Journal Entry #1 - Albany to Kagoshima

It's the third morning on the ship, a sea day between Kagoshima, Japan and Busan, Korea. I'm sitting – actually, kind of reclining – on a deck chair, the kind of thing they mean when they say “rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.” It is not lost to me that Cunard bought the White Star line before WWII, and the Titanic was a White Star ship.

We're on Cunard's Queen Elizabeth, not the original, or the QE II, which is currently a restaurant moored in Dubai.  This must be the QE III, I guess.

Anyway, the ocean. Or, actually, the Korea Strait. Out of sight of land. Moderate seas, some whitecaps. Waves seem chaotic, but after a while I can see the organization, generally moving, in ragged lines, from here to there. It's a misty but warm day; the sea recedes into the mist and disappears long before the horizon.

The flight from Albany to Newark seemed over before it actually began; the flight from Newark to Tokyo was 14 hours. It is unpleasant to be strapped into a space smaller than a coffin for over half a day. Mom watched four full-length movies, two of which were about being dead. I couldn't really hear the entertainment system given the roar of the engines, so I listened to one book and read another. The listening book was “Pacific” by Simon Winchester, about the ocean, and I found it amusing that, given the great circle route we took, we did not actually cross the Pacific Ocean, and found ourselves over it only at the end, off the coast of Russia.

Relatively painless transfer from plane to Tokyo hotel, then sleep/wake/sleep – what day is is? What time is it here, at home? What time is my phone telling me – EST or local? We got it sorted, got enough sleep to get upright, and got going.

Three nights in the Tokyo hotel, which included three breakfasts at their buffet restaurant – mostly Japanese items. Lots and lots of choices, all very small portions – for our five kinds of fish, each piece the size of half your pinky. Small plates, each with one fried egg. Vegetables, fruits, pretty normal bread selections. Mom went nuts – she came back with plates full of little tiny portions of all the tastes.

By far, the best Japanese English speaker we met all trip was the young woman - bellhop? - who showed us to our room when we arrived at the hotel.

As close as you can get to the Emperor's Palace

All-day bus tour of Tokyo the day after we arrived. We went to a Shinto shrine and a Bhuddist temple (if it's a shrine, it's always Shinto, a temple is always Bhuddist). Two very laissez-faire faiths that don't make it on to some religious scholars' lists of “religions.” Shinto is largely animist, worshiping natural order and its elements; Bhuddism concerns itself with death and the aftermath and, in a way that ultimately makes sense, how to live your life while you're alive. We also got as close as you can to the Emperor's palace. Pictures of all these things available. One thing I found moving at the shrine (the biggest in Japan) – racks and racks of chips of wood, maybe credit-card sized or a little bigger, a hole punched in the top for a string to hang it with.

Wishes

Written on each was someone's wish. They were all burned at the Japanese New Year (Jan 2) and this was supposed to send them to the (many) gods for fulfillment. They were in all languages, and the ones I could read mostly asked for health and prosperity. But some were more personal: “Please heal my grandma.” “Let my sister find peace.” “I love you ____, please come home!” A whole moving story in each one.

We had lunch at a place on the tenth floor of a building near the Ginza shopping district. Ten different batter fried (tempura) foods on wooden skewers, each paired with a sauce to dip it in. Another great variety of tastes; again, Mom was ecstatic. I liked most of them, but I'm more of a “one thing for lunch, something different for dinner” kind of person.

We also went up to the top of the Tokyo Skytree, 650 meters up, a place to look out over the whole Tokyo region, including Mt. Fuji – if the weather cooperates.

It was overcast and raining on-and-off the whole time we were in Tokyo, so we didn't see Mt. Fuji (at all). It seems like all the buildings in Tokyo are all from the same general design aesthetic – Bauhaus meets 50's-60's design. As if the whole city was leveled sometime before 1950 and rebuilt – oh yeah, that's right. Every building is different, but all of a kind. Pictures available.

Still exhausted, we skipped dinner that night and went to bed, and were up at 4AM. This was a free day, and we went to the Tokyo National Museum, because we went on this trip to see Japanese art and gardens. We walked to the train station – maybe ten minutes – and found someone who could tell us how the trains worked. We found the right track and the train was just leaving, and so there we were, on our way. It will surprise no one that Japanese public transport far outshines US public transport, such as it is, in all ways (this can probably be said of most developed countries). Tokyo – 13 million residents – has a system of above-ground light rail and an underground metro, plus a robust bus system. The trains are quick, quiet, clean (everything in Japan is clean) and English-speaker friendly; we never had any doubt where we were or when our station was coming up.

We got help finding our way out of the huge (bright, clean, safe) station at the end of our ride, and found ourselves in a huge, many-acre compound of museums, all set in a park-like atmosphere. We walked a long way to the one we wanted – which we entered for free, because we were over 70! They checked our passports, then cheerfully waved us through.

The second floor of the Tokyo National Museum is the history of Japanese art, from a 5,500 year-old pottery vase of astounding complexity and graceful form, to the early 20^th century.

We were there, on one floor, for over two hours (and we skipped the room with the swords). We both saw all the art we had been looking forward to seeing on the trip. This was Mom's agenda, so she can talk more about the details, but I also enjoyed it quite a bit. I thought the calligraphy was awesome. You can take pictures of most (not all) of the pieces on display. We (or Mom) did.

We walked back to the train station, got some help finding the right track for our return trip, and were home in no time. There was a chain restaurant – the Royal Host - a half block from our hotel. Our guide had pointed one out and said “Pictures on the menu!” There were, which made ordering a whole lot easier. I had pork, sauce, veggies on rice and a Kirin beer (hit the spot after our adventure) and I've forgotten what Mom had. Kind of like a Japanese Applebee's – but the food was really good. Lots of families; couple with a three-year old next to us; Mom, of course, had to interact; drew a Japanese-styled kitty on a napkin and gave it to them. Two tables away, big guy with rings and piercings and ball cap on backward came in, ordered a big yogurt parfait, ate it, and left. Across from us, five older Japanese men enjoying a leisurely dinner with beers, finished, kept talking, and when we left they were just switching to wine.

We went back to the room, tried to make the TV work, finally settled on “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valence” (John Ford directed; John Wayne and Jimmy Stewart, actors in their 50s playing characters in their 20s, and Lee Marvin, who played Liberty Valence and got shot.) Actually, a pretty significant movie in film history; glad we saw it.

    Pious people donate sake to the shrine for ritual ceremonies.
These are the empties.

Next morning, our last wonderful buffet breakfast, and then the long process if re-packing and making our way by shuttle bus to the port of Yokohama which with Tokyo and Kawasaki and other cities, are all on Tokyo Bay, although Yokohama is the major port. Onto the ship, again with little fuss. Our home for almost a month!

Our room is an interior room on Deck 1 – a steerage berth if ever there was one. But (speaking three days later) the lack of window seems to be making no difference. It's just a room – in a hotel, if you close the drapes, it's pretty much the same effect. Generally enough room for us, except the bathroom – the shower is about the size of our seats on the airplane, and the room itself is really too small to comfortably get dressed in. No big issue; we're hardly there anyway, at least so far.

 Two biggest surprises for me: This ship (Queen Elizabeth) is almost identical, inside, to the Holland American ships we've been on in the past. Everything is in the same place with few if any exceptions. Mom says the fittings are more elegant, and she's probably right. 

 Outside, the ship is a slightly different shape from the standard cruise ship, but that's it. Secondly, the dress code thing, that I had trepidated about for a long time, is not a big deal. During the day, everyone dresses about the same way that we do. I got a sports jacket that fit at the Swap Shop a couple months ago, and we brought some shirts that go with it, and that's it for dinner. Many guys don't even bring jackets, but you're expected to wear a collared shirt. So far there's been one Gala night; I also brought my 30-year-old suit that I wear to weddings and funerals, and wore that on the Gala night, along with a tie that didn't match. Lots of guys had brought tuxes and white tie outfits, and women had elegant black and white dresses, but lots of folks didn't. There are professional photographers who'll take your picture on the main staircase on Gala nights; this seems very popular. However, all these bizarre rituals didn't intrude on our lives onboard, so it's all good.

We were surprised to find that about half of the passengers on this phase of the trip are Japanese. They seem to be more formal dressers, but not to extremes. All programs are presented in English, and some, not all, have translators.

Our first stop was meant to be Hiroshima, but the G7 is meeting there so it was changed to Kagoshima, which seems to be the southernmost city in Japan. (Not sure how Cunard didn't know about the G7 in one of their ports until February?). Hiroshima was the one city I wanted to see; otherwise it didn't matter. The memorial park there, as far as I have learned, is worth coming to see. But – no!  [Ed. note:  Turns out that both President Biden and President Zelensky showed up at the G7 conference at the last minute, so that's probably why were asked (told?) to not come.).

Kagoshima is, as our tour guide told us, dependent on agriculture and tourism. Many Japanese come here to retire, as it is as tropical as it gets in Japan. As we glided into the pier at about 8AM, there was a brass band, 25+ strong, in formation in elaborate brass band uniforms, ready to go. As we got closer, they launched into their first piece – an amalgam of every iconic western tune ever. Not pop music, but more universal, instantly recognizable melodies: Pomp and Circumstance; Here Comes the Bride; Dixie; etc. - maybe 20-25 in all. They played only enough for the tune to be recognizable – usually only one or two measures - then the next measure started the next tune. It was as if they were in a hurry to let us (British cruise ship) know that they had western culture covered. Then they played other tunes as the ship tied up. There were three mascots (see pic) with them, mostly just standing there, bobbing to the beat – stereotypical Japanese big-head cartoon characters. 

Then – later in the day – when we were ready to shove off, a Japanese drum corps set up their big drums – about fifteen of them, including the big gong (5' in diameter?) hanging in the center. They were awesome. All were women, except the leader who got to play the big gong, and a variety of ages – one girl looked to be a middle schooler. She was really into it. We all lined the rail and watched and listened and cheered wildly when they were done, waved and yelled “konichywa!” which I think is “thank you.” Interesting – all interaction with any Japanese – if we say “thank you” (or “konichywa”) they invariably say “thank you” (or “konichywa”).

Where were we? Oh – yes – Kagoshima. A city of about 800,000 at the inner end of a bay about the same size and shape as Tokyo Bay, but Kagoshima has a big honkin' volcano right in the middle of the bay. Can't miss it – 1,100 meters high, two calderas: north has been dormant for some time; south “erupts” regularly. In the last 100 years, there have been four or five eruptions that actual produced lava flows and changed the profile of the mountain. But an “eruption” is defined (at least here) as anything that the volcano ejects (including smoke) that goes higher than 70 meters. There have been dozens of these just this year, including one while we were looking at it from the ship in the afternoon (pic). The crater apparently smokes 24/7.

The shore excursion checked the other box on our “reasons to come on this trip” - we visited a site which was significant in the beginnings of the Japanese industrial revolution, which got going in the second half of the 19^th century. Interesting stuff, for those history folks among us, but the site also included the summer/weekend home of a samurai, and his beautiful stone and water gardens. You'll just have to look at the pics and then imagine them being even more elegant and balanced and cool and inviting than in the pics. One of the pools had three koi that were bigger than Bodhi in it. Speaking of which, this is where the Cat Shrine was.*

[ Sidebar: As I'm writing this, I am listening to music from my phone, that you (Whitsun) put on it for me. We're completely off-grid (more on that later) so we can read previously downloaded books and listen to previously downloaded music. I'm listening to Lemon Demon for the first time and really, really enjoying the music, the attitude, the message. Especially like “Angry People.”]

Anyway, that was just wonderful. And Mom found a wedding party to photograph; they had come to take advantage of the beauty of the surroundings for their photos. The wedding photographer posed them, and Mom took a pic.  That's a corner of the volcano in the background.

 

This also happened at the Shinto shrine in Tokyo. That bride had an odd hood that, according to legend, was supposed to obscure her "jealousy horn;"  after the wedding, she took the hood off and used the horn on her husband “if he did what he shouldn't do.”

Anyway, after a trip up the mountain to see a really nice view of the city with the volcano looming over it (above) (this is where the Actual Cat** was) we returned to the ship. Before we got back on, we went through a pavilion where there were a bunch of people sitting in the corner in chairs, on their phone. Being seasoned penny-pinching travelers, we immediately recognized free wi-fi. That's where we sent the pics by e-mail, and also, right next to the chairs, where we found the kimono and samurai costumes; there were staff members who dressed us up and took pics with our cameras. That was fun! Then on to the boat, and later, the drummers.

Dinner, with a couple from Southampton, England, then a so-so magician; Mom and I redesigned his act for him while we did a loop around the outdoor promenade deck.

Sea day today – Mom's doing watercolor, learning Japanese, and Zumba – a large class made up almost entirely of Japanese women. I'm writing this, and attending lectures on art history.

Re: off-grid: As you probably know, internet is not free on a cruise ship and it is, instead, insanely expensive. $18 and change a day IF you sign up for every day of the cruise; over $20/day on a day-to-day basis. This is the test of addiction; many admit, sheepishly, that they paid the price. Also – it's $20/day to Verizon if you want to use your phone. We're not quite clear how this works, but we think that if we keep our phones on airplane mode we won't get charged; the second we turn airplane mode off, we get a text from Verizon welcoming us toTravelPass for the next 24 hours. I think we've got this figured out now, but we did pay for a couple-three days at the beginning without realizing it and certainly not benefiting from it.

Cunard has this odd non-app called MyVoyage, which runs on the ship's internal network and doesn't require standard wireless – in other words, you don't need a wireless contract with the ship to run it. I has a lot of info, some of it useful, including the daily schedule. However, you have to turn off airplane mode to use it, and when you do, “Hi! Welcome to TravelPass” chirps Verizon. So all that (including using free wi-fi) has to be done by our one laptop (Mom left hers at home).

And that's why we're off the grid. If you hear from us, it will be because we found free wi-fi at a port and were able to bring the laptop to it.

Eruption!

                                                                                                  

* - Cat Shrine:  an actual Shinto shrine dedicated to cats who accompanied a warlord when he attacked Korea.  Embiggen pic to get the whole story.  

Actual cat: