Live(ish) Millennium Japan 19th Aug review

[villauk]

 

Yes, I’ve just lost my last post so will wait until we are shore side to continue.

 

 

Our day at Asakusa:

 

Kaminarimon gate - notice the crowds.

 

 

 

The balloon was raised and tied on Friday because of the typhoon risk.

 

 

 

Nakamise street - full of traditional goods and shops, leading to the temple.

 

 

Carrying out traditions:

 

 

The five-tier pagoda and its relevance.

 

 

Our offerings and where we performed the ritual of bowing and clapping.

 

 

My fortune stick, which was apparently very good. Our friend’s choice was the least good luck, so no need to put it on the bad luck rack either 😂. My DH particularly liked the marriage line. I was drawn to the ‘good to make a trip’ sentence. It appears after our scare with the typhoon that someone is keeping an eye on us 👀.

 

[villauk]

We had a super morning and it continued to the biggest park in central Tokyo: Ueno Park. The heat was rising at this stage but the shade of the cherry blossom trees did help. Toshi informed us that the blossom was in April this year, which was very unusual. Many tourists had missed it as they had arrived in March.

[vickykay]

Love all the family photos!

[StopTheWorld]

Loving your review so far @villauk so soon after @Lunastella! All of us booked on Japan cruises are being spoiled 😊

Are you planning to walk to the cruise terminal from your hotel? Our plan (in October so hopefully cooler and less humid) is to walk from Nidon-Ohori station after getting the train from Shinjuku-sanchome. It looks easy according to google maps! But that’s what Lunastella thought when she embarked on her epic journey to the Intercontinental, and we all know how that turned out 😬  If the route is flat and easily navigable with luggage I don’t mind, but I’m happy to get a taxi to save any hassle! 

 

[hcat]

Nice group photos, eyc.. But  very crowded.. esp in hot weather.  Hydrate!

[monkey@cruise]

2 hours ago, StopTheWorld said:

Loving your review so far @villauk so soon after @Lunastella! All of us booked on Japan cruises are being spoiled 😊

Are you planning to walk to the cruise terminal from your hotel? Our plan (in October so hopefully cooler and less humid) is to walk from Nidon-Ohori station after getting the train from Shinjuku-sanchome. It looks easy according to google maps! But that’s what Lunastella thought when she embarked on her epic journey to the Intercontinental, and we all know how that turned out 😬  If the route is flat and easily navigable with luggage I don’t mind, but I’m happy to get a taxi to save any hassle! 

@StopTheWorld

You will "go underground" in Yokohama station when transferring from Shonan-Shinjuku Line (from Shinjuku station) to Minatomirai Line (to Nihon-Odori station). You will travel from 1F level to B5 level, station elevators are small because design for wheelchairs and baby strollers use.

 

 

Google map cannot display station's multi-level mapping and your precise location inside a station.

[villauk]

2 hours ago, StopTheWorld said:

Loving your review so far @villauk so soon after @Lunastella! All of us booked on Japan cruises are being spoiled 😊

Are you planning to walk to the cruise terminal from your hotel? Our plan (in October so hopefully cooler and less humid) is to walk from Nidon-Ohori station after getting the train from Shinjuku-sanchome. It looks easy according to google maps! But that’s what Lunastella thought when she embarked on her epic journey to the Intercontinental, and we all know how that turned out 😬  If the route is flat and easily navigable with luggage I don’t mind, but I’m happy to get a taxi to save any hassle! 

 

 

It took us 10 minutes at the most to walk to the port. You can see the promenade at the bottom of the street the hotel is on. Only the last section up to the port is on a slight wooden incline.

[villauk]

2 hours ago, hcat said:

Nice group photos, eyc.. But  very crowded.. esp in hot weather.  Hydrate!

 

Thank you. We are drinking water constantly 👍.

[villauk]

14 hours ago, chemmo said:

Enjoying following along! So nice your boys are still cruising with you!

 

Have a wonderful cruise…

 

Thank you. We are increasing to nine next Easter as their GFs are coming too 😉.

[villauk]

 

Ueno Park

Biggest park in central Tokyo

 

 

The cherry blossom route in the park.

 

 

Check out the shape of the tree in the centre.

 

We found the park to be far less crowded than many of the other tourist attractions.

 

[villauk]

As I stated, I don’t want to write much about each particular attraction as I think it’s nice to discover the places for yourself. We learnt about the Shogun in the photo above and other statues in the park. There was also a junior baseball practice session going ahead while we were there. We didn’t realise baseball was so huge in Japan.

 

Ginza

Following on from Ueno Park, we were back on the train to Ginza and the most prestigious shopping area. It held all the usual top-end designer shops - Toshi compared it to Bond Street or 5th Avenue. Good for AC, but that’s about all with our budgets 😂. Recently, he did say that they had positioned security guards on the doors as there had been quite a few smash-and-grab incidents; something very unusual in Japan! 
 

We needed a break from the intense heat and Toshi had the perfect place for us …..

[monkey@cruise]

3 hours ago, StopTheWorld said:

 If the route is flat and easily navigable with luggage I don’t mind, but I’m happy to get a taxi to save any hassle! 

 

@StopTheWorld

If it is a challenge pushing luggage up the incline slope to 2F Osanbashi Terminal Entrance; go to 1F parking level and take the elevator up.
https://osanbashi.jp/en/floor/

[villauk]

Since we (ladies) have retired, our new moniker, given to us by the boys, is ‘ladies who lunch’ - not too sure about the ladies part, but we love going out for coffee and cakes 😉. Tokyo has an abundance of coffee shops. We wanted something light for lunch as we still had much to see, so Toshi took us to a Japanese version of an afternoon tea establishment near the railway station. There was a queue - always a good sign when the locals are queuing - but it didn’t take long to be ushered in to the waiting area, which held some scrumptious delights 😉. A few fridges contained a wide variety of exquisite cakes and pastries; the waitresses were fully kitted out in their frilly aprons and hats. It was similar to visiting Betty’s Tea Shop in Harrogate, with a slight twist. (Look it up, always worth a visit if you are in the area).

 

We had the package of tea/coffee and a cake, Toshi had the sandwich package (soup and a drink included) and one of the group had the ice cream plate. My slice of melon cake was simply delicious. I hear you ask why we didn’t sample more Japanese food. Well, we promised our friend we would continue with our new moniker whilst we were away on vacation. Additionally, it’s quite difficult finding enough empty tables for our party of seven at the best of times.

 

It was lovely to relax and enjoy a quick break before the madness started again! When my DH paid the bill, Toshi reminded him not to tip as it’s not needed and is seen by some as disrespectful. We did as instructed. On a side note, I do seem to be having trouble with working out which button to press to flush on the toilets. Funny story: our friend didn’t have his glasses on and hit the wrong button in the hotel toilet. Unfortunately it wasn’t the correct part of his anatomy which was sprayed with water 😂. The bathroom door got a good soaking too 🤦‍♀️.

 

I apologise for only having this photograph - we only remembered once we’d cleared our plates that we hadn’t taken any pictures.

 

 

A red velvet cake 😉.

[Miaminice]

11 hours ago, StopTheWorld said:

Loving your review so far @villauk so soon after @Lunastella! All of us booked on Japan cruises are being spoiled 😊

 

 

May I offer some more material to read and share?
Here are the links to our three Japan cruises sorted from new to older. The two older ones are on our own website. Unfortunately I don´t have the time anymore to keep it up to date. But there´s always CruisCritic 🙂 Enjoy Japan - it´s fantastic!

Japan on Millennium 10/2023

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

 

Cherry Blossom Cruise on HAL Westerdam 04/2019

https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/HAL-Westerdam-Japan-01/hal-westerdam-japan-01.html

 

The one that got us hooked on Japan, Millennium 10/2017
https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html

[StopTheWorld]

23 minutes ago, Miaminice said:

 

May I offer some more material to read and share?
Here are the links to our three Japan cruises sorted from new to older. The two older ones are on our own website. Unfortunately I don´t have the time anymore to keep it up to date. But there´s always CruisCritic 🙂 Enjoy Japan - it´s fantastic!

Japan on Millennium 10/2023

https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2970853-celebrity-millennium-japan-10242023-liveish-report/

 

Cherry Blossom Cruise on HAL Westerdam 04/2019

https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/HAL-Westerdam-Japan-01/hal-westerdam-japan-01.html

 

The one that got us hooked on Japan, Millennium 10/2017
https://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/Celebrity-Millennium-Japan/celebrity-millennium-japan.html

Already a fan @Miaminice 😉

[Provence55always]

7 hours ago, villauk said:

It was similar to visiting Betty’s Tea Shop in Harrogate, with a slight twist. (Look it up, always worth a visit if you are in the area).

My daughter and three of our grandchildren live in Harrogate so a big shout out for Betty’s Tea Shop. Definitely worth a visit if in the area but be prepared to queue.

[chemmo]

10 hours ago, villauk said:

 

Thank you. We are increasing to nine next Easter as their GFs are coming too 😉.

We hit that point just post covid! We had a wonderful cruise as a four before sadly loosing my husband, Pete, last year. The remaining three of us were booked on the Infinity for this September but all still felt it was a bit too soon…cruising has always been such a family thing.

 

We have, however, now booked a Caribbean cruise for next September and we will fulfill one of the few things Pete and I planned but never did, we have booked the Reflection suite!  I keep justifying the cost with the fact I am less mobile than I was and will appreciate the ship and a butler more…

 

I assume from your cake and coffee post you are just retired? Make the most of the next few years as we did! Our first cruise post retirement was the TP with a land stay in Hawaii first and a stay in Australia after…Needless to say DS managed to get extended leave to accompany us…

 

Make every moment count!

[villauk]

1 hour ago, chemmo said:

We hit that point just post covid! We had a wonderful cruise as a four before sadly loosing my husband, Pete, last year. The remaining three of us were booked on the Infinity for this September but all still felt it was a bit too soon…cruising has always been such a family thing.

 

We have, however, now booked a Caribbean cruise for next September and we will fulfill one of the few things Pete and I planned but never did, we have booked the Reflection suite!  I keep justifying the cost with the fact I am less mobile than I was and will appreciate the ship and a butler more…

 

I assume from your cake and coffee post you are just retired? Make the most of the next few years as we did! Our first cruise post retirement was the TP with a land stay in Hawaii first and a stay in Australia after…Needless to say DS managed to get extended leave to accompany us…

 

Make every moment count!

 

So sorry to hear about your DH’s passing; I can totally understand you feeling that it’s not the right time for you yet to begin cruising again.

 

Your DS sounds just like our two regarding still wanting to travel with us. Our friends lost someone close late last year very unexpectedly and it made us all realise that no one knows what’s round the corner and we need to do as much as we can while we can, hence the retirement..We absolutely love our family cruising vacations and hope to continue sailing together.

 

Enjoy the Reflection Suite…you’ll make some wonderful new memories to treasure with your DS and his partner.

[villauk]

Imperial Palace - Double bridge

Old Tokyo castle
 

The heat of the day was really starting to kick in when we left to visit the Imperial Palace. What we did notice was that the area was practically deserted when we left the train. Toshi explained that it was situated in the business district, so all the offices were empty as it was a Sunday. The skyline is also restricted in height so that the office workers cannot see into the grounds of the palace. Guards were in their sentry boxes as we approached the double bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the last photo, I couldn’t even take down my umbrella as the heat was too intense. I was ready for some shade!

[villauk]

Our next stop was Meiji Jingu shrine. You can see instantly the difference in the gate between the Shinto shrine and the Buddhist.

 

 

The crowds had also returned 🤦‍♀️.

 

 

 

We made our way along the long avenue - the trees provided some excellent shade. There was a cacophony of cicada sounds surrounding us from every direction. We reached the shrine and performed more rituals.

 

I found this shrine to be far more peaceful and moving. More places to stop and reflect.

 

[villauk]

Our last stop of the day was the craziest of them all. Everyone in the group had seen the famous crossroads  - it’s quite surreal to think that we’d all got the opportunity to witness it in real life! Our kids are so lucky, but they do realise it!

 

Shibuya

Scramble intersection

 

 

 

 

Hachi dog statue - I’m sure you’ve all heard the story of the dog that returned every day to meet his master who had unfortunately passed away. Our friends were wondering how their dog was coping while they were in Japan.

 

 

We’d had a very busy and exhausting day, travelling on so many trains and seeing some of Tokyo’s wonderful history. We hope to return one day, or perhaps another four times like @Miaminice 😂

 

Tomorrow is boarding day….. but just one quick visit for the lads before we go…..

 

[hcat]

Bon Voyage.. hope you'll have more space on the ship!

[DaKahuna]

15 hours ago, villauk said:

but we love going out for coffee and cakes 😉. Tokyo has an abundance of coffee shops.

 

The best pastries I have had in my life were in Japan.  They make a strawberry short cake that is phenomenal; it is so light and tasty I have to really restrain myself from eating two or more. 

 

[catgirl411]

7 hours ago, villauk said:

Imperial Palace - Double bridge

Old Tokyo castle
 

The heat of the day was really starting to kick in when we left to visit the Imperial Palace. What we did notice was that the area was practically deserted when we left the train. Toshi explained that it was situated in the business district, so all the offices were empty as it was a Sunday. The skyline is also restricted in height so that the office workers cannot see into the grounds of the palace. Guards were in their sentry boxes as we approached the double bridge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the last photo, I couldn’t even take down my umbrella as the heat was too intense. I was ready for some shade!

Did the sightseeing in Tokyo a few years ago in July. As you head towards the Imperial Palace we had to cross a large open gravel courtyard. No shade, no seating…it was probably the hottest I have ever been. It felt like walking on the surface of the sun and seemed endless. I loved Tokyo but the heat and humidity was unbearable!

[Pushka]

I think the JJ YouTube guys are on your cruise and posting regularly. Latest is embarkation.