2023 Alaska, Asia, Australia, Arabian Peninsula Trip
Day 23/105 - Tokyo, Japan - out and back again
Last night, we had to vacate our berth at 8 p.m., only to dock again at 11 a.m. this morning. We sailed out of Tokyo Bay, took a loop in the Pacific, and then sailed north, right back to Tokyo, in the same parking spot. I'm sure it makes sense to someone.
We opted for the included Tokyo Panorama excursion today. We had enough adventure yesterday. The tour is a two-hour bus ride around the city. The weather decided that it would not be cooperative as we woke up to cooler temperatures, wind, rain, and fog. Whoopie.
The excursion departed at noon - we were on bus #4 - the fact that there were four buses will become important later.
The excursion was billed as a tour showing some of the best sights around Tokyo with a visit to the gardens at the Imperial Palace. Technically, that was true. But, it was more specifically, “If you’re on the right side of the bus, there is the Tokyo Tower.” Zoom. “If you’re on the left side of the bus, there is the Parliament.” Zoom. Couple that with the fact that there was a low fog and driving rain, there wasn’t much sightseeing to be had.
 |
| Most of the Tokyo Tower |
 |
| This was a fence around something famous - our guide was hard to understand and we zoomed by |
Our one and only stop by outside the Imperial Palace. We walked past the statue of Kusunoki Masashige - a samurai from the 14th century.
 |
| The Palace's main entry gate |
We enjoyed the view of the Nijubashi Bridge.
 |
| Black pines around the palace ground |
 |
| Another palace gate |
Our rainy visit lasted for about 45 minutes and we were off for more drive-by sightseeing through the Ginza shopping district before returning to the ship. Here’s where the four buses come in. All four buses got back to the ship at the same time, approximately 2:10 p.m., each carrying about 50 passengers. So 200 guests all arrived back together and headed into the terminal. The port authority had a security scan set up. A security scan. One lane. For two hundred people. Suffice it to say that there was a long line.
 |
| Arlona noticed that they had bacon-shaped benches in the terminal |
Once through security and back on the ship, everyone who just got on board wanted lunch. The issue was that the World Café was already closed. Bad planning. The only available dining venue was the pool grill, and they were in no way prepared for crowds like this.
 |
| About 25 minutes later, we finally had food |
This afternoon, Viking brought in some local talent for a cultural performance – Awa Dance.
It was an interesting performance. They explained the different instruments and the differences in the men’s and women’s dance.
After a cocktail at the Explorers’ Bar, we went to dinner at Chef’s Table. Tonight’s menu was a British one.
 |
| The rolls |
 |
| Glamorgan sausage |
 |
| Fish and chips complete with minted pea puree |
 |
| Pimm's #1 cup |
 |
| Mini beef and Guinness pie |
 |
| Everlasting lemon syllabub - we didn't care for this |
One of our favorite folks from our world cruise, Monalisa, was working tonight at the Chef’s Table. It is always nice to see friendly faces from previous cruises.
Tonight is the last night for this portion of the cruise. Around 450 passengers are disembarking tomorrow and 619 or so are coming on, including our friends, Jon & Margo. So tonight is farewell to several folks we’ve met and tomorrow, we’ll begin meeting more new folks and face bigger crowds in the World Café. We have no specific plan for tomorrow, so tomorrow’s adventure will unfold as we determine what to do.
As I was working on this blog, Arlona conferred with our world cruise friend and fellow Michigan Tech alumnus, Paul, who lived in Japan for a period. He provided invaluable advice on the confusing train and subway system. Perhaps we’ll make a go of it tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment