Japan, November 11-15, 2011

We were welcomed to Japan with a band, beautiful weather, and friendly people. We spent time with old friends, ate delicious food, and visited many interesting sites.









We had sushi or sashimi for almost every meal. We didn't waste a minute trying to find a McDonald's to keep the younger set happy.

Of course, our attention is drawn to those things that stand out as different. Scott astutely observed that our hotel had a 13th floor. It would be hard not to notice what Louise dubbed as the "fanny wash" toilets in our hotel rooms. The first thing you notice is that the seat is warm. See the remote hanging by the phone. You don't even have to turn around to select the your wash of choice!

Did you miss dinner? No problem... just head on down to the vending machine for a wide selection of foods. The choice of beverages includes the usual assortment of cold drinks as well as hot tea. If you look closely at the third row from the top, you can see a can of Heineken beer (whisky and sake are also available). For dessert you may choose from several flavors of Haagen-Dazs ice cream. End the evening with your favorite cigarette.

We took the Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima, the site of the world's first atomic bombing. We visited ground zero and the Hiroshima Peace Museum.

The Hiroshima Prefectural Industrial Promotion Hall was adjacent to ground zero. It has become known as the A-bomb dome. The bomb was detonated at a height of approximately 2,000 feet and generated a fireball that reached a temperature of several million degrees centigrade.

The target for the bomb was a bridge in the shape of a "t",  shown at the top left of the picture. The trees along the river were starting to change color when we visited. 

This pocket watch stopped at precisely 8:15 a.m., the moment the bomb exploded. It was impossible not to be touched by devastation and death that the bomb brought upon the people of Hiroshima. Many members of our group left the museum in tears.

Lizzie finished reading "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" on the way to Hiroshima. The story is about Sadako Sasaki, a girl from Hiroshima, who was two-years old at the time the atomic bomb was dropped. She was diagnosed with leukemia and believed that she would be granted a wish if she could fold one thousand origami cranes. After her death, her friends and classmates published a collection of letters in order to raise funds for a memorial to Sadako and all of the children who died as a result of the bomb. The memorial reads "This is our cry. This is our prayer. Peace on Earth."

We visited the ancient city of Kyoto and marveled at the beautiful temples and gardens.. The Buddhist temple of Kiyomizu-dera is built on the slope of a mountain. Inside the temple, we entered a dark chamber and followed a path down a stairs to a dimly lit stone by following a string of large wooden beads. The tradition holds that if you make a wish while turning the stone your wish will be granted.

Our friends, Hiroshi and Yoko met us in Tokyo. Our first stop was at the University of Tokyo, where we walked around the beautiful, stately campus. Greg is standing with Hiroshi at the Red Gate, the famed entrance to the university.

We stayed in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. The area reminded us of Times Square with the bustling crowds and brightly lit signs.

Japan's cities are very densely populated and space is at a premium. This futsal (five-a-side soccer) field was on the rooftop of a building across from our hotel.

We had to get in line to get a picture with this famous bronze dog, Hachiko.  For many years, Hachiko would wait for his master to return from his job as a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo. However, one day his master died and did not return. For the next nine years, Hachiko returned every day at precisely the time the train was due to arrive. This story is often retold in Japan as an example of loyalty to one's family.

Louise took Lizzie and her friend, Arabella, to the Yokohama Doll Museum. Hundreds of dolls from all over the world, made using traditional methods, were on display. The picture below shows the girls looking at our ship, the MV Explorer.

We enjoyed seeing the familiar sites of Christmas and our first "Japanese" Santa in Yokohama.

Our friends took us to downtown Yokohama where we walked through the streets as evening approached. It wasn't hard to recognize Chinatown.                                                                    

Yokohama at night

We celebrated Greg's birthday over sashimi with our friends, Hiroshi and Yoko

China, November 3-8, 2011

No trip to Hong Kong would be complete without a trip to the top of Victoria Peak. From there you have beautiful views of the harbor, Kowloon, and the surrounding area. We took the tram down from the peak and walked around the city, viewing the beautiful buildings and parks. From there we walked through Hong Kong Park, stopping to relax and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.

The tall building seemed to disappear into the clouds. 

The two towers looked as if the architect couldn't get all of the pieces to fit just right.

The breezeway under the HSBC buildng was occupied by protesters who had set up a ten city. They had apparently been there for a while, but the area was very clean and safe.










We walked through Hong Kong Park, stopping to look at the koi and turtles.












This picture was taken on a sampan in Hong Kong.













Our ship was docked in Kowloon. We had beautiful views of the skyline along Hong Kong Island. To get to the island, we took a short ride on a ferry.

Scott and Lizzie under a fountain in Hong Kong Park

The Christmas spirit was evident in Hong Kong

We spent a day at Ocean Park, where we went on a few rides, visited the Panda bears, and walked around the park. Watching the Panda bears chow down on bamboo was a real treat. This picture was taken from an aerial tram.

We (Greg and Louise) had a nice dinner in a hotel overlooking the harbor. As we finished, we watched our ship, the MV Explorer, sail out of the harbor on the way to Shanghai. It was the first time that we saw our ship sailing without us. We chose to stay an extra day in Hong Kong and fly to Shanghai to meet the ship.

Shanghai is a city on the move with beautiful buildings, interesting architecture, and many, many people. Shanghai is one of the largest cities in the world and it should be no surprise that you can drive for a very long time without leaving the city. It has a great public transportation system that is used extensively so the city streets are not overly congested.

The  restrooms were always an adventure. Sometimes just finding someone who spoke English so that you could find a restroom was a challenge. We left with a renewed appreciation for Western toilets. As with most of the countries that we have visited, the squat toilet (pictured below) is still most common in China.

While in Asia, we were often stopped by people who wanted to take our photograph. Although we were all caught on camera or camcorder, Lizzie was by far the most popular subject. We asked this young woman if we could also take a picture of her with Lizzie.

One morning we took the Maglev train from Shanghai to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport... and back, since this was truly about the journey and not the destination. The train reaches a top speed of 431 kilometers per hour (269 mph). Sorry, but it's hard to show speed in a still picture.

Another highlight of our time in Shanghai was a trip to the water village, Zhujiajiao. Although it is clearly oriented towards the tourist business, it was interesting to see the village by boat and stroll along the sidewalks looking at the local offerings.

There was a wide array of foods for sale in Zhujiajiao, many of them unfamiliar to us. We let our eyes do most of the exploring.

We enjoyed a meal at a local, Shanghai restaurant in Super Brand Mall. From our window seat we had a nice view of the river, the skyline, and the boats cruising the river.