April 22, en route to Dutch Harbor, Alaska. Sea conditions excellent for the Bering Sea! What a treat not to be rocking and rolling!

Our last entry was en route to Shimizu, Japan and we've had lovely adventures since then!

We sailed into Shimizu hoping for a clear glimpse of Mt. Fuji. Captain Vorland had waxed poetic about sunrise over Mt. Fuji, and we hoped for that experience. We got up at the ungodly hour of 5 am to be dressed by sunrise, which was 5:17. Unfortunately, Mt. Fuji was shrouded in clouds at that hour and even the sun rising did not clear the cloud cover. We stayed on deck for about an hour hoping for a better view, but no luck. After breakfast, at about 8 am, we were able to see the peak, with clouds gathered below the top. It was exciting to really see it and the Japanese guests had very emotional responses to being able to view it. By this time, the ship was docked and cleared and we were free to go ashore. David gathered our backpack, and I had my purse and we were ready for our overland adventure to Kyoto! A big thanks to our friend, Terry Carter, for his encouragement and guidance in doing this overland trip by shinkansen (bullet train.) Out plan was to take the train to Kyoto, stay overnight and take the train to Tokyo the next day to meet the ship.

Meeting the ship at every port in Japan were volunteer English speaking guides, who were very helpful! Our volunteer personally escorted us to a taxi to take us to the train station, which was actually quite far away—a $40 US fare. Because we were well trained by Terry, we found the correct ticket booth and purchased a one-way shinkansen ticket in the Green Car for Kyoto. The Green Car is non-smoking, reserved seats and quite roomy. We boarded the train after locating our car number on the platform, and easily found our seats. The ride was smooth and comfortable and only about 2 ½ hours. This was not the ultra fast express, because it made more stops than the nozumi express, but still was fast between the stations, about 170 mph. Announcements were made in English as well as Japanese and upcoming station information scrolled across a display at the front of the car. Terry warned us that the trains leave ON TIME and stay in the station only about one minute, so we were ready to leave the train when it pulled into Kyoto.

There is a handy Tourist Information office in Kyoto Station. We had the address of our hotel and a helpful man found us the right bus, the bus stop and helped us purchase a bus pass. He gave us a lesson in the correct way to use a bus in Japan. One enters through the rear door and exits through the front door. A machine next to the driver time and date codes the pass the first time it is used. Subsequent trips, one just shows the pass, time and date side up, to the driver. Stops scrolled across the front of the bus. When one's stop is announced, you have to press the button to let the driver know you want to disembark. We exited at our stop and, using Google Maps, made our way a few blocks to our hotel. On the way, we passed some nice, non-tourist shops and restaurants.

Our hotel, the Aio Kyoto was lovely! The entrance was very zen like and it was on a charming street with many cherry blossom, or sukura, trees still in bloom. The architecture on the street was very appealing. The hotel has only 7 rooms and the décor and amenities were hand picked by the owner, a young woman. It had excellent reviews on trip adviser and a great location, and we were VERY happy with our choice. The receptionist spoke great English and took us to our room to explain everything. The only negative was that they had no king size bedded rooms available, so we had to take a twin bedded room. We knew this when we made the reservation, but it was the last room in the hotel available. Our room, 412, was spacious with lots of natural light. It was fully equipped with everything one might want: down pillows and duvets, a gorgeous Asian figural screen behind the bed, a refrigerator, toaster, coffee maker and coffee, an electric kettle, beautiful tea cups and tea pot and tea, bottled water, a washer (but no dryer), a wonderful Japanese toilet with many different functions including a heated seat and water sprays, a deep soaking tub, lovely toiletries and towels, pajamas, slippers, umbrellas, slippers (we had to remove our outdoor shoes before entering), guide books, an Ipod docking station, a CD player and CD's, artistic postcards, and handmade washi paper notepads. We were delighted!

We talked to the receptionist about our plans and they created personalized maps for us for the temple and shrine we wished to visit and also asked about our dinner plans and made suggestions and reservations. After a quick stop, we were ready to board the subway to go to the first site. The hotel was located across the river from the old section of Gion and it was about a 10 minute walk to the subway. We purchased our tickets from the machine, selecting English first and looking for our destination on the zone list. It was 290 yen each for the first ride. The subway was spotless! Not one bit of graffiti, not a single paper on the floor, the seats were upholstered and clean and unmarked! Lots of school kids were heading to the temple, the Kiyomizu-ji Temple, and so were many, many others as we found out when we exited the subway.

The temple was at the top of a very long hill, and each side of the roadway was filled with shops selling souvenirs, pottery, food and gifts. The temple was filled with people and we enjoyed looking at the buildings and the view from the top.

We walked back down the hill to the subway and took the subway one stop and then walked to the Fushimi Inari Taisha shrine. This Shinto shrine is famous for its thousands of red tori (shrine gates) that spread across a thickly wooded area. It was dedicated to the gods of rice and sake in the 8^th century. Everyplace you look are stone statues of foxes , many with keys in their mouths. The fox is the messenger of Inari, the god of cereals, and the the key is to the rice granary. In researching this shrine, I learned that the fox is a mysterious creature in Japanese belief and can “possess” people, with the favorite pathway being under the fingernails. The shrine had many opportunities to write prayers on wooden sticks, placards, models of gates, papers, etc. We did make a prayer on a stick, made the contribution and than rang the prayer bell. Views were great from this shrine, too. Since this was a bit closer to our starting point, we decided to walk to Gion.

Everywhere we went, both at the temple and the shrine, we kept getting glimpses of women in kimonos. We quickly learned that shops rented out the entire “kimono kit.” For about $50 US, one could rent a kimono and all the trappings and have one's hair styled in a simple up-do. Many young women jumped at the chance to be a “Geisha for a Day!” They walked around Kyoto and visited the temples and shrines clad in beautiful prints. We hoped for a glimpse of a real Geisha as we walked through Gion at dusk. Like a rare bird, they are occasionally seen in Gion while they are on the way to their appointments in private clubs. We did spy one in a taxi, and on another day, saw one riding the subway. We had been receiving emails from our hosts at the hotel re: dinner. The first restaurant we chose was full, the second did not accept reservations during cherry blossom season, so we decided to try that restaurant even without a reservation. We walked about 20 minutes, recrossing the bridge over the river into Gion and found it. Unfortunately, it did not take credit cards and we were running out of yen. David tried a cash machine in a convenience store (not a 7-11) and it disliked his American credit card. With only 2000 yen left, we found a rustic, but popular ramen shop and enjoyed a great bowl of ramen each.

Walking back to our hotel, we passed a 7-11 and were able to replenish our yen. On the street where the hotel is located was a VERY popular restaurant, especially with young people. I asked our hotel receptionist why they hadn't recommended it. Evidently, it is for a cultivated appetite and serves only offal: intestines, lips, tongues, tails, etc. Ben—you would probably enjoy this! I checked my Vivo-fit

and saw that we had walked over 20,000 steps that day! A record for us. The next morning, after tea prepared in our room, we showered, packed our backpack and headed for the train station via bus. We found the bus stop across the street from where we got off and took the bus back to the Kyoto Train Station. This time, being the “savy” travelers that we are, we were able to use a machine to purchase the shinkensan tickets to Tokyo: Green Car, Nozumi, which made Tokyo in about 2 hours and 20 minutes with very few stops.

Before we left the ship, we had requested a map of the stop for the shuttle bus from the ship. We found it was only a few blocks from the station and timed our walk to coincide with the first shuttle coming from the ship (it arrived in Tokyo at about 1:30.) We were the only guests on the return trip to the ship and dropped our backpack, grabbed a bit of lunch in the Trident and took the shuttle back to Tokyo.

This time we opted for the true Tokyo experience. After walking around and window shopping, we took the subway just in time for rush hour. The pushers are real! I haven't been that close to another man since before I married David! We exited the subway at Shibuya and got to see and participate in the massive crossing—over 1000 people are likely to cross the intersection at any one time—going vertically, horizontally and diagonally. The streets were packed and a bit overwhelming! We took some time to explore all the shopping—electronics stores for David, everything else for me and eventually made our way to the underground shopping at Shibuya Station. One would never have to come up for air and could find everything in the underground station! Particularly well populated were the very luxurious shops selling prepared food. From the proliferation of stores selling food already prepared, I am of the opinion that very few people in Tokyo actually cook. I can see why, the food was very attractively displayed and smelled very good.

We were pretty tired by that time and headed back to the station and realized we had missed the last shuttle, so we took a taxi back to the ship from the Ginza subway stop.

The next morning we were up and out very early and took the first shuttle back to the city. I am amazed at the cleanliness of the city and that nobody locks their bike! Everywhere were hundreds of parked bikes, some with baskets, others with babyseats and helmets, and none were locked. The only place we saw some locking facilities for bikes was near the station and only for a few bikes. This time, we wanted to take the Ginza line. There are 13 different subway lines in Tokyo plus railroads that travel within the city. This time we wanted to go to the Akihabara area of Tokyo, known for its electronics and computer stores. We planned our trip with the fewest changes of subways, and because of this, had to take a Ginza line train that only required one transfer Because this station was quite a distance away, one of the shuttle attendants walked the 15 minute walk with us to show us the subway entrance. We made our connections and found the mammoth electronic stores. This area is known as “Electric Town” because of the huge amount of electronics stores. The size of the stores is overwhelming! The first one that David went into was Yodobashi Camera and Akiba—at least 8 stories of everything you would ever want for your camera, computer, etc. I looked around a bit, but then explored the other shops in the vicinity..

After a quick lunch, we headed by subway to the Asakuma area, known for the Kappabashi Shopping Street lined by shops catering to restaurant businesses. Anything you could possibly want from cute toothpicks, to chopsticks, to food supplies, to gigantic stock pots, to restaurant signs and wax food can be found here. It also had smaller shops where pottery was sold. We bought some tea cups and a few other goodies. It was about a 15 minute walk back to the subway and the ship was leaving early with the last shuttle from downtown at 5:30, so we took the subway back to the Ginza and window-shopped on our way back to the shuttle stop. There are so many lovely items in Japan, but the prices are through the roof!

It was a beautiful sail away from Tokyo and I long to come back. 1 ½ days was way too short a visit! Tokyo was a disembarkation point and embarkation point for the final segment of the World Cruise. About 400 people left the ship and about 400 joined it, so this last segment is a fairly full ship. The entertainment has been very good, except for a few less than stellar performers. Rick Spath, the Cruise Director, tried to arrange for local shows in as many ports as possible and all those shows were very special and very well attended. We've enjoyed the lecturers very much, even if some have different political views, and we have especially enjoyed Ken Rees' Destination Lectures. They are always informative and we love his dry wit!

We had a sea day on our way to Aomori, Japan, and it was welcome after all the port stops and overland tours. We have fallen into a rhythm during the sea days and often skip breakfast and head to the lido for our cappuccino. Usually, there are friends there, too, and we visit until the first lecture. There are 10:00 and 11:00 lectures, and then at 12:05 Team Trivia. Our scores have been respectable, but we only came in first in the tallying of the final scores at the end of the segment. We often have lunch with our fellow team mates: Paula and Don Flemming and Joe Benning and Marianne MacDonald. Our final two team members have changed from segment to segment. The afternoon lecture begins at 1:30 and in between all of this is yoga, pilates, walking on deck, art class and memoir writing class. We usually meet our friends, Ken and Sharon Henry, in the Avenue Saloon for drinks at 7:30. Then it's dinner at 8:30 and the show or the Bistro to chat or, occasionally, the casino.

Aomori! Our plans to go to Hirosaki to see the castle and cherry blossoms was a no-go. The cherry blossoms have slowed down their blooming schedule and are still just buds. We had planned to go with the Flemmings, so instead we took the shuttle into town and went to the Wa Rasse Nebuta Museum. This was not cherry blossoms, but a great alternative. The museum houses the lanterns and floats of the previous year's spectacular Nebuta Matsuri Festival. The legend responsible for this festival is that of the tale of the two lovers, forever destined to be apart except for a brief time every summer. The custom was to set a candle on a wooden board covered with washi paper adrift on the water. From this came the wonderful parade of floats. The floats are gigantic! Wooden and wire frames are covered with paper and then painted by hand. The result is three dimensional designs of dragons, warriors, mythical gods, etc in full color measuring from 20-30 feet tall and lit with light bulbs from within. The use of scary subjects is inspired by General Sakanoue-no-Tamuramaro, who used similar constructs in the 800's to scare away enemies. The floats were incredible! We took lots of photos and it was one of the most enjoyable museums I've ever been to. From there, we went to the Apple Store. No not THAT Apple Store, but the store selling the product Aomori is known for---apples. The apples on display are perfect, and each was about $5.00. They also sold other apple products and wine. Apparently, shipping these products as gifts are very popular and they had a large packing station within the store. We continued our exploration of Aomori and went to the fish market and some other shops. In one shop, I bought a single postcard of the Nebuta floats to send to the boys. You would have thought I was buying a valuable artwork. The shop owner wrapped in tissue, put it in a lovely bag and sealed it with a sticker. I LOVE Japan!

Oturu, Japan, Sunday, April 17: Rain, rain and more rain! Sadly, it was cold and rainy in this little town about half an hour from Sapporo, but we persevered and found some very special shops and gifts for very special people. An interesting phenomena: many of the shops sold glass objects and jewelry, and only a small amount was made in Japan. Most of the glass objects were filled with Murano glass from Venice. Why would tourists want to by Italian glass sold in Japan?

The following day, we rocked and rolled our way to Korsakov, Sakhalin, Russia where the forecast was for snow. This was a sea day for us since we did not have a tour in Korsakov. Without a tour, we could not go into Russia, unless we had purchased a personal visa. Laundry needed to be done and many others were on board, so it was a nice relaxing day. It was interesting to see the Russian Immigration officers on board. We arrived an hour late because of high seas and wind, and they took their time clearing the ship. Everywhere we went on the ship, the Russian Immigration people were eating. They were also enjoying cigars in the Connoisseur's Club. Next to their work stations were shopping bags full of goodies. It was like Christmas for them!

There was a sea day between Korsakov and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Russian Federation. The ship was buffeted by high winds, but our tour, “Exploring Petropavlovsk” was not scheduled until 3:00 since we didn't dock until late. We were supposed to arrive at 2 pm, but arrived a bit later, again due to sea conditions. The same exercise with the Russian Immigration people occurred. Whereas other countries cleared the ship within 30 minutes, this took upwards of three hours. By the time they cleared the ship, it was well after 5 pm. Everyone had been waiting for their tours in the Stardust Lounge or the Galaxy—our tour was quickly turning into “Exporing Petropavlovsk by Moonlight!. However, the sea conditions had wornsened and the pontoon that was to be used for the tenders was located outside the breakwater. To have it more stable and safe, it needed to be moved to inside the breakwater and the Russians refused to move it. Finally, after waiting over 2 hours, our stop was canceled due to unsafe conditions. I would have enjoyed seeing this Russian Far East community close up, not from afar, but safety is premium. The seas were very rough and the Russian show created by the entertainment team had to be postponed. Dinner, however, was very special! Russian decorations, tall, beautiful flower centerpieces on our table within the circle, smaller arrangements on the other table and Matrushka Dolls tucked in among the flowers. There were colorful chargers with different Russian scenes and navy velvet tablecloths with gold braid. The meal was Russian themed with caviar, of course, borscht, chicken Kiev, etc. and shots of vodka for everyone.

We had three sea days on our way to Dutch Harbor, and two of those days were April 21—April 21 #1 and April 21 #2—to make up for the day we lost crossing the International Dateline early in the cruise. Well, we felt the bump as we crossed the Dateline again. Lots of activities were planned, including the wonderful Russian show. The entertainment staff onboard has been top notch and these shows planned and developed on the ship have been our favorites. The dancing, especially, was incredible with lots of very difficult Russian dancing while squatting!

April 22 was the first night of Passover. Crystal went all out to insure a beautiful seder. We were invited by the Rabbi and his wife (Morrie and Gerry) to sit at the head table with them. There were seder plates with all the traditional symbols and a pillow at Morrie's seat, since it is customary to recline on Passover (the reason is to rest like the ruler did when we were slaves in Egypt.) Everyone participated in the service which was held in Prego. It was closed to everyone else for the evening and there were 120 in attendance. The food was delicious and would pass muster in any reform Jewish home: Charoses, horseradish, hardboiled eggs in salt water, chopped liver (excellent!), gefilte fish (the only thing not made by the kitchen), chicken soup with matzo balls, roast Kosher chicken and fruit compote, fruit ice and macaroons for dessert. Only Kosher wine was served. It was a beautiful evening! I am always warmed by the thought that all over the world Jews are doing the same thing—enjoying a Passover seder.

Dutch Harbor! Back in the US! What a glorious and sunny morning greeted us when we sailed into Dutch Harbor. The temperature was about 49 degrees and the mountains surrounding Dutch Harbor were covered in snow. It looked like marshmallow topping on a sundae! We had planned to go to several beaches looking for beach glass with our friends, Paula and Don. And we did. The first beach was pretty much a dud, but the second beach was a wonderful adventure. Not only did we find rare pieces of beach glass: light blue, dark blue and aqua, but we saw seals frolicking not more than 30 feet off shore. There was one huge seal or sea lion and 3 smaller ones, and they stayed the entire time we were there. We also saw Harlequin Ducks with their red feathers and several Bald Eaghles. The weather turned on a dime and all of a sudden we were hit by freezing rain, fog and high winds. Our umbrellas turned inside out as we added gloves and hats and made our way to the main road hoping to flag down one of the school buses used as shuttles. We waited more than 35 minutes, with the rain pelting us sideways, and no bus came. Finally, two women in separate pick-up trucks stopped and offered to drive us back to the ship. They had been out looking for stranded tourists, because the buses were overwhelmed with the amount of people. Our hostess/driver worked for the DMV and the other woman was on the Convention Bureau staff. They were so kind and the warmth of the heaters were very welcome. We learned from Vickie, our driver, that Dutch Harbor has the best school district in Alaska, with the highest scores. The population is between 4000-5000, but swells during crab season. There is no hospital (they tried, but it didn't work), but they do have a clinic and 4 doctors. There is one dentist and 2 more fly in a few times a month. There is a small airport that served 36 seater planes and the Alaskan Water Highway (ferries) come about twice a month. Earlier in the day, we had met student guides, seniors at the local high school. They were poised and confident and looking forward to college away from their island, but loved their life here. A young lady is hoping to be a dentist to serve rural Alaska. She has braces and it cost $1000 each time she had to fly out for adjustments by an orthodontist. We were sorry to bid farewell to Dutch Harbor. I was impressed with the kindness of the people and the beauty surrounding it.

Sailing en route to Kodiak, Alaska. We arrived tomorrow morning and the Captain announced there would be high swells and that we would be mooring. I hope we get in!

All for now and Happy Passover to all who celebrate!