Diamond Princess July 8-17 around northern Japan

[meow!]

INTRODUCTION

 

We picked the Diamond Princess because it was the only ship that sailed around Japan without a stop in mainland China, saving us the trouble of getting visas. This voyage did have a stop in Russia, which did not require a visa if you only took the ship's excursion. Like the majority on this voyage, we did not go ashore at all. Even so, everyone on board was required to go through Japanese emigration and later immigration again, both taking place aboard the ship, but nonetheless necessitated long queuing up in less than comfortable conditions.

 

The nine days voyage was on the whole as expected. The ship was large, with lots of shops to wander around on sea days, but long walks from one end of the ship to the other. Northern Hokkaido was nice and cool, but southern Japan, including the Tokyo-Yokohama area had been very hot. Service on the ship was generally excellent, while the food, despite the large variety, was not more than average for a large ship.

 

We had a mini-suite, which was nice, but the balcony (on the Dolphin deck) was not covered, open to sun and rain, and the people above looking at us. It was close to unusable, and could be considered a design flaw. The sea had been calm until the last couple of days, which had sudden zig-zag pulling motion, being close to a typhoon.

 

On the whole, it was a nice voyage, and over the next several days, we will post different aspects day by day.

 

... to be continued

[oz61]

We are considering this cruise for 2016. It is our first time to Japan. Is it a good itinerary? Are the ports worth visiting?

[Cruiserkenn]

Did you eat at the Kai Sushi restaurant, and if so, how was it?

 

If not, did you notice if it was crowded?

 

The Emerald deck mini suites are nicely covered, so please consider Emerald deck for next time.

 

I love the Diamond and her sister, the Sapphire. Thanks for your review:)

Edited August 6, 2015 by Cruisin'Rabbit

[CruzinNoony]

We are booked on this same itinerary next June, so will be following your review with much interest. How were the ship tours? I have heard that if they don't have enough (English speaking) people they will cancel those tours. We are also on the sailing before this one: Taiwan & Ryukyu Islands. I am looking forward to reading about what you did in the ports.:cool:

[Kristal Blade]

I did a B2B2B on the Diamond round Japan last year. It was fabulous!!!

Oz61, just book it! Every port is brilliant, if the itinerary includes Russia then book the princess trip, the short one, which was about £30 or dollars and worth every penny to set foot in Russia and see inside the shops and be entertained by the locals in a little folkloric show.

 

Don't bother with ships tours in Japanese ports. At every port there was a tourist info tent at the dockside with English speaking people who would tell you and often guide you to the local high spots.

 

Kai sushi on our trip was not well attended. Why eat sushi made from fish held in storage for weeks when you can eat gorgeous, fresh sushi in the ports?

 

Lots of Japanese were on board. When it is a formal night the ladies wear beautiful kimonos. We felt very dull in comparison.

 

I adored this cruise, as you can probably tell, and would do it again tomorrow!

 

Japan is one of my favourite cruise destinations and I would recommend it to everyone. If you have questions about Japanese ports I can maybe give you suggestions about what to do, so long as they are the ones we went to!

[Cruiserkenn]

Thanks for the great post! Could you tell more about the gorgeous sushi in the ports? Was it easy to order?

 

Thanks for telling about the kimonos!

[meow!]

We would try to cover some of the topics mentioned above as we progress through this thread. Thank you all for your kind attention.

 

... continued from above

 

THE SHIP

 

This ship, with some three thousand passengers was the largest we had been on. Previous ships we sailed had between 380 and 1800 passengers. Being such a large ship had its own benefits and drawbacks. There were many different restaurants (which we will discuss later) as well as shops. One could spend hours in each shop and buy almost anything needed. On the other hand, it was quite a walk (for those who didn't walk so well) from one end of the ship to the other.

 

The ship was not particularly congested. We could usually find a seat in the buffet restaurants and the lineups were not particularly long. There were many elevators, a half dozen close to the atrium. These elevators were quite far apart, and if one opposite to where you were standing came, you had to rush to get on.

 

There was entertainment, including piano and violin recitals, singers and dancers at different times of the day. On a sea day, we could sit around the atrium for an hour or two, listening to the nice music or watching the casual performance. On a large ship, one would not get bored. However, outside your own cabin, there would be few places where you could sit alone as on a small ship.

 

The ship's television system was inadequate. There was no channel for checking your shipboard account, unlike on most other ships. This was inconvenient. Also, there was no display of outside temperature, wind or navigation map. You could not even see the ship's bow, which would usually be displayed on Princess' own website. Why would they not show this available information to the passengers actually on board?

 

They provided a daily news letter on board, which was comprehensive, but in a format somewhat difficult to follow for those used to sail on other lines. The air conditioning system was adequate, and all facilities seemed to work reasonably. The ship was clean and well maintained, even though it had been scheduled for dry dock in less than a year.

 

... to be continued

Edited August 6, 2015 by meow!

[meow!]

... Continued from above

 

THE CREW

 

On the whole, the crew was excellent, the high point of this voyage. Forget about the crew to passenger ratio, they seemed to be everywhere, attentive and willing to help. For someone who didn't walk well, the crew came to the door of the pier with a wheelchair, pushed the chair all the way, through check-in, and onwards aboard the ship, to the specific deck. That was full service. Upon disembarkation, handicapped passengers congregated at the computer centre on deck 5 at the appointed time (by luggage tag colour and number), and a crew member would push the wheelchair all the way to the street, right to the waiting taxis. To each of those, a Y1000 tip was well in order, and gracefully accepted.

 

Most of the crew who serviced passengers spoke workable English. Even for those who were lacking in language ability, they more than made up with politeness and diligence. Despite their hard work, they kept smiling, and the Japanese ones kept bowing. With few exceptions, they were so friendly and caring.

 

THE PASSENGERS

 

This was the most international voyage we had. A large fraction of the passengers were from Japan, there were large groups from mainland China, a fair number from Taiwan, some from the former British Colony of Hong Kong, and a sizable number from Russia. North Americans, Europeans and Australasians together comprised perhaps less than half. The age range was practically from babies to the elderly, with lots of families, as well as young to middle aged adult couples.

 

Public announcements were always made both in English and Japanese, often with Mandarin translation and Russian translation afterwards. Usually, each group of people stayed with their own and did not bother other groups of people, though there were the occasional cross-cultural conversation.

 

... to be continued

[Kristal Blade]

Hey Cruisinrabbit,

Sushi in port is easy to find. There will obviously be Japanese restaurants which serve sushi, but in many towns there will be a fish market where you can buy sashimi, raw fish, a bowl of rice, a whole cooked crab.... Whatever you see fish wise is for sale. We noticed 2 main ways of purchasing food in the markets.

1. You buy a book of raffle tickets, take tickets to stall holder and exchange them for a food item. For example a bowl of rice is one ticket, a couple of raw scallops maybe 2 tickets or a slice of salmon one ticket. Once you have cashed out, or fished out, all your tickets take your food to a communal seating area where there are chopsticks available, as well as soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

2. You pay cash for a bowl of rice, cost depends on the size of rice bowl the buy your choice of fish at stalls which have little dishes for 100 or 200 yen with a pre weighed portion.

One note of caution, every type of sea food is available including whale meat. It is a deep red colour, almost like beef. We avoided that.

 

Another note about kimonos. In some places you can get dressed up in kimonos at the dock side. Some places charge, others it was free. My husband and I did it for free and felt like royalty strolling by the ship all dressed up. Got some fantastic photos and it gave us another truly memorable day in Japan.

I love, love, love Japan now. We are musing with the idea of going back and using the trains to travel around.

 

Sorry to butt in your review Meow! I am enjoying reading your impressions of the ship. I wonder if you used the Japanese spa? We did not. I was not keen on getting naked with a bunch of strangers!

Libby

[WupperAV]

A lot of Russians live aboard Diamond. My wife, an Italian, was curious and asked them. One woman said she had been onboard almost 10 years except for when they drydock. It can be cheaper than living in a retirement community, more fun and you get to travel.

[meow!]

A lot of Russians live aboard Diamond. My wife, an Italian, was curious and asked them. One woman said she had been onboard almost 10 years except for when they drydock. It can be cheaper than living in a retirement community, more fun and you get to travel.

 

That is interesting and surprising. Those "inside cabin" tickets cost some $900 for nine days, or $3000 per month, though "long term customers" may get a discount. So do Russian retirement homes charge more than $3000 a month apiece?

[Cruiserkenn]

Hey Cruisinrabbit,

Sushi in port is easy to find. There will obviously be Japanese restaurants which serve sushi, but in many towns there will be a fish market where you can buy sashimi, raw fish, a bowl of rice, a whole cooked crab.... Whatever you see fish wise is for sale. We noticed 2 main ways of purchasing food in the markets.

1. You buy a book of raffle tickets, take tickets to stall holder and exchange them for a food item. For example a bowl of rice is one ticket, a couple of raw scallops maybe 2 tickets or a slice of salmon one ticket. Once you have cashed out, or fished out, all your tickets take your food to a communal seating area where there are chopsticks available, as well as soy sauce, wasabi and pickled ginger.

2. You pay cash for a bowl of rice, cost depends on the size of rice bowl the buy your choice of fish at stalls which have little dishes for 100 or 200 yen with a pre weighed portion.

One note of caution, every type of sea food is available including whale meat. It is a deep red colour, almost like beef. We avoided that.

 

Another note about kimonos. In some places you can get dressed up in kimonos at the dock side. Some places charge, others it was free. My husband and I did it for free and felt like royalty strolling by the ship all dressed up. Got some fantastic photos and it gave us another truly memorable day in Japan.

I love, love, love Japan now. We are musing with the idea of going back and using the trains to travel around.

 

Sorry to butt in your review Meow! I am enjoying reading your impressions of the ship. I wonder if you used the Japanese spa? We did not. I was not keen on getting naked with a bunch of strangers!

Libby

 

Thanks for the interesting and informative comments! So interesting about the ticket book at the fish market. Thanks, too, for the tip about the whale meat. What a sight that must be. (Shocking to me, a regular Alaska and Hawaii whale watcher.). But I know it is different in Japan. As a Scandinavian, I can't be too self righteous about it, as Norwegians hunt whales, too.

 

Thanks, too, for the info about the kimonos!

[meow!]

The Emerald deck mini suites are nicely covered' date=' so please consider Emerald deck for next time.

[/quote']Thanks for letting us know.

 

... continued from above

 

 

THE CABIN

 

Princess claimed the mini-suites to be 354 sq.ft. This included the uncovered balcony, open to the sun and rain and the people above looking at you. It was practically unusable, and yet the partitions blocked our view from inside our cabin. It would have been better to have just a "French balcony" to get some fresh air and look outside.

 

Without the balcony, we measured (with tape) the inside dimension of our cabin as 29'10" long and 9'9" wide, for a gross interior area of 289 sq.ft. (This was roughly the same shape and size as a verandah "suite" on the Silver Shadow). The sleeping and sitting areas were separated by two huge semi-circular full-height columns, containing two 40" Samsung LCDTVs, facing two different directions. While there was no curtain to physically separate the two sections, there were two separate thermostats for the sleeping and sitting areas.

 

The queen sized bed measured 66" wide and 77" long, with 13.5" clearance under the bed (for luggage if necessary) with only mattress and no box spring. Ceiling height was normal at 7'1". There was a digital safe, a strange shaped, formica surfaced desk / makeup table, with mirrors. While the material and quality of the furniture were "mass market", the cabin ceiling was "wood bordered" throughout and the carpeted floor was "bordered" all around. There was only one telephone and two 110 volts North American styled electric sockets. There was one sofa (with three seats), one arm-chair and a centre table. There was a small refrigerator but no minibar supply. Our cabin attendant told us he had to clean and look after 20 cabins. (While small ships often have two staff members cleaning and looking after 15 cabins, our attendant did a fine job).

 

The closet was "quasi-walk-in", adjoining the bathroom. There were some 20 good quality wooden clothes hangers. There was no separate door for the closet. The bathroom itself had a 6.5" step-up, so beware. There was a tub-shower, measuring 25" wide, 58" long (both at maximum) and 16" deep. It even had an "emergency call" pull string, a safety feature we had not seen before. The sink was oval, at 13" x 16.5" The toilet was Japanese styled, with a (miniature) opening at 7.5" x 9.2", which was inconvenient for those not used to it. (We would prefer their using a "normal" toilet seat.)

 

The bathroom was tiled, not marbled. It had a 38"x56" mirror, plus a 38"x11.5" side mirror, and three 11" shelves on both sides of this side mirror. Hair conditioners and mixed shampoo were in "bulk containers", likely just refilled between voyages. There was no sewing kit, though bathrobes and slippers were provided. Toilet paper was thin, and usually had to be "doubled up" for usage. There were a total of three sprinklers and two sensors in the cabin.

 

We thought the design could be improved, with more efficient use of space. The Silver Shadow's practically same sized and shaped cabin had a true walk-in closet and separate tub and shower, not to mention separate desk and make-up station. Of course, different marine architects would have different design priority. By the way, the balcony floor was covered with blue rubber mat.

 

... to be continued

[WupperAV]

Meow, $3000.00/ month is cheap. Even in Russia retirement is costly. On a ship they even get medical. That figures out to $100/day which when you firgure in meals, entertainment, and a room it's quite reasonable. In Va a retirement community will cost about 100K./ year. The cost of living is high in Russia, and a number of surveys have identified Moscow as being Europe's most expensive city.

Edited August 8, 2015 by WupperAV

[caribill]

Meow, $3000.00/ month is cheap. Even in Russia retirement is costly. On a ship they even get medical. That figures out to $100/day which when you firgure in meals, entertainment, and a room it's quite reasonable. In Va a retirement community will cost about 100K./ year. The cost of living is high in Russia, and a number of surveys have identified Moscow as being Europe's most expensive city.

Add another $345 per person for the auto-tip.

[meow!]

Did you eat at the Kai Sushi restaurant' date=' and if so, how was it?

 

If not, did you notice if it was crowded?

 

[/quote']

 

 

Kai sushi on our trip was not well attended. Why eat sushi made from fish held in storage for weeks when you can eat gorgeous, fresh sushi in the ports?

 

Continued from above ...

 

THE FOOD

 

We had breakfast in the buffet restaurant four times, and room service four times. We had lunch in the buffet restaurant a couple of times, ate hamburgers, pizza slices and ice cream at the grills and ice cream stand around the pool for the other days. Since we did not savour sitting with strangers around a large table, put up a smile and engage in polite conversation for hours, we did not attend any of the prescribed dinners. Instead, we ate dinners at the sushi restaurant twice, at the Italian restaurant twice, at the "steak house" once, at the buffet restaurant twice and called room service the other nights.

 

Food provided at the buffet restaurant was of mediocre quality, though with a large variety, with some changes from day to day. Breakfast items turned into lunch items before noon. The grills around the pool provided nice hamburgers, and pizza slices with a specialty flavour which changed from day to day. These specialty pizzas were quite nice and worth sampling. Other than that, the quality of the "included" food was not a high point of this voyage.

 

There were charges at the sushi restaurant depending on what you ordered. The quality was good but the variety was limited. Sushi items were reasonably fresh and delicious. We did not have to pre-book to enter this restaurant as usually there would be tables for two available as we walked in (or looked in). Because of this, it was convenient.

 

The Italian restaurant next door was good too, with a $25 charge per person. The usual three to four course dinners were provided. Choices included seafood pasta with scampi and sea scallops, and lobster tails. We found these of good quality, but for unknown reasons, one couple sitting not far from us suddenly made a scene and walked out. The calamari appetizer was nice. The "sea bass" they provided was Chilean, not the large white meat one would have wished. It would be better to choose lobster tail instead of this for the main course.

 

The steak house was good too, though again with extra charge. They served more than steak, and the two of us ate crab meat cake, onion soup, tiger shrimp and whole lobster tails in addition to steak. The quality was good. Somehow, we felt that in general, not just for meals, so many things had extra charges on this ship, perhaps even more so than on Celebrity ships.

 

Room service was punctual and of the usual quality. It was so convenient and available all day. The menu was reasonable. To avoid walking (and falling on a stormy day), room service was the way to go.

 

... to be continued.

Edited August 8, 2015 by meow!

[Cruiserkenn]

Thanks so much for your comments on the food and the restaurants. Special thanks for your comments on Kai Sushi, but I also appreciated your thoughts on Sabatini's and Sterling Steakhouse.

 

Thanks for your great review!

[meow!]

Thanks so much for your comments on the food and the restaurants. Special thanks for your comments on Kai Sushi' date=' but I also appreciated your thoughts on Sabatini's and Sterling Steakhouse.

 

Thanks for your great review![/quote']

 

You an are welcome and thank you for reading.

[By The Bay]

Hello Kristal Blade,

 

We are visiting Japan late March next year and visiting the following ports: Maizuru, Kanazawa, Aomori and Yokohama. Hope to see the cherry blossoms in Tokyo.;)

Any suggestions or comments for these ports would be appreciated. Thanks

[meow!]

We are considering this cruise for 2016. It is our first time to Japan. Is it a good itinerary? Are the ports worth visiting?

 

We are booked on this same itinerary next June, so will be following your review with much interest. How were the ship tours? I have heard that if they don't have enough (English speaking) people they will cancel those tours.

 

Don't bother with ships tours in Japanese ports. At every port there was a tourist info tent at the dockside with English speaking people who would tell you and often guide you to the local high spots.

 

Thanks for the great post! Could you tell more about the gorgeous sushi in the ports? Was it easy to order?

 

... continued from above

 

THE PORTS

 

We did not join any of the ship's tours. We did not leave the ship at Korsakov. At other ports, we were delighted that there were so many taxis all lined up in good formation waiting for passengers. We had been (and will still be) the "taxi type" for shore excursions through the years. What a delight not to have to wait for and deal with so many people, and can go our own way! In all Japanese ports, taxi tours were at Y5200 ($42) per hour (the taxi's meter would run roughly that much anyway, with or without a deal). This rate was no more than in the U.S., and the image that Japanese taxis were outrageously expensive was a myth. As taxis are everywhere in Japan, (likely more per capita than in New York city), the word to remember is taxi. While most drivers hardly spoke English, you could have someone write in Japanese where you wanted to go. All drivers were courteous and reliable, and tips were not expected.

 

The cruise line provided bus transportation at Kashiro (it looked as if Princess chartered half the town's buses), which brought us to the Moo market. We had to wait twenty minutes until 9 a.m. before the inner doors of the market opened. It was like a "mall-market", an air conditioned strip with nearly a hundred shops (?), selling cooked on the spot fish as well as various fresh seafood. They also sold Japanese style bread and delicacies, and other daily items, a very interesting place. There was even a small post office, where we bought a postcard and sent home to ourselves (our best souvenir)! There were local entertainers right outside, singing and dancing for a while.

 

The temperature there (in Hokkaido, northern Japan) was nice and cool, though it rained intermittently. After roaming around and eating the local food there, we took a taxi waiting at the door. Someone explained to the driver what we wanted, he took us around for half an hour (we had to return in time) for Y2600. He took us to a hill top, and took pictures of us in front of two monuments. We communicated with hand signals and body language in addition to single English words.

 

The next port was Hakodate, still in Hokkaido. Our taxi driver could speak some simple English words, and he brought us to several shops and tourist attractions, including a "historical bank", a liquor store (part of a winery) and a small mall. It was much more efficient to have a private tour by taxi than by bus.

 

Again, we bought a postcard to mail back to ourselves. We bought a small bottle of local plum wine for Y1600, and a "made in Japan" thermos flask for Y4000 (most such items are now made in mainland China). We took many pictures and used our camcorder as well. We agreed on the Y5200 per hour rate before hand, took close to an hour and a half, and the driver still charged us only Y5200. Being fair, we gave him a Y2000 tip.

 

The next day, we arrived at Otaru. The wind was so strong (especially right by the ship) that it was difficult even to stand on the pier. Besides the strong wind, the weather was turning hot. Fortunately, there were taxis right by the ship, and the crew helped us quickly onto a taxi. This was the last port we stopped in Hokkaido.

 

This was the first city to be opened to Westerners in Japan, and many people spoke some simple English. We bought some dried Japanese delicacy, several post cards and the driver helped us mail one back to ourselves. Since we already knew that meter rates and hourly rates were close, we just let the meter run. An hour and a half cost Y7750, so we gave the driver Y7800.

 

The day after we arrived at Aomori. It was already so very hot, especially under the sun. For some unknown reason, the pier did not allow taxis and buses close to the ship, cordoning them off at a distance. We estimated that it would take a thousand steps to walk from the ship to the taxis (and buses for that matter), and there was no place to sit in-between for a rest and no shade. There was also no wheel chair provided by the ship. So disappointed, we went back to the ship.

 

to be continued ...

Edited August 9, 2015 by meow!

[possum52]

. Also, there was no display of outside temperature, wind or navigation map. You could not even see the ship's bow, which would usually be displayed on Princess' own website. Why would they not show this available information to the passengers actually on board?

 

 

When on board the Diamond in March/April, we checked the weather and navigation map regularly on our cabin television on a channel which was dedicated to this. We actually found the the television system easy to use and certainly had enough variety for us.

 

Leigh

[Kristal Blade]

Hi By the Bay,

I have been to all these ports so will give you a brief run down of what we did in each.

Kanazawa: there is a shuttle bus to take you to the central train station, it is about 30 mins away. We walked everywhere here. We were in port on a Sunday but the market was open. It was amazing, full of very photogenic stalls with friendly people. We saw the castle, which gives free admission to OAPs, my husband qualified for that! Also Kenruoken garden, lovely then on to the Samurai area, a peaceful walk but we had to ask some local teenagers how to get there but they were really helpful. We went inside the Nomura family house, admission 500 yen. We ate in the market, meat and fish skewers, tasty. We then walked to the Geisha area but it was much more touristy than the samurai area. We strolled along the riverside back to the station. The one big surprise was the amazing sail away show done by teams of local performers. Dancing, acrobatics, huge flag waving! Just breathtaking and it went on for over an hour. Make sure you get a view of that, from your balcony, if on the dock side or on the open deck. It was better than shows on the cruise ship because of the number of people and all the colours.

Maizuru: we took a trip to Amanohashidate. On shore you can buy a ticket for the whole trip which includes the train ride, take the shuttle bus to the station, ferry ride then chair lift up the hill. At the top are the most amazing views. One thing you must do is bend down and stick your head between your legs looking at the view behind you. It is called the view of heaven as the sea and sky are inverted! You are looking out over Mijazu bay and the Aso sea. We then did a walk, signposted as nature walk. Well, it is a steep uphill climb to a temple and a beautiful pagoda with more views of the heavenly floating bridge. We had seen several buses pass by on our walk up the hill so we took the bus back down, it was Y350 each.

We took the chair lift back to sea level then used the option to cycle back to the railway station. This is still all included in the ticket price! Y1600 each. For the bike you pay a 1000 deposit which is returned to you when you hand over the bike at the ferry. The cycle ride is glorious! Nice and flat thru a pine forest with water on both sides. We took lots of photos again! The cycle ride is 3.6km, so not too far and you can get off at any point as it is only a route for bikes and pedestrians. We had lunch back in town, a little restaurant near the ferry. We took the train back then took the shuttle bus back to the ship. We had taken the 0700 shuttle out and the 1600 shuttle back so we packed in a lot in the time, but we didn't feel rushed at all.

Aomori: we did a lot here because we stayed an extra night due to typhoon. We were welcomed by drummers banging on huge drums. As usual there was a tourist info tent set up right by he ship so we got info from them on how to do our trip, a trip to Hirosaki by train. There we saw the Hirosaki castle and botanical garden. We were there in October so no cherry blossom for us, unfortunately but the garden was lovely, peaceful and very well maintained. However there are loads of cherry trees there so at blossom time it must be gorgeous. We also went to Fujitsa memorial garden, all included in the 3 centre ticket, and the castle. The memorial garden was a high spot, another very photogenic stop.

We also strolled round the town where they have European style houses, also visited a pagoda at the Saishoin temple. That is worth a visit because of all the beautiful tress around, red gates, stone lanterns. Classical Japanese style. They also had good and different souvenirs at the temple. In fact we often bought souvenir at temples. They sell wooden plaques unique to each temple which are meant as prayer notes, but they don't mind if you buy them simply as a souvenir. We ate in a big shopping mall that day!

However we did spend time in Aomori itself and would recommend various things there: a must see is the Nebuta museum. It is a display of the floats used at the Nebuta festival. That is fantastic and the shop attached to the museum has fantastic and unique souvenirs. I bought a towel wi

High is still making people jealous when I bring it out at the gym! Our other big destination was the Sannai Muuyama archaeology site. We got a bus day pass which is cheaper than 2 singles, buy at the bus station office. The journey takes 20 mins. There is a museum with artefacts from 5500 years ago and in e grounds are reconstructions of pit dwellings and stilt houses. We spent about an hour there. Took the bus back to town then ate in the fish market. Great fun! You buy voucher tickets and exchange them for food. Aomori is famous for apples. At the Aspam centre you can sample apple juice and cider. If possible try to eat a local Apple. Ha ha, my auto correct thinks Apple MUST have a capital letter. Anyway, the fruit tasted like apples used to when we were kids.

From the ship you can walk to a supermarket. We enjoy that as it is interesting to see the local produce, plus you can buy a few beers to take back on board.

Yokohama: well there is so much to see close to the ship. We strolled along the waterfront, Yama****a park is nice with the famous(?) statue of the girl with red shoes, Harbour view park is a climb up from there but has nice views. We went a bit mad and walked all the way to Sankien garden. You can take the bus there. We took the bus back to town from there. It is a lovely garden, but having seen so many Japanese gardens it may not be top of your list. There is a big Chinatown area in Yokohama. We ate there. We also bought a couple of bottles of wine to take back on board.

 

I seem to have rattled on for ages, but I hope you get an idea of things to do. Another tip I have for you is to take a little note book with you, blank pages would be best, maybe A5 size. Anyway, in the note book you are going to collect stamps! At many of the tourist areas there are ink pads with a stamp beside them so you can take home an impression of the place you have visited. I collected lots, but I had no note book so I took the Princess cruises jotter phone pad paper then glued the prints into my diary when I got home.

 

Enjoy your trip! I wish I was going too.

Libby

[meow!]

 

When on board the Diamond in March/April, we checked the weather and navigation map regularly on our cabin television on a channel which was dedicated to this. We actually found the the television system easy to use and certainly had enough variety for us.

 

Leigh

 

Somehow we couldn't find it. We asked the cabin attendant, he couldn't find it either!

[Cruiserkenn]

... continued from above

 

THE PORTS

 

We did not join any of the ship's tours. We did not leave the ship at Korsakov. At other ports, we were delighted that there were so many taxis all lined up in good formation waiting for passengers. We had been (and will still be) the "taxi type" for shore excursions through the years. What a delight not to have to wait for and deal with so many people, and can go our own way! In all Japanese ports, taxi tours were at Y5200 ($42) per hour (the taxi's meter would run roughly that much anyway, with or without a deal). This rate was no more than in the U.S., and the image that Japanese taxis were outrageously expensive was a myth. As taxis are everywhere in Japan, (likely more per capita than in New York city), the word to remember is taxi. While most drivers hardly spoke English, you could have someone write in Japanese

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ppwhere you wanted to go. All drivers were courteous and reliable, and tips were not expected.

 

The cruise line provided bus transportation at Kashiro (it looked as if Princess chartered half the town's buses), which brought us to the Moo market. We had to wait twenty minutes until 9 a.m. before the inner doors of the market opened. It was like a "mall-market", an air conditioned strip with nearly a hundred shops (?), selling cooked on the spot fish as well as various fresh seafood. They also sold Japanese style bread and delicacies, and other daily items, a very interesting place. There was even a small post office, where we bought a postcard and sent home to ourselves (our best souvenir)! There were local entertainers right outside, singing and dancing for a while.

 

The temperature there (in Hokkaido, northern Japan) was nice and cool,

 

 

 

 

though it rained intermittently. After roaming around and eating the local food there, we took a taxi waiting at the door. Someone explained to the driver what we wanted, he took us around for half an hour (we had to return in time) for Y2600. He took us to a hill top, and took pictures of us in front of two monuments. We communicated with hand signals and body language in addition to single English words.

 

The next port was Hakodate, still in Hokkaido. Our taxi driver could speak some simple English words, and he brought us to several shops and tourist attractions, including a "historical bank", a liquor store (part of a winery) and a small mall. It was much more efficient to have a private tour by taxi than by bus.

 

Again, we bought a postcard to mail back to ourselves. We bought a small bottle of local plum wine for Y1600, and a "made in Japan" thermos flask for Y4000 (most such items are now made in mainland China). We took many pictures and used our camcorder as well. We agreed on the Y5200 per hour rate before hand, took close to an hour and a half, and the driver still charged us only Y5200. Being fair, we gave him a Y2000 tip.

 

The next day, we arrived at Otaru. The wind was so strong (especially right by the ship) that it was difficult even to stand on the pier. Besides the strong wind, the weather was turning hot. Fortunately, there were taxis right by the ship, and the crew helped us quickly onto a taxi. This was the last port we stopped in Hokkaido.

 

 

 

This was the first city to be opened to Westerners in Japan, and many people spoke some simple English. We bought some dried Japanese delicacy, several post cards and the driver helped us mail one back to ourselves. Since we already knew that meter rates and hourly rates were close, we just let the meter run. An hour and a half cost Y7750, so we gave the driver Y7800.

 

The day after we arrived at Aomori. It was already so very hot, especially under the sun. For some unknown reason, the pier did not allow taxis and buses close to the ship, cordoning them off at a distance. We estimated that it would take a thousand steps to walk from the ship to the taxis (and buses for that matter), and there was no place to sit in-between for a rest and no shade. There was also no wheel chair provided by the ship. So disappointed, we went back to the ship.

to be continued ...

 

Wow! Thanks for the great post! So interesting about the taxis! Thanks for telling about this.

 

Thanks, too, for the Moo market description:)

[CruzinNoony]

I am enjoying this blog so much. Already, I have 4 binder pages of notes! Thank you Meow and also Libby. :D