Last day in Tokyo and little tidbits and tipss for travel to Japan 5 September 2026 Day 19

 I write this ensconced in our home office back in New Zealand. There is one more day to add to our travel memories, and also several little things that happened along the journey that I haven't included in past posts.

Also, I have a few tips for those who may be travelling to Japan at some stage, some of which were invaluable for us!

Okay, last day. We had planned to take a cruise transfer from Yokohama to Narita Airport, which is around a one-and-a-half-hour drive. Then we were to stow our cases in airport lockers and travel by the airport shuttle to the Shisui Outlet Mall, where we would spend a few hours before returning to the airport to await our 8 pm flight.

On the 'eve of the eve' of our departure from the ship, we received a letter suggesting we may like to change our airport transfer to an excursion around Tokyo, and then be delivered to the airport. This actually sounded like a good plan; we were concerned that the airport lockers could be full, and as with most cruises, we would be off the ship in the early morning and be sitting at the airport for hours upon hours. 

So at 7:45 a.m., after a last breakfast at the buffet, we headed off on the tour. Remember, we had spent three nights in Tokyo at the beginning of our trip, but were on foot or train for most of the time. So viewing parts of Tokyo on a tour bus gave us a whole new perspective, and we really enjoyed the drive from Yokohama and around parts of Tokyo. 

Our first stop was Meiji Jingu a famous Shinto shrine in central Tokyo surrounded by a massive 70-hectare man-made forest. The forest was really beautiful, and I forgot to add that the temperature was a cool 24 degrees Celsius, and it was blissful to walk around unencumbered by my UV umbrella (yes, I bought one early on in the trip) and sun hat. The shrine was nice, but was a bit like the Sistine Chapel in that there were security guards shushing people!

Our next and final stop was back in Asakusa, where we had been on our very first day in Japan. The Sensoji Temple is located here, and loads of market streets. Lance chose to stay on the bus, and I wandered in with the guide. Being a Sunday it was heaving! Fortunately my 'overwhelmed and shocked' levels had been tried and tested over the last couple of weeks, but if this had been our first day, I would have been pretty uncomfortable. 

Back on board the bus a few blocks away there was something missing. Yes, Lance had gone for a wander, thinking that we would be gone a lot longer. He had gone looking for a restroom and stopped and bought a couple of egg sandwiches (a must-try if you are ever here). I felt a little uncomfortable when we all had to sit and wait for him, but 'Find my Lance' on my phone reassured me that he was close by, and soon we were off, and he had to share his sandwiches with me!

At Narita airport we only had a couple of hours until we could check in, so we trundled around and found something to eat. There are loads of eateries, and we enjoyed some really great food with our cases parked by the counter. It's Japan! Things are safe! And safe they were and still where we left them when we left the restaurant. 

There is quite a little shopping centre at the airport, so the time flew by and soon we were perched in the "Turkish Airport Lounge", drinking Italian bubbles and wrestling with our flight socks. 

Air New Zealand has a choice of three lounges, and the Turkish Lounge was closest to our gate, and it was very nice.

The flight home was uneventful, which I guess is always a good thing!

A few bits and pieces:

At a couple of hotel lobbies I have noticed the carpet being swept. Not with a carpet sweeper or broom, but with a sticky roller like you use to get the lint off your clothes! Brilliant!

When we were on board the ship and dining at the Crown Grill, there happened to be a birthday, so of course the song was sung. As soon as the group started singing, both Lance and I winced; they were so flat, and it was a relief when they finished. An elderly American man, who shall be known as Jimmy because we later found that was his name, was sitting at a table close to us and said, “They really need to go to Happy Birthday singing classes!” 

A bit later in the evening the staff arrived at his table with the special birthday dessert. Before they started to sing, Jimmy said, "Hold on there, I hope you can sing better than that last lot!" It was so funny, and fortunately the singing was much better.

Early on in our cruise Lance was at the counter ordering a lunchtime beer when he accidentally pushed in front of a girl he thinks may have been 11 or twelve years old.  After apologising, he asked, "How's your cruise going?" 

She pursed her lips, looked left and right, and said, "This is my third ice cream today!" I guess when you are 11 or 12 ice cream and stuff are right up there!

When we were eating at one of the cruise restaurants the waiter came with his little rubber scraper and swept our crumbs into the palm of his hand. And then he said, "This is for the bread pudding tomorrow!' What a hoot!

Most evenings we have enjoyed some sort of musical entertainment, and as with other cruises we have been on there are people who bring their dancing shoes, not the disco platforms of our day, but proper ballroom dancing. We love watching them, and some are really accomplished. Imagine our surprise when a solo pianist was playing a few jazz numbers and a young guy got up and started tap dancing; I mean, it was full-on tap dancing, he could have been Fred Astaire! He was very good, but it did feel a little, hmmmm, how to say it? Odd?

Travel Tips for Japan

Before leaving New Zealand we downloaded the Suica app. This is a card that you load money onto to use for trains, subways, buses, and monorails. Also, convenience stores, vending machines, and station lockers. When entering the station you don't have to open your iPhone or iphone wallet, you just tap your phone, and it works. Loading the money was simple, but a word of warning. Use a credit card and not Wise Card, as Wise didn't work for Lance.

Taxis are abundant. If the light inside the passenger window is red, then they are empty; just raise your hand, and they will stop. But DON'T open the door; they do it automatically, even the non-sliding doors open automatically. And they shut automatically as well! Can you imagine how hard it was to get out of the car and not shut the door behind you! You can get the 'Go' app to order a taxi. We were told that Uber was not great in Japan and was the same price as taxis.

If you are shopping for clothes and want to try them on you must take your shoes off in the fitting room. There is a raised step as you enter the cubicle, and it is very easy to trip on it, just saying.

Take a coin purse! Coins are abundant and we used them often. 

We used Holafly for our eSIM, and it was brilliant. We had unlimited data for 3 weeks and it didn't skip a beat. AN eSIM is essential and worked out cheaper than daily roaming.

Don't wear dangly earrings in hot, humid climates because they will stick to the side of your neck; yes, this is a personal experience of mine and not a good look.

And the last tip is that when you are cruising you have usually printed out your bag tags before leaving home and need to staple them onto your case handles. I found this dinky little stapler at Warehouse Stationery in New Zealand, so it didn't take any extra luggage weight (always a consideration). 

Actually, we were underweight with our cases; I feel like a failure! But we made it up in our personal weight gain!

We loved Japan; the buzz, the culture, and the innovation were mind-boggling.  We even saw a wheelchair at the airport taking itself off somewhere all by itself! We can't wait to come back here!

Sayonara for now, and thanks for coming with us!

A day at sea and Shimizu ( Mt Fuji) 3 & 4 August Days 17 & 18

Because we had a day at sea coming up and no one needed to get up early we had booked into Frescobaldi Tuscan Wine matching at Sabatini’s for dinner, as mentioned previously. Usually when you attend a dinner with wine matching you get one glass of the course showcase wine, but in this case they just kept topping it up until the next tasty drop was presented. Hence the slow start!

The previous night saw a bit of sway in the ship, nothing terrible but it was noticeable as all of our days and nights have been like sliding through jelly.

Several evenings ago we meet Cath and Kim, not the actual Cath and Kim from the telly, but these two ladies are Australian and are called Cath and Kim and have been friends since they were five years old. We met them when Lance was looking at some photos that the ship photographer had taken of us and Kim leaned over and said, “Where’d you get her from, you’re batting above your weight.” My reply would have been “Should have gone to Spec Savers!” But Lance struck up a conversation and we have since bumped into them several times. They told us that they were doing a pub crawl on the day at sea and to meet at the pop up Irish Pub at mid-day to join them and some others. Well we turned up at O’Malley’s just after twelve and ordered lunch and a pint of Guinness. After a while I checked my messages on the ship app and they had a big night the night before and were still in bed, and the pub crawl was off! So we just lazed around the place for the rest of the day.

We have chatted with loads of of really lovely people on board. Most of the people have been Australian and there are few kiwis, but maybe that is because we talk to anyone!

The following day we were to stop at the port of Shimizu where we should be able to see Mt Fuji. It was a cloudyish morning so after breakfast I wandered forward to the bow to see if she was finally out of her cloudy cover, as we have passed her twice whilst on the bulletin train and she was hiding. Walking out onto starboard side I gasped out loud; there she was, a little bit hazy but still in full view. In fact we could see her from our own balcony!

Mt Fuji

Our tour that day was to take us to a tea ceremony in 

Gyokuro-no-sato which is about 40 minutes from the port. The drive took us into the hills past little clusters of houses with vege gardens in almost every yard. In many points there were huge bridge expressways flying over tiny villages so we had a bird’s eye view! Tunnels also took us through the hillsides, some going on for kilometres.

Finally we stopped in a small village and were taken to the tea house. Shoes off and many were relieved to see that we were to sit on chairs rather than on the mats. Three grandmas looked after us in their beautiful kimono and our guide translated for them. The ceremony was short but we loved it and it was really special. And I was amazed how the little nanas were kneeling on the mats and got up and down without any grunting noises or the need to pull themselves up on something! There is something to be said about drinking your tea at floor level!

There was also a pretty little Japanese garden and once again the fish came flying to the surface  as I stood at the edge of the pond, no food from me!

Our next stop was a pine forest that for us was quite ordinary as we have many similar at home. So we nipped off to a little sushimi restaurant by the car park and gobbled down some delicious tuna, salmon and what looked like white bait. There was only one person in the kitchen and he looked about 99 so obviously well practiced!

This was the first time that our cabin was alongside the port as at all other stops we were on the sea side. Each time we left a port we would sit on our little balcony and watch the tug and the pilot boat manoeuvre us out from the dock. At Shimizu we were alongside the port and could watch the goings on as we prepared to set sail. We noticed that the customs men were still at attention and one kept walking out to look towards the car park. All aboard time was 5:30pm and at 5:55 a cheer went up from all passengers on their starboard balconies as someone coming running at full speed around the corner! They were quick to get things sorted because at 6:05 we were on our way. 

As we left, all of the stall holders, customs people, traffic wardens etc. lit up their phone torches and waved us off. It was so lovely, and then over the loud speaker from the port was a good bye in Japanese and English and BANG! There were fireworks! It was marvellous and extra special because it was our last port.

We packed up before dinner as our cases need to be outside our cabin before 9pm. Home tomorrow!

 

Busan Sth Korea and Nagasaki 31 August, 1 & 2 September Days 14,15 and 16

​The last day of August saw us sliding through the Kannon Straights which was a day ‘at sea’. It was lovely to be able to sleep in and relax for the day spending time at the pool and generally just being slothful. 

We had made reservations for dinner at Sabatini’s before leaving NZ. Which meant that we would have to pay a small amount for dinner. The ship offers several dining options that are included in your fare, and they have all been very nice. But on this trip we have enjoyed several of the other restaurants which are also very nice. We enjoyed our Italian at Sabatini’s so much that we rebooked for their Frescobaldi Tuscan experience with wine matching in a couple of days.

Arriving in Busan Korea the shoreline was in contrast to what we have been experiencing when approaching the port.  

Extremely tall buildings towered along the hillsides. Everything had a very ‘new’ look to it. 

There was no relief from the heat and humidity, but our guide told us that we were lucky because only two weeks previously the temperature averaged at 42 degrees celsius!

Our first top was Songdo Skywalk which is a 365 metre bridge that walks out over the ocean providing lovely views of Songdo Beach. 

A bronze whale statue emerges from the sea 

Songdo beach was the first beach that was open to the public in Korea. Opening in 1930 it was a time when Korea was ruled by Japan, and that meant that only Japanese people could access the beach, no Koreans allowed! Japan occupied Korea from 1910 to 1945 when Japan surrendered in WW2 bringing an end to its rule over Korea.

The bridge was really nice and there is also a cable car that takes you from one side of the basin to the other across the water to another sky walk. Unfortunately we didn’t get to do this.

Our next stop was Gamcheon Cultural Village which was located in the nearby hills. The drive was not very far, but our bus had to negotiate very narrow windy roads. Our driver was quite an aggressive driver and I can’t count how many times he tooted at others and how many tooted at him for cutting in! Even the tour guide gasped a couple of times at his driving!

There was also a real difference in the vehicles in Busan compared to what we have seen in Japan. Japan has loads and loads of small chubby van like cars, the sort of thing that Postman Pat might drive. In Busan the cars were all large and sleek and expensive looking. In the short time we were there I saw three Bentleys.

Up in the foothills the houses change from very tall apartment blocks to quaint colourful house crammed together and perched on the hillside. You could almost imagine that you were in the Mediterranean. 

The Cultural Village was actually not particularly ‘cultural’ it had a narrow road lined with small shops that mainly had touristy stuff. And the place was packed! One highlight was the ‘outdoor air conditioning’ which had ist coming from pipes and actually was really cool, cool in a temperature manner!

Cooling system. 

I had a bit of a problem with sweat running into my eyes and it got so bad that I couldn’t see! That and the glare had me incapacitated for a short time. Finally I found a better hat that had more of a sweat band in the brim and … it is a visor, so no hat hair!

The next stop was the fish market back down by the port, we all trudged through, probably interrupting the daily lives of locals coming to buy their seafood. It. was much like any other outdoor fish market we have been to in the past. 

Fish drying in the sun. No flies!!!

Cuttlefish 

Finally our guide took us to the normal markets where she just walked us through so even if there was something you might be interested in you couldn’t really stop. So we peeled off with another couple of ladies and found a lovely air conditioned coffee shop with wifi and clean toilets. And there we sat until it was time to meet the bus!

Nagasaki

The next morning we awoke as we were cruising into Nagasaki. 

Our tour this day was a nice short tour of only 3 hours and it took us to the main event for us. The Peace Memorial Park and Museum and Ground Zero.

The beauty of a tour is not just being escorted and driven, it is also being the receiver of lots of information about the history and the area today.

Nagasaki was hit with a plutonium nuclear bomb on the 9th of August 1945, just 4 days after Hiroshima was hit with the uranium atomic bomb. Because of the more hilly terrain the impact from the bomb did not spread as widely, however it still managed to kill more than 70,000 people and then another 70,000 died as a result of injuries and illness. 

We both enjoyed the Nagasaki museum more than Hiroshima, even though it was more graphic. Both museums have thousands and thousands of paper cranes (origami) hanging as a tribute to the small girl,l, Sadako Sasaki was a survivor of Hiroshima at 2 years old but succumbed to accuse leukaemia at 11. She made 1000 paper cranes in accordance with Japanese legend to grant her a wish to get well. She has become a symbol of peace and hope and school children still make 1000 paper cranes and hang them in her honour.

Walking up from Ground Zero (a park at the bomb epi centre), back to the Peace Memorial Park many statues had been erected from different countries in support of peace. One caught our eye because it looked like a giant cheese grater, it said ‘Remember winter, spring’s welcome consolation’ then I saw more writing and it was in te reo Maori! It was our tribute, and then I noticed it was made up of little kōwhai flowers!  It was certainly quite special to be so far from home and find a little bit of us.

Back on board we lounged by the pool with a beer and pina colada! The Frescobaldi Tuscan dinner that we had booked was delicious, as were the wines, but not the grappa! And we toddled off to bed ready for a sleep in as we have another day at sea tomorrow!

​Hiroshima 30 August Day 13

This cruise was chosen because it called into Hiroshima. many of the others don’t stop here so we were very happy to be able to make it happen.

The morning started with a bus trip to the ferry terminal for a quick ride to Miyajima Island which by chance is yet another World Heritage UNESCO Site. Two rules of Miyajima Island - you can’t die here and you can’t be born here!

Miyajima is the site of the Itsukushima Shrine. The shrine will be meaningless to most of us, but the torii or gate is very recognisable and we were fortunate that the tide was in a perfect position to present the torii like it is floating on the water. The shrine itself is a bit different as it also sits over the water and is very open and light. 

The boardwalk through the shrine takes you back to the wee market where tourist items and food are for sale and it is quite a peaceful place. There are also deer here, and we were warned that they may not be as tame as the deer at Nara. They will eat anything, I suppose like goats, and to watch your belongings as they will chew on a backpack strap or anything else available.

This deer had its head stuck in the automatic doors. The shop owner seemed unfazed and fed it something. But I guess he won’t get many customers!

A drinking trough outside a shop. 

The place was sweltering and I took my hat off to try and ventilate and one of the ladies on our tour came by and the look on her face said everything! “I know,” she said. “I don’t know why we bother,” she said as she stroked her dead straight hair. Curly hair does not go well with hats on any day, but mix in intense humidity and sweat; well, I was a mess! And yes the hat went back on for the rest of the day even though I felt very rude at lunch being at the table with a hat on!

After another traditional Japanese lunch at a hotel we were off to Hiroshima, but not before Lance managed a screen by screen update of the Warriors game! Another win!

Hir ‘o’ shima with a short vowel o sound like in orange or hir ‘oh’ shima with a long vowel o sound like the letter o? Our guide instructed us that it is the first option when spoken in Japanese.

Our first stop was the Atomic Bomb Dome, such a recognisable building. It was explained that even though it was at the epicentre of the explosion it managed to stay somewhat intact due to a few factors. On August the 6th 1945 at 8:15 the Americans flew over the area. A bridge that is t shaped is right beside the building and that was an easily recognisable target. The bomb was detonated 600 metres above land and the because the building was made of concrete and was at the epicentre that radiated outwards it’s main structure managed to survive. The blast radiated in a 3 kilometre radius killing approximately 70,000 to 80,000 people. The number cannot be exact because all of the records were destroyed in the blast. It was particularly devastating because the city of Hiroshima lays on the flat and the blast was not obstructed by any natural formations. The heatwave that sped across the terrain was 4000 degrees celsius!

I found this information interesting 

Any survivors were thought of as ‘untouchable’ because so many died after falling ill later on and also anybody visiting the city would often become sick with cancer etc. So after suffering such a terrible fate they were still isolated. 

It was a very sobering place, and I thought that I would feel more emotional than I did, but it was also a place filled with hope. 

We arrived back to the ship at around 6pm and were shattered! It was shower and then a cold beer for me!

Tomorrow is a day at sea and we are looking forward to a sleep in and a relaxing day as we head to South Korea.