Toba 27 August Day 10

​The morning view when we awoke was of Toba, a small town known for Mikimoto Island and its pearls and an aquarium. We chose to spend our time in Toba independently and had not opted into any excursions. 

Excursions available from Princess Cruises are generally pricey, but you know that they will be of high quality, and the ship will not leave until all of their own excursions have returned. If you partake in an activity that you have arranged independently and you are delayed, you run the risk of waving goodbye to your ship from the wharf!

Toba is the only destination on this cruise that has a harbour too shallow to allow the ship to dock, so we were shuttle to and from by tender. As always the wait for the tender is lengthy but we were seated in the explorers lounge where were comfortable.

Yep you guessed it, I in no way used this! My old knees may have got down but I would have never have got back up!

There really wasn’t much to see, a free loop bus was provided and we hopped off at the aquarium which was a well organised and modern aquarium. But you know, it is just really sad looking at these creatures that should be swimming freely. Especially the larger species like sharks and porpoises. I don’t mind it when they have rescued a creature who would otherwise have perished, but not just for viewing. 

Perfect ice cream that was very difficult to eat before it melted at 34 degrees celsius 

Waiting for the tender back to the ship Princess Cruises staff handed out ice cold clothes which were welcomed by all!

Our dinner was had at Kai Sushi; we chose the set menu that gave us a selection of delectable sushi treats. Sitting next to us were a British couple and the man will be forever know to us as ‘wasabi Steve’, in fact we  have seen him a couple of times since then and said “Gidday wasabi Steve!”

We got talking when his wife was giggling uncontrollably and he was sitting with a very red face and eyeballs bulging. This was his first time partaking in Sushi and he had … you know what is coming don’t you? Yes, the wasabi! About a small teaspoon full straight into his gob! Poor bugger! And being his first time he wouldn’t know that the wasabi burn quickly abates, not like chilli. 

We are still sussing out which entertainment is right for us and have found a couple of bands that we enjoy.

Just a few things to add that I have been collecting to tell you:

In Tokyo they had glassed in areas along the street where people need to go if they need to smoke. And they are pretty crowded at times.

Cakes come in packets. All of the convenience stores and tourist shops have them, mainly in small boxes. It takes me back to a time years ago at Brisbane airport when Dillon spotted a young Japanese couple with a packet of Betty Crocker cake mix. They obviously had bought it at a supermarket thinking that they would have something to snack on whilst waiting for their flight.

We watched them carefully open the top of the box and instead of some wee foil wrapped cakes there was cake powder! They were pretty confused, but consumed it by dipping their fingers into the box!

I have previously mentioned the young ladies dressed in Lolita fashion and some with a steam punk vibe. Another thing I have noticed that many girls wear exactly the same clothes. I mean exactly, down to their earrings, bracelet, handbag, everything! This is obviously a well planned exercise before leaving home!

Managed to snap this cute young lady. And fortunately don’t need to blur her face. But she did have incredible makeup and an eye patch that was for show. 

Bowing: we knew that in many Asian cultures bowing is part of the custom; we have been overwhelmed and humbled with the bows presented to us. And the quality of the bows! When the attendant shows you to the elevator in the hotel as the doors close they give a deep bow. The shuttle driver from the Westin Hotel in Osaka gave a deep bow at the front of the bus before taking their seat to drive, and the attendant manning the shuttle station also gave us a beautiful bow as the bus left.

When we left the gorgeous Wagyu beef restaurant in Kyoto (you know, the one with 14 meaty courses) the two guys in charge of everything came out onto the street and bowed as our taxi drove away. It is just such a lovely and special thing!

It just encapsulates the way that the Japanese people provide hospitality like nowhere that we have been before. 

Yokohama 25 & 26 August Day 8 & 9

 

Once again we used the luggage transfer service for our larger cases. They measure and weigh the cases and the cost was 5,700 JPY (approx $57 NZD). This made for an easier trip for us from Shin Osaka to Shin Yokohama.

If you are travelling from Osaka by bullet train you need to know that Osaka Station is not the station where the Shinkansen leave from, you need to go to Shin Osaka which is about four kilometres from Osaka station. This could be an easy mistake to be made. 

The nose of the bullet train is modelled on the nose of the kingfisher bird for aerodynamics. Just like the kingfisher’s beak transitions smoothly from air to water, the Shinkansen transitions smoothly through tunnels eliminating a sonic boom that would occur due to the speed as it enters. Like a huge piston pushing a wave of compressed air in front of it.

Our journey went without a hitch, although we did get there an hour early just in case!

Arriving in Yokohama our Taxi dropped us to the Intercontinental Yokohama Grand and what a spectacular location. The view from our room would have to be one of the best we have ever had.

A large ship leaving the port and making way for our ship to berth in the morning.

Not much was happening along the harbour front and many of the shops and restaurants were closed, so after a sweaty stroll we were fed and watered at our hotel overlooking the harbour. They do have New Zealand wine here on the room service menu. It is the first that I have seen, most restaurants have had a house red and a house white. In the bar the New Zealand wine was not on offer but I did enjoy a nice Chilean drop.

Our luggage hadn’t arrived when we got here which made us a little nervous as we were departing on our cruise the following morning. I felt assured though when I checked with the concierge who very calmly told me that of course it would be with us by that evening because the delivery date said today. Japan runs like clockwork! And sure enough in a couple of hours the bags arrived.

Look at the size of this tag! This is a normal size case, but it looks Lilliputian with the tag on it!

26 August 

This morning Lance woke me at 5am to look out the window and from our bed the beautiful sun rise streamed in. 

 And not long after our ship, the Diamond Princess, slipped under the Yokohama Bay Bridge.

Bad news though, this actually wasn’t our ship! Ours arrived whilst we were at breakfast! 

We have been on the Diamond Princess once before in Malaysia, so hopefully the layout will spring back into our memory and we will instantly feel at home. Our request for an upgrade was granted  before we left New Zealand and we paid an extra $100 for a slightly larger balcony. So we pack up this morning for the last time until it is time to go home.

At breakfast this morning in the hotel I observed a Japanese gentleman dining by himself. My attention was drawn towards him due to the array of small bowls that he had in front of him, at first count there were 12 bowls all filled with different things. Part way through his breakfast he left the table and I spotted more bowls and dishes, 18 in total. On returning to the table he stood and was picking at his shirt until he peeled off two pieces of  sticky tape. Sitting back down he got the two sets of chop sticks that he had left the table to get and taped them together to form a cross. He asked the waitress to get him a glass, and then stood the cross in the glass. He then took the red napkin, crumpled it and tore it into a long strip, then formed a frilly sort of frame around a white coaster, folded it in half and hung it over one side of the chopstick cross. It was fascinating. All this happened with intermittent snacks from the variety of food in the many bowls. I would love to know the significance of this! But wait there’s more … he went and got more food, we left when he had twenty small dishes of food!

Back in our room we packed up we taxied to the Osanbashi cruise terminal and joined our fellow travellers who were being herded in the most effective way into the boarding area. Our allotted time for boarding was between 12 and 2pm but as usual we were early and in no way the first there. After slipping through the processes our lot number was called and before we knew it we were on board!

Princess cruises have done away with cards for entry and charges, we were issued with a medallion. This can hang around your neck in a lanyard or you can buy other more convenient apparatus to hold it like watch straps, but I haven’t found where to buy them yet.

The medallion scans you on and off the boat, unlocks your door as you approach it, adds your drinks and purchases to your tab, and if you order a drink or snack it lets the waiter locate you on the ship for delivery. Another improvement since we last cruised is the app which gives you all of the info you need, including your own bookings and itinerary and a messaging function for friends on board. 

Included in our passage is the ‘Princess Plus’ package which gives us wifi, that is not the usual laggy wifi, and up to 15 drinks a day! Previously we haven’t bothered with packages but this is really worthwhile. 

Our room is compact but adequate and the extra $100 for an upgrade to a larger balcony was well worth it. The smaller balconies have no privacy as people above can look down on you, ours does have people looking down, but only for a portion, the rest is private, so I am sitting out here in the nuddy typing this. JOKING! I’m in my swimsuit.

We booked dinner at the Crown Grill for our first night, which does incur a small cost, and it was delicious.

Lance’s steak tartare being unveiled in a swirl of smoke. And the bread was delicious too! 

The ocean so far is calm and we slept to the very subtle sway of the sea as the ship cut through the waters to our first destination.

Namba 24 August Day 7

Namba is a short train trip from Umeda where we are staying. It is known as the entertainment and shopping hub and we were making our way to Sennichimae the cookware shopping street.

Our instructions for the train were to jump on the red line, easy! That is where we were yesterday and we knew just where to go in the station to get that. Without any problems we navigated our way to the red line platform 1 and jumped on the train. As soon as we left Osaka station I looked at the electronic board showing the track destinations and with sinking heart realised this was not the correct train. The lady that I asked who was sitting next to me had no English but jumped up to retrieve assistance from a young Japanese man. Unfortunately he didn’t have enough English so I motioned that I should get off and go back to Osaka station and he nodded. So that is just what we did. 

In the meantime I realised that we did need to catch the red line from platform 1, but not from Osaka station and not the loop line. We needed to catch the Midosuji line from Umeda station. This actually was not a huge problem because Osaka and Umeda station merge into each other, so it is right next door. 

On to the train were jumped and as always, it is a relief to see your destination on the electronic board!

Namba is a really nice place with a really modern vibe of offices and department stores. Surprisingly there are little alleys off to the side in some places and that is where we found ‘Kitchen Street’. It would be easy to buy too much here, many of the ceramic ware is very similar to what we can get in Asian stores in Auckland. We did come across some really lovely and more authentic ceramics, but transportation needed to be considered. Our main goal was to buy some Japanese knives and it was difficult to chose a store as there were many. Our decision was made by a westerner standing at the front of the store and without saying anything to each other we both entered. He was American and very helpful, and of course we purchased knives. The knives come in carbon, carbon/ stainless and fully stainless. Each have there own attributes, but we have been watching a lot of YouTube on Japanese knives and decided that stainless steel would serve us best.

Part of the knife buying experience was watching them wrap the knives! They were carefully placed in a sheath and into a box and carefully wrapped with perfection, and a way that I couldn’t replicate! I did ask our young chap if part of learning about knives was origami training!

Stopping for a coffee at Tulleys (a Coffee Club style chain) I had to use the rest room which was located on an upper level of the mall. I located it okay and I soon as I walked in the waterfall noise started, I assume to camouflage any embarrassing toilet noises. Unfortunately it turned itself off before my embarrassing noises started. I did my business only to find that the ‘flush’ was somewhere undercover? I must have spent 5 minutes staring at the toilet, and scanning instructions. In the meantime I could hear people outside waiting for their turn. I just could not find anything to push, pull or twist. I was even poking things on the back of the toilet that were knobs holding the whole thing together!

Finally I had to admit defeat, I felt so bad leaving the loo, as it was a bit more than a wee! As I walked out of the cubicle I heard a flush behind me. Hoping it was from my cubicle I quickly washed my hands and exited as fast as possible.

On my return Lance decided that he needed to use the restroom as well. I explained my situation and with glasses and phone he went off to do business.

When he came back he showed me this. I thought it was just the speaker for the waterfall noise! I think that Air New Zealand should add ‘Restroom instructions’ to their inflight information videos!

Back at hotel we had thought that we wold partake in the ‘High Tea’ that we had seen the previous day, but unfortunately we needed to book the day before, so we thought we wold just wait until dinner. I am sure we won’t waste away having missed 1 scoffy meal!

Lance found an Irish Pub that appeared to be very close to the station. We are ready for some familiar tucker, so after a rest off we went by Hotel shuttle to the station to find our dinner. 

The place that he was looking for was not at the station, actually it may have been close by but we couldn’t cross the road. We had to back track to find an over bridge and eventually after 1.5 kms google maps told us we were there. I know that it was 1.5 is because my Apple Watch thought that I was out walking for exercise! Google had taken us down a little alley once again filled with eateries, this ally also provided bars with ‘girls’! We knew that we were at the spot but there was no Blarney Stone Irish Pub sign anywhere. However there was a corridor to a lift and sure enough right out of sight was a sign to go to the 6th floor.

A heavy wooden door had minimal signage but we opened it and inside was a very rustic bar. It looked like the sort of place that goes off some nights and had a platform for a band and the Irish owner was walking around chatting to the few patrons that were arriving. But after a plate of nachos and a drink we decided that we would go back to the hotel and have a drink and something to eat from the bar. Only to find that the bar was closed on Mondays!

This sculpture is over the road from our hotel. It is made up of people! 

So it was a 7 Eleven dinner for us! I chose a wee bottle of red wine, there was one other choice and it was red wine in a milk carton type vessel. 

Back to our room Lance put on some music and we dined on fried chicken and an egg sandwich for Lance and some custard pudding (which was delicious) and a sweet something that had mochi balls that were inedible but a treacle sauce that was lovely on the custard pudding. We also had a pineapple bun that we spat out after one bite.

All in all a culinary disaster day. In fact unsurprisingly I poured the  down the sink and had some of Lance’s beer. The haul from 7 Eleven cost us the equivalent of $26 NZD Beer and wine included!

We are off to Yokohama tomorrow on the Shinkasen  (Bulletin Train)!

Osaka 23 August Day 6

 Today the plan was to get up early and get to Osaka Castle before the crowds and before the heat really set in. Unfortunately the hotel shuttle to the station doesn’t start until 10am which forced us into a slow start and that wasn't too bad as we are a bit worn out. 

After a sumptuous hotel breakfast overlooking the lovely hotel garden we set off for the station. 

In my last post I said that after the very big and busiest in the world station in Shinjuku we were managing the stations easily. Bha, bha, bha (sounds like doom filled movie music) we really struggled to find our way today. 

The instructions seemed easy, jump on the Osaka loop line to Osakajokoen Station. We wanted to make sure that we were entering the station from the correct side to make it easier. Well we went backwards and forward looking for the red loop line, it was hot and crowded and we must have wasted 40 minutes. Finally we decided to tap in through any gate and as soon as we were in we saw the loop sign and went straight to the platform! It doesn’t stop there … 

Google AI told us platform 1 and we jumped on the train, only to quickly realise that we were looping in the wrong direction. So off we got and jumped on the next train that finally got us there successfully!

Osaka Castle is in a huge park and we had seen that the park had a touristy road train that can take you to the castle. Tickets were purchased and along came the train and it was packed! It was very much like the train that used to take you on a ride around Auckland zoo but had more carriages.

We were directed to the only two places available and slide in next to another couple. Well the train lady could hardly close the door! We were jammed in like sweaty sardines! 

At the castle we had to walk up and over the moat, then further up to the entry. We were undecided about whether we would actually go inside and once we saw the long queue waiting in the heat we decided to just view it from the outside. 

That castle really is magnificent and towers over the city. It was first built in 1583 but was burnt to the ground in 1615 in a battle. In 1935 it was rebuilt and has had refurbishments since then. 

It was worth the effort making this visit to see the castle, and rest assured the train trip home went without a hitch except we were absolutely dripping!

Once back at the hotel I had a shower a washed my dress! Then set off to the Grand Front which is a mall next to the station.

I didn’t buy much but just enjoyed looking at all of the different things for sale. At the point where I entered I stopped and made a note of the way that I had come in because, you know, I could be still in there right now looking for an exit!

There is just a constant stream of people entering and exiting, no matter what time of day. 

Later on that afternoon Lance and I went back to that area for dinner, we had some really great Chinese food at Shanghai Bar right at the station entrance. This was extra convenient as we also purchased our train tickets for the Shinkansen to Yokohama that we would be taking in a few days. Once we finished at the machine a guy came up and asked if we could help him out as he had no money to get home.  This is the first time in Japan that we have experienced any sort of ‘shifty’ behaviour. It should be noted that the guy was not Japanese. 

After dinner we returned to our hotel and enjoyed a couple of drinks before retiring for the evening. 

Kyoto to Osaka 22 August Day 5

 Packing up after a nice slow start to the day we made our way back to Kyoto Station to catch the train to Osaka. There was an option for the bulletin train but we chose the JR Special Rapid which meant we could use our prepaid Suica card. It is only a short trip and was around $5 NZD.

Once again a train was there when we arrived at the platform. After experiencing Shinjuku Station in Tokyo which is the busiest train station in the world these smaller stations are a breeze.

Osaka is a large and very modern looking city with tall skyscrapers and lots of greenery, some on the ground and some incorporated into the buildings.

Our hotel, The Westin, has a shuttle service and remember we sent our large luggage ahead so we only had small cases therefore it was easy walking through the station. Google gave us excellent directions on where to find the shuttle and it had just arrived and we jumped on.

The Westin Hotel is located in Umeda and is close to restaurants and the huge Grand front shopping area. Walking into the lobby we found this to be the ‘poshest’ of our hotels so far. Our room is huge by Japanese standards with a sofa and small table and chairs and we look out to see the Umeda tower which actually reflects our hotel and I could see myself looking out the window! And our cases were here waiting for us.

Our first stop was the mall and we particularly wanted to find Jin’s to purchase glasses. The 15 minute walk was hard work as it was blistering hot and humid with no breeze and we arrived at the air conditioned mall dripping! Unfortunately I couldn’t get and glasses because it takes a week to have progressives made. But Lance got 2 new pair of reading glasses made for $100 each as well as a consultation with the optometrist. 

This part of the mall was quite expensive and we wandered into an adjoining tower through a department store that was jam packed full of stuff from makeup to wine fridges to shower heads! It was really tricky finding an exit and then we worried that we would be miles away from our hotel. We finally made it out and had only a 15 minute walk, but again, the heat was intense.

After an unpack, shower and a rest, Oh and for Lance watching the Warriors beat the Bunnies, we grabbed a cab and headed for Dotonbori

Dotonbori is famous for its food and nightlife, it runs between two canals and reminded me of looking down Times Square.

Narrow fronted restaurants have huge 3D characters, some of which are quite iconic, for instance the Gilco running man. Which we didn’t find, we only found a running cow.

We made a couple of stops to have a bite and found the Hozenji Temple down a little street.It was such a contrast to the madness only a few metres away.

Crossing one of the bridges we saw a woman with a cat. The cat was fast asleep on the bridge handrail and was wearing a small sombrero. Many people were stopping to pat it as it slept and she had a little dish for donations. I wonder if it was drugged, it was a real cat, but there was not even a tail twitch?

Actually Dotonbori was somewhere that we were excited to visit and had watched loads of YouTube on it. It is somewhere that you need to see but we were both underwhelmed and were ready to leave earlier than we thought.

A day in Arashyama 21 August Day 4

 After our feast the previous night we were up early to get to Arashiyama before the crowds and before the day heated up too much.

We had the option to catch the train, but the station at Arashiyama is a short walk to the main gate and we wanted to start as close to the bamboo forest as possible before too many people spoiled our experience. The taxi took us right to the path leading to the bamboo forest and was about a $60 fare. The forest walk was quite short but well worth the visit.

A small fee was paid to enter the Tenryu-ji Temple and garden, it was very peaceful and we had a wee wander, actually a wee as well, and sat and enjoyed the beautiful view.

We were not quite sure where to head next and it was beginning to hit 34 degrees when we came across Lucas. Lucas is a stunning looking individual who provides rickshaw tours. He assured us that we would fit and it was a bit of a squeeze but we made it. Lucas took us along pathways in the forest that we would have been unlikely to find, it was a marvel how he managed to haul us along and up small hills at a trot. He stopped frequently to explain the history and interesting facts. 

Lucas is from New Caledonia and is fluent in French (of course), English, Japanese and Spanish.  He had promised to take us to a place where no one else would be. And sure enough we arrived at a small shrine; we had to pay a small fee to enter. The garden was really lovely and made to look like a river. There was also a pretty pink tree called in English crape myrtle but in Japanese it is sarusuberi which translates to monkey slip as the tree has very smooth branches.

Continuing on Lucas took us through a residential area where the homes were very traditional, but the nice cars were very modern. It is quite an affluent neighbourhood and has beautiful views of the mountains.

We were dropped in the Main Street of Arashiyama where there were plenty of eating places and retail stores with a real village feel. By this time Lucas was dripping with sweat, and was off to find another customer. The 70 minute tour was 23,000 yen (approx $230 NZ dollars) which was quite expensive but well worth it, as we would never have seen even a smidgen of what he showed us by ourselves.

The train station is a 10 minute walk from the Main Street and by now it was 36 degrees. As usual a train was right there and we jumped on, thankful for the aircon.

We have used taxis a lot in Kyoto. It has made things easier, especially in the heat, and most fares have been under $20. But we didn’t need a taxi to get to dinner tonight!

Using ‘Tabelog’, an app for finding and booking Japanese restaurants, Lance found Hiro which was just around the corner. Once again it was a meaty meal; we even asked for veges but they only had shredded lettuce.

My menu had English and I didn’t realise that Lance was trying to translate his menu! Pig hormones? Really? Fortunately the young waiter gave him an English menu and we ordered pork cheek, skirt steak, which we cooked over a hibachi bbq. It all tasted pretty good so we ordered another load and also some beef rib, which was paper thin with marbled fat and was delicious.

Back at the hotel we enjoyed a couple of drinks before bed. Off to Osaka tomorrow!

Toilet tips and talk:

One of the panels that I had to use Google translate on.

My advice for people in their 50s and over is to take your glasses with you to the loo and your phone. This not so that you can scroll through social media whilst using the restroom. It is to read the abundance and variety of instructions for ‘toileting’, some of which are all in Japanese, and you will need Google translate hence the phone.

All commodes have a washing button for front and rear, some include ‘oscillating’, more or less pressure, up or down positioning, blow dry, and sound. Most have cold water, which after the initial surprise, is quite refreshing in this heat.

The available sounds so far have been water running: I don’t know if this is to encourage a reluctant urination or to drown out embarrassing toilet noises. But they haven’t lived in our house, they need a tsunami setting rather than the sound of a trickling stream.

The flush: some receptacles have a flush button with a swirling water icon, others have no button and the flush is automatic, although I have had a few flushes whilst still on board the toilet. I have spent many minutes standing waiting to see if there will be a flush, and puzzling over whether it is an automatic late start or not. There other day in frustration I closed the lid (by pushing a button) because I thought that I was just going to have to leave without a flush (wees only) and when the lid closed it flushed! And yesterday in our hotel lobby I stood for ages rereading all of the panel buttons and switches only to find a large mechanical flush button on the wall behind the crapper! Such confusion!

Most public restrooms have a little seat for you to pop your baby in whilst relieving yourself. 

There has been only one normal visit with no bells and whistles and that was for an emergency stop at MacDonalds in Tokyo. I snuck in the exit and ended up walking up 5 floors looking for the loo. I can hear your thinking, but no it wasn’t a huge MacDonalds; each floor was a tiny segment in a triangular corner of the building. At the fifth floor, with waves of sweat and panic, I thought that I would have to run back to the hotel. Whilst waiting for the lift I saw that the ladies was on the 2nd floor. Phew!