CRUISE AROUND THE WORLD: Japan

Hakodate is a small port in most northern island of Japan, Hokkaido

Free shuttle bus takes passengers to the city centre from the port where ship docked.
A group of Japanese highschool students greets us as a mobile tour information.
Suppose, they wanted to practice their English?
They are having lots of fun in cold weather.

Train station

Hakodate Morning Market

Unlike Tokyo where we experienced early Spring, it is freezing and snowing here.

Trout or Salmon?

One of specialty here must be King crab

Squid is also abundant here.

Many passengers are tasting squid ink flavoured ice cream.

I was tempted but it was also very very cold to try ice cream.

Definitely, salmon roe is their No. 1 specialty.

Hummm

Yummmm

My favourate Squid and Salmon roe...

Who said Foods is expensive in Japan?

Decided to take this cable car to the top of the mountain.

Stopped snowing and sun came up for 10 minutes as we went to the top.

Just lucky enough for few photo shots.

Whole view of city Hakodate

That is our cruise ship!!!

One of many churches in town

Wow, it is snowing!

We bumped into John and Diane here again who are also doing their own thing today.

A branch of Higashi Honganji Temple in Hakodate.

Higashi Honganji Temple Hakodate branch

There are so many churches in this town includes Russian Orthodox.

Hakodate community centre where tour centre was set-up specially for passengers from our ship.

They named today as 'Holland America Line Day'!

How cute is that?

My yummy lunch.

Sea urchin and salmon roe rice-ton for $10.

Greg had salmon roe rice-ton without sea urchin for $5

It was almost 2pm when we arrived back to the morning market for lunch, most of shops and restaurants are already closed.

Luckly, we found this restaurant on market upstairs still open.

I would have been so upset if I had to leave this town without having this special rice-ton dish.

Comparatively quiet city centre.

I spent about 3 hours updating our travel blog in the community centre after lunch as internet service was free.

Heading to Russia now.

Better be ready for Siberian cold!

We were lucky with weather again!

Second day in Yokohama after the overnight rain was absolutely fine with crispy wind blown from Mt. Fuji in Spring time in Japan!!!

View of Yokohama port from the cruise ship.

We both have been in Tokyo many times previously.

We still booked Tokyo Day Tour offered by our travel agent Cruise Specialists.
First of all, travel in between the port Yokohama and Tokyo would be hectic depends on the traffic.
We were also expected to go with shuttle bus to the station, train to Tokyo then subway lines and return to Yokohama in time before ship's sail away etc.
We figured it will not be so easy especially when none of us speak Japanese fluently.

Japanese Sake is Heo's favourate!
Never realised that there are so many different brands?

' Torii'

The gate that Japanese believe that crosses the line in between the real life and the sacred world.

One has to purify one's hands and mouth before entering Japanese shrine or temple here with sacred water.

"You are not drinking that water, Greg, are you?"

Write down your wish on a piece of paper or wooden panel and hang it around the tree then your wish will come true.

Well, sooner or later. hhh

Nice and clean Meiji Shingu shrine.

Beautiful day in Spring with Jules and Marcia who are convinced by us to join the tour.

Photos are not allowed beyond this point.

This is where foreign VIPs are treated and accommodated.

There is Niju bashi (Double Bridge) around the corner.

Niju bashi is nick name for the Japanese Emperor's residence.

A cherry blossom tree is enjoyed by passer-bys and us in a street of Ginza.

Our highlight of the day "Lunch Time"

Our group of about 100 passengers are lead to the restaurant called 'Gonpachi' in the middle of Tokyo's commercial district area Ginza.

Japanese cook is busy BBQing but managed to smile at our camera.

Why do just about all Japanese sign V for their photo shot?

Please, explain?

Ginza Gonpachi special Tapas with tofu as appetizer

Heo is always happy on gourmet foods.

Minced chicken on stick with Teriyaki sauce and Yakidori chicken.

Sooooo yummy!!!
Best dish of the whold course.

Grilled black cod marinated in Miso and deep-fried prawn dumpling with crispy noodle followed by freshly cooked assorted Tempura!

Absolutely beautiful!

How cool is that?

Our tour group bumped into John and Diane on Ginza!

John and Diane are met by Japanese student Yoya-san and doing their own city tour today.

Yoya-san was on holiday in US when he met with John and Diane in California where they live. Now it is his turn to show his city to guests from overseas.