. 

After dinner, it was time for the casino and our last night there as it is not permitted to be open in Japanese waters for the rest of the cruise.

For our last night, Ed was down only a couple of dollars and Barb once again was up.  Barb has, always, done an amazing job of managing her money.  There are not many people who can get up from a slot machine after winning as they tend to put it all back in.  Barb is remarkable in how she manages her winnings. 

We are now done in the casino as it will not open again on this cruise.  Out of 41 trips that we have taken where there is gambling, this was the 2^nd highest winnings so we are very, very happy.

Tomorrow we will wake up to Mt Fuji.

Kobe Beef - #3 in Kobe for lunch



The view from the top

 

That's Kobe Beef - WOW was it good!!

Lunch of Kobe Beef

 

A snack on the street

Amazing flowers

Going up the mountain

Of course she loves it!!

Our last formal night




 

 

Asia – Day 15, Wednesday, October 22, 2015

Barb slept in while Ed had breakfast and went to the future cruise desk and booked two cruises.

The first one that we booked starts October 12, 2015, for 11 nights.   We will visit the Black Sea, starting in Istanbul, Turkey and going to Burgas, Bulgaria, Sochi, Russia, Sevastopol, Yalta and Odessa, Ukraine and back to Istanbul.

The second cruise we booked is January 3, 2016 and is South America.  We will start in Buenos Aires, Argentina and visit Uruguay, Argentina, and Chile including Cape Horn.  It is a 14 night cruise.

Kobe is the 5^th largest city in Japan and of course their claim to fame is Kobe Beef.  We have been told a lot about it and it will be fun experiencing it.  We found out that they message the cows and give them Sake and a typical famer only has 5 cows at a time because of the “hands-on” care that they give the cows.  A really big farmer might have 15 cows. 

At noon we arrived in the port of Kobe, Japan.  We will be here overnight and leave tomorrow at 5:00pm.  As this is our first stop in Japan, we had to wait for customs and immigrations to clear everyone.  We finally left the ship at 1:30pm which was earlier than we expected. 

We took the free shuttle for a 10 minute ride to the center of town where we went into two huge indoors shopping malls.  The problem here is that they do not negotiate – so what is the fun in shopping!

Then we took the 1 hour city loop tour so that we could see where all of the sights that we wanted to see where.  The tour cost $2.42 each on a cute little trolly!

After that we went looking for somewhere with a lot of Japanese who were eating.  We found a neat little place and ordered something with Kobe beef and a lot of veggies.  It was good.

We walked around a little more and then took the shuttle back to the ship.

Then we saw the lounge show which was two singers from the ship’s group and they were really good.

Because the casino is not open, that is all for tonight and tomorrow we will have a big day in Kobe.

Night from Kobe.

 

On the tour bus

 

Directing traffic!!

 

Another dinner meal of ???

 

Where we ate dinner

Asia – Day 14, Tuesday, October 21, 2015

This was our last sea day and when we woke up, the sky was partially cloudy and the temperature was warm. 

 Ed had breakfast and went up on the pool deck and saved some chairs and Barb slept for a little bit longer and then joined him.

Relaxing is hard work but we managed to do it until lunch time and then we went to eat in the Aqua Spa.  Then we stayed out for another hour before coming in and cleaning up to go to the casino.

The casino had a slot tournament at 2:00pm and we did not even qualify for the finals so we both played, Barb on slots and Ed Blackjack.  The great thing is that we both won.

 We found out today that because of Japanese laws, we will only play tonight and after 10 two nights from now as we leave Kobe.   If we are very careful we are going to leave the ship with some great winnings.  Wish us luck!!

Then we went back to the room to rest before heading to the lounge to see the act for the evening.

 The lounge act was a pair of acrobats, she having won an Olympic metal and they were probably very good; however, we have seen this type of act before and were a little bored.

 Then it was time for the casino and Barb came out even, which is great for the slots.  Ed on the other hand had his second losing session so it wasn’t the outcome we would have wanted. 

Tomorrow we arrive at Kobe, Japan for two days – it should be fun.

Night for now.
 

Asia – Day 13, Monday, October 20, 2015

Jeju Island, Korea is supposed to be the Hawaii of the Korean country.  To us, it looked just like another big city except it was an island.  We were to arrive at 1:00pm and before that we slept late, had breakfast and then went to the casino.

At the casino, Ed had a great session and Barb broke even.  Then we had lunch before getting ready to go off the ship.

At 1:00pm we left the ship and took the free shuttle bus into the town.  We first went to the huge Dongum Fisheries Market and the Dongum Traditional Market.  In a kitchen supply store we bought some kitchen utensils and just walked around.   In the fish market we saw a lot of products that we had no idea what they were.  Also, they had a lot of one type of fish that the meat had been taken out of the fish and they were selling the skin.  Lots and lots of crabs and lobsters.

On our way back to the shuttle bus stop, we stopped at a very large underground shopping complex.  The amazing thing is that it was all underground and had 280 stores!  Jeju has not subways and it looked like it was a former subway station with additional tunnels.

We then took a cab back to the ship to lie out in the sun for an hour.  Then it was time for a nap.

We took a cab to another area of the island where there was the most crowed and congested place full of people for shopping and entertainment with lots of places to eat.

This shopping area was a large street and for about 10 blocks they had block off a lot the traffic.  We found a Korean restaurant and ordered something to eat that we thought had meat and strange noodles.   It was very, very spicy but tasted pretty good.

After walking the street and buying some things, we took a cab back to the ship, arriving at about 8:45pm.   Ed was still hungry so we went up to the buffet and had a snack.

The ship sailed at 10:00pm and we went to the casino right away.

Barb played in a $1.00 for a minute slot tournament and while she won one of the sessions, she did not win the grand prize.  Later what Barb was playing her favorite slot machine, she hit a jackpot.

Ed then had a very good evening to go with his good day at Blackjack.

All-in-all it was a very good day.

Tomorrow is our last sea day and we are in our last week. 

Shoe store on Jeju

JeJu Fish Market

Pork at the market on JeJu

McDonalds delivery on JeJu

Crab and lobster at the fish market on JeJu



Dinner in JeJu