From Day 12 - To the Cruise Ship

Today was Monday, September 17 and we were excited about boarding our cruise ship, the Diamond Princess, at the terminal in Yokohama later in the day. We breakfasted at our hotel venue, that is, at the cafe next door which provided a choice of two breakfast menus for the Daiwa Roynet Hotel guests. We decided on the Japanese one with miso soup, grilled salmon and rice.
We bought our reserved tickets for the Green Car on the Tokaido

Shinkansen from Nagoya to Shin-Yokohama - the new Yokohama station for the bullet trains. The train was called the Hikari as it travels to Tokyo. It took an hour and twenty minutes.
We saw a glimpse of Mt Fuji on the way - just the peak. We noticed the many solar panel 'farms' trackside. The Japanese have realised that it is more lucrative to sell solar energy than plant and harvest a vegetable or grain crop.
We took a taxi to the cruise terminal and after waiting for our section number to be called, it didn't take long to be processed with passports I.D. We were delighted with our room and the view. Great to have an open wardrobe with extra cupboards for storing clothes.
We wandered around a bit getting lost, like many other guests, feeling like passengers on the 'Poseidon Adventure' (1972 movie) going one way and then the next and then meeting up with the same groups of people (as they tried to find their way out of a sinking ship).
We finally found a luxurious bar with a fabulous view and decided on a cocktail called 'Beverly Hills Ice Tea' - Grey Goose, Bombay Sapphire, Bacardi, 1800 Reposado, Cointreau, sparkling wine, sugar syrup and fresh lemon. Hardly an 'ice tea'. We enjoyed it. Our Happy Hour was extended a bit as we waited for the evening meal.
We watched as a tug boat came alongside to assist in the navigation of the cruise liner out of Yokohama Bay.
The evening buffet amazed us - so many counters with hot and cold dishes, Asian and Western foods, soups, salads and the desserts were all laid out

behind glass with so many to choose from. Even gf ones available.
Next morning, we arrived in Ishinomaki. It is a city north of Sendai on Japan's Honshu mainland. We heard there is an island nearby, Kinkasan Island, where there are wild deer and an 8th century Shinto Shrine. However, we decided to disembark ship and find an internet space somewhere. Eventually found a nice little coffee shop that had Wi-Fi. It was a good chance to rest up after a hectic ten days on the mainland and to send a few emails out.
On Wednesday, September 19, we sailed into the port of Hakodate - one of the main cities on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island, to a big welcome from locals. Hokkaido had experienced a destructive earthquake recently so the ship staff had created a huge banner: 'We are with you, Hokkaido'. We explored the market area where fish and seafood of every kind was for sale, or ready to be cooked up and served to you. Crabs, lobsters, octopus and other shellfish were swimming around in large aquariums.

On Thursday we made a port stop at Akita, a beautiful city famous for its hot springs. We enjoyed our day wandering the streets and scenic parks with other tourists, Japanese and foreign. We strolled around Senshu Park, which is the site of the remains of Kubota Castle built by the Satake family.
There was also a sightseeing information office with guides wearing yellow uniforms happy to show you around for no charge. We didn't avail ourselves of this service but instead relied on the friendly assistance of some locals when we were unsure of the route.
Akita is also known as the Sake Kingdom as its main produce is rice and sake made from rice. We passed some 'standing sake bars' in the entertainment district of Kawabata with a full selection of brands from 37 sake breweries in the prefecture.
Friday was a day at sea, so we relaxed and kept exploring the ship. We also found time to do some laundry in the guest laundromat. So handy.

On Saturday, we visited Busan in Korea and took the excursion to the United Nations Memorial Cemetery of Korea. We departed by bus to the entrance and a guide showed us around firstly, then left us to wander and explore the grounds ourselves. The gardens were beautifully green and manicured - both lawns and trees. It is an area of 35 acres and the park contains the bodies of 11,000 soldiers and medical personnel from 16 nations.
We were also shown a video about the cemetery and how it came to be created for the soldiers who died in the Korean War. We heard that wives of soldiers are permitted to be buried in the cemetery too, alongside their husbands. Also, those who have served in the Korean War and died in their own country are welcome to have their bodies buried here next to their mates. It was a moving and inspirational experience to be present on this holy ground.
On the morning of our excursion, because we were visiting another

country, we had to line up and proceed through an immigration process with our passport I.D. while Korean Immigration officials boarded the ship and stamped our passports.
We also visited the Busan Municipal Museum which brought us up to date with Busan's ancient history. In addition to ancient artifacts, the museum showcases the Korean War with photos and film footage.
When we boarded the ship again, we were told we would have to proceed through immigration in order to enter Japan again. This would be at the port of Kagoshima where Japanese immigration officials would board the ship and set up their tables.
At 4pm we cruised out of the Busan harbour, crossed under the harbour bridge which connects the districts of Yeongdo and Nam. The bridge is quite spectacular and was completed in 2014.