- Packing
- A week of extremes
- Preparation
- Dress Rehearsal
- H6, #13, and Bo
- Vlotho
- Stockholm
- Tallinn
- Helsinki
- Helsinki II
- St. Petersburg
- St. Petersburg II
- Moscow
- Beijing
- Beijing II
- Beijing III
- Beijing IV
- Xi’an
- Xi’an II
- Shanghai
- Nara – Halfway plus one day
- Kyoto
- Back in the (Former) USSR
- Muroran
- 180th Meridian
- Seward
- Ketchikan
- Vancouver
- St Paul
- Chicago
- New York City
- North Atlantic
- 78 Days and 9 Minutes
- London
Alive and well and in Japan. The ferry ride over was very nice. There were not a lot of people on the ship, I would guess it had well less than one-eighth the total number of passengers it could carry. It made it very quiet and relaxing. But, having such little weight could sometimes make the ride a little rougher. The staff was great and very friendly. Highlight was probably seeing the group of flying fish as the ship rounded Kyushu. I had always thought that the term “flying fish” was a misnomer, but they flew in short straight bursts seemingly parallel to the surface of the water for about 20 yards or so. They looked like big dragonflies.
Arrival in Kobe was uneventful. Rode the monorail from the dock to the main station to catch our train to Himeji. It is a warm 24 degrees Celsius here (about 75F), quite a change from the cold of Russia we had acclimated to.
Towering over the checkerboard shopping mall that is Himeji was Himeji-jo Castle. It was very impressive to run around. Exceedingly well maintained. In some parts, like the main tower, you had to take off your shoes and wear special slippers to not damage the wooden floors.
Our trip today to the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of History improved our understanding of the significance of the castle. There were displays on castle building, defensive strategies, and a video about what made the fortifications so unique. They also have a hands-on display where, a couple times a day, you can try on a suit of samurai armor. While we were a little late for that, they let me wear the helmet and sword.
Went out for sushi last night and stuffed ourselves. The place we found seemed to be frequented by the locals; there was not another tourist in sight. It kind of had the feel of a US-style diner with the waitress and cook chatting with the regulars. We made our way to the counter and pulled plates off of the conveyor belt; anything that looked good.
Duration-wise, we are just over halfway there. We went out last night and celebrated with a drink atop one of the hotels where we could see Himeji Castle lit up for the night.
We will begin to explore Nara in full tomorrow.
This entry was posted in Around the World
