Japan: Part Two

and Jeju-do, South Korea

Kochi, Japan

We arrived in Kochi around noon, and it was ridiculously hot.  We are loving our time in Japan, but the heat and humidity make it really difficult to explore at length, and we’ve been in port almost every day.  The port where our ship was docked was about 20 minutes from town and while they were providing a shuttle we decided to take a day off.  Instead, we went out for drinks after dinner at a brewery right next to the port.  It was a fun night out with friends from the ship.

The next day we took the shuttle into town and wandered around.  There was a great covered shopping area that we explored near the Harimayabashi Bridge, and we got to see the Harimaya Bridge Marionette Clock in action.   

We made our way to Kochi Castle, one of only 12 original surviving castles.  The castle was built in 1603 and reconstructed in 1748 after a fire and includes 5 stories of exhibits and artifacts.  At the top is a tower lookout.  The stairs/ladders between the floors were interesting to navigate, but it was a really cool experience. 

Afterwards, we made our way back to the bus station to catch the shuttle back to the ship.  On the way we stopped at the Hirome Market, but it was really crowded, so we didn’t stay long.

There was a shoreside performance before we left, but we missed most of it because they announced the wrong time.  Mike caught the tail end.

Hiroshima, Japan

Once again, we arrived in port around lunchtime, but we decided to hit the streets anyway.  We took the afternoon shuttle to the train station and headed straight for the Peace Memorial Park.  The Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum was heartbreaking and informative.  Afterwards, we explored various memorials and monuments throughout the park including the Atomic Bomb Dome and Hypocenter Monument.

Hiroshima Castle was next on the list, but we made it just as they were closing the castle.  We got to explore the grounds and see the exterior of the castle which is a reconstruction of the original that was lost in the bombing.

We ended the day with pizza and drinks at a local restaurant before heading back to the ship. The park we walked through to get to the restaurant was pretty interesting.

For our second day in Hiroshima, we made the trek to Miyajima to see the Itsukushima Jinja Shinto shrine.  We took a train and a ferry to the island and wandered around Miyajima.  The shrine is known for appearing to float at high tide.  The iconic torii gate and the shrine are all built out over the water.  We arrived shortly after high tide, so we saw it floating and then watched as the water receded to reveal the beach beneath.

There are wild deer living on the island that wander among the tourists and try to steal your food.  They can be a little pushy, but they were pretty cute.  You can also take the ropeway (gondola) up the mountain or hike up if you wish.  There was a great covered shopping area that we explored on the way back to the ferry terminal.  Just past the ferry terminal was another Tori Gate right on the beach.  . 

When we returned to the ship, we watched a local performance by Kougo Daiko a renowned taiko drum ensemble.  They gave an excellent performance!

Kanmon Straits (Straights of Shimonoseki) & Day at Anchor

We had a day of scenic sailing through the Kanmon Straits which was basically a large bridge and a lot of factories.  Our next stop was supposed to be Fukuoka, Japan; however, we required parts for urgent maintenance that were waiting for us to arrive in South Korea.  They had to cancel our call in Fukuoka and pop over to Jeju-Do, South Korea to pick up the parts.  Because this was an unscheduled stop we were unable to get off the ship and instead spent the afternoon at anchor, but at least we were able to collect the parts.  The downside was that we had to exit Japan and then re-enter only 2 days later.  A lot of standing in line at immigration.

Nagasaki, Japan

Back in Japan we arrived in Nagasaki around lunchtime.  After clearing immigration…again, we set out to explore.  We checked out the Nagasaki Seaside Park and the oldest Chinatown in Japan.   Megane (Spectacle) Bridge, the oldest stone arch bridge in Japan, was our next stop.  We were expecting rain in the afternoon, and we had a sudden downpour that we took shelter from.  The Nakashima River is home to several old stone bridges, and we wandered quite aways up the river to check them out. 

The river led us to Suwa Shrine which sits atop a very long staircase. We saw a cat on the climb, but he wasn't interested in us. The shine was lovely and had series of Tori gates as well.

After hiking down from the shrine, we started to make our way back towards the ship, but of course we had stopped at Don Quijote along the way to do a little shopping.  We also decided to go to OK Home and Garden to see if we could get ourselves set up with fan vests that we’ve seen several workers wearing.  They have cooling fans in them.  It turned into a bit of a saga climbing up all kinds of stairs through random neighbourhoods to get to the store.  It turns out we could have just walked along the side of the main road but in my defense, it looked more like a ditch to me.  We ended up getting back quite late, so I had a bowl of noodles from 7-Eleven for supper, they were excellent.

On our second day we road the tram line down to the OK Pro Home and Garden to get our friend a vest as well.  Then we walked to the Nagasaki Peace Park and the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter Monument.  We didn’t go into the museum, but the park was once again heartbreaking and beautiful.

We walked back to the ship hitting up several malls along the way.  It gave us a chance to cool of in the air-conditioning and to do a little shopping.  Once we got back and showered, we headed back to the cruise terminal to clear immigration yet again. 

Tomorrow, we start making our way back to Jeju-Do, South Korea for our originally scheduled stop there.

Jeju-Do, South Korea

I was really excited to visit Jeju because I have a sleep story on my Calm app that talks about the Haenyeo; women divers that free dive to collect items from the sea to sell.  They are really fascinating; unfortunately, we ended up docked on the opposite side of the island from the museum dedicated to the Haenyeo.  Jeju is also known for its hiking trails which cover most of the island.  You can buy a passport and collect stamps to show that you’ve completed all the sections of the trail. 

For our first day we wanted to hike the section of trail closest to the cruise terminal, but much to our dismay it was closed for construction.  We ended up just going for a long walk into town and then walking a small stretch of trail that runs around a resort on the coast.  We headed back to the ship early because it was just way too hot to be outside.

One of our fellow residents if from Korea and arranged for a shuttle to take several groups to a local restaurant for Korean BBQ.  Our group headed out at 6:45 for dinner.  The restaurant staff were incredible.  We preordered our food to help them prepare for the large groups and then they cooked the meats right at the table.  I’m not sure sitting on the floor for 2 hours was the best idea for a lot of people, but we managed.  The restaurant was a bit overwhelmed with all of the people, but it was a good night.

On the second day we took the bus into the city of Seogwipo and explored the Seogwipo Maeil Olle Market.  The covered market was really interesting and afterward we wandered through a bit of the historic downtown on our way to the coast. 

Once at the waterfront, we walked over to Jeongbang Waterfall; a 75-foot waterfall cascading from a cliff and flowing into the sea.  Mike is a sucker for waterfalls, so he was excited for this.

After a quick stop at 7-Eleven to fuel up we caught an Uber back to the port.  We decided to explore The Sunrise and Sunset Road which is really just a concrete barrier running along the cruise port.  They’ve done an amazing job making it look really neat though and the views were cool.  Unfortunately, you can’t take photos towards the island from here because the cruise terminal is right next to the Naval base and it specifically says no photos of military installation along the walkway.

Kagoshima, Japan

After a sea day we arrived back in Japan...for the third time.  Our passports are taking a big hit with all the back and forth as Japan is one of a few places that actually stamps your passport still.  We had to check back into Japan at 7:30 in the morning and while we could leave the port area we weren’t allowed back onto the ship until all of the residents had cleared Immigration.  We had a quick breakfast and then wandered around the little island that hosts the cruise terminal.  Once we were allowed back on the ship, we took our time getting ready to head out for the day.

We started our explorations by taking the tram into the city center to view the covered mall Tenjin Otsukiya Piramall.  These areas are a great way to get out of the sun for a while.  They even had a vending machine with warm sweet potatoes. We then made our way over to the Terukuni Shrine, but instead of the shrine we opted to check out the Shiroyama Park Observation Deck that sits above the shrine.  We took a steep, shaded staircase to the top to enjoy the views of Sakurajima volcano which is still active.  From the top we realized there was a long winding trail that made its way up to the observation deck as well, so we took that back down. 

When we’d had enough of the city we took the tram back towards the ship, but rode a couple extra stops over to the AEON shopping mall.  We then walked back to the shopping area just outside the port and managed to find a cleaning kit for our water bladder at the sports store which was a much needed find.  After shopping we made our way back to the ship for a few hours.

Once we were showered and cleaned up, we headed back out once more for some supper.  Mike found a restaurant near the port he wanted to try, so we walked back to meet some friends there.  We got the All You Can Eat option that includes most of the menu and you just order what you want until your time is up (you only get 80 minutes).  You order the meat and sides you want and then you grill them yourself at the table.  It was a lot of fun, but we forgot to take any photos...sorry!

By the time we walked back to the ship after dinner I was over 35 000 steps for the day, and Mike was just shy of that.  It was an extremely long day, but we had a good time.

Hososhima (Hyuga), Japan

We were supposed to have a sea day on our way to Hososhima, but a tropical depression in the area turned into a tropical storm.  Our captain contacted the port agent, and they agreed to have us arrive this evening instead to stay ahead of the incoming storm.  It was already raining by the time we arrived in port, so we did not get off the ship.

Our first day in Hososhima was spent on the ship.  Tropical Storm Peipah (Japanese Typhon No. 15) wreaked havoc throughout the day with high winds and tons of rain.  We received several emergency alerts on our phones for people living in the area to be cautious of landslides and flooding.  It seemed safest just to remain on the ship.  The storm passed by around 8:00 pm with a pretty good light show and some decent thunder.  In the end there didn’t appear to be any serious damage to the area aside from some debris. Prefectures further north weren't so lucky and received a lot of damage due to a tornado produced by the storm.

The next day was sunny and beautiful, so we took advantage.  The port arranged a shuttle to drop off at key locations including where we initially wanted to hike up to.  We caught the shuttle to Umagase Promenade parking area and then walked the loop to the Hososhima Lighthouse, Cape Hyuga Observation Deck and Skeluccha Viewing Deck.  There were amazing views at each stop, and the landscape was incredible. 

After we looped back to the parking area, Mike and I decided to walk down the mountain to Omi Shrine.  On the way we checked out The Sea Cross, Hyugamisaki Green Park and Isagahama Beach.  We got to see a couple of paragliders and a few cats along the way as well.  Omi Shrine offered stunning coastal views and there was also a small shrine in a rock cave which was pretty cool.

We left the shrine and wandered back across town to the ship with a quick stop at Aeon Town Mall and Trial Supermarket along the way.  The shops weren’t terribly exciting, but we desperately needed electrolytes and a snack.  It was a long day with a lot of walking, but we had a really good time.

We had another fantastic shoreside performance as we sailed out from Hososhima.  It was a young group that did a traditional drum performance.  They were crazy talented, switching between instruments and meeting the physical demands of the drumming.  When the performance ended, they handed out flags to the friends and family that had come to watch, and they all waved us off.

Next up we have a sea day on our way to our next port. 

Amami, Japan

Amami is a city on the island of Amami Oshima, so we’ve officially left mainland Japan.  It’s a fairly small port city with island vibes.  On the first day we walked through town and climbed up to Ogamiyama Observatory for views of the city and bay. Afterwards, we went to Aeon Mall and wandered for a bit.  

On the second day we walked through a tunnel to another area to check out Asani Beach.  It rained off and on for most of the day, but we still managed to find a viewpoint to climb up to. 

There was a shoreside performance as we were leaving and Mike went out to watch.  I just couldn’t handle the sun/heat/humidity anymore today, so I stayed back in the room.

Naha, Japan

Naha is the capital of Okinawa Prefecture which includes a group of tropical islands south of mainland Japan.  It is a fairly major city, and we were parked out of the way of most of the attractions.  On the first day we took a taxi to Fukushuen Chinese Garden, it was really beautiful. 

Afterwards we walked over to Naha Kokusai Dori Shopping Street, another mazelike covered shopping area.  When we’d had our fill of the shops, we started waking back to the ship stopping in various stores and malls along the way to catch some air-conditioning. One of our stops was at a piece of giant rope from a tug-of-war competition...and there were cats!

Our second day in Naha we took a taxi up to Shuri Castle which sits on a hill overlooking the city.  The castle itself was under construction due to a fire in 2019, but the grounds and views were worth the trip. 

Our next stop was Shuri Kinjo Town Stone-paved Road, a 300-meter-long coble stone street that slops up towards Shuri Castle.  I’m glad we chose to walk down it and not up because it’s pretty steep.  Along the street we also checked out the Shuri Kinjo Big Akagi Tree which did not disappoint.  Afterwards we walked the hour and a half back to the ship to get our steps in. 

Ishigaki, Japan

Ishigaki is also in Okinawa Prefecture and is the commercial hub of the Yaeyama Islands. We were docked out on an island connected to the main island by a large bridge. It took us about 20 minutes to walk from the ship to the bridge. Before we crossed over we explored a park that is home to a bunch of stray cats. They are well looked after and I managed to pet half a dozen.

We then made our way into town and explored the main shopping area. It gave off tourist/vacation vibes, but it was really cute. Afterwards, we headed back to the ship, but stopped to pet a few more cats and check out the beach/swimming area near the ship.

It was a pretty uneventful day for our last day in Japan, but the dozen cats I pet made it totally worth it! Next up we are heading to Taiwan which will be a new country for us. See you there!