Japan in Words

With no concrete plans prior to arrival, Japan was sure to be an unexpected treat. My favorite moments were spent exploring the fancy bathrooms with waterfalls music in the stall just in case someone needed the extra boost, eating local Japanese food and trying new and unknown street foods, and navigating the railways system to the point where I was sad to leave because I feel like I finally figure it out...on our last day. 

Jan 24

Japan Day 1:

Travel buddies- Kelly, Laurie, Christian

After helping the crew security team get all passengers through immigration, I ventured out with my friends for the day. We took the free shuttle from the port to downtown Kobe and then took the tram (public transportation) to Osaka and then found Kuromon Market, which is nicknamed Osaka’s Kitchen. We grazed and tried all different types of food such as sushi at a place with the conveyer belt, green tea made from powder, local beer, green tea donut, red bean mochi, okonomiyaki (Osaka’s soul food aka savory pancake), pork cutlet curry from the cutest place where a man and his wife made us dinner in front of them. I bought their curry and can’t wait to try it back home.

After a day of eating and walking, we got lost trying to make our way back to the port and then adventured around Kobe’s Chinatown. We ran into a bunch of students who had all had great says and ended at the 100 Yen store, my favorite the dollar store!

We spent longer than a week at sea so seeing everyone enjoy their time in Japan makes me smile. This experience is one that I treasure and I want to remember it all.

I am extra thankful for Christian who is the perfect photographer and captures every moment. Plus, he has an iphone 10 or whichever one takes crystal clear pics!

Jan 25

Japan Day 2:

Travel buddies- Oli & Gabe

We set out to conquer Kobe and while I can’t say that we saw everything, we sure did maximize our time in the city. Our first stop was the Fushini Inari Shrine. This location is famous for the thousands of red/orange torii gates that line a huge path along the grounds. There was no entrance fee (!!!) but there were quite a few activities that a person could pay to do. Some of them included buying a painted piece of wood and writing a well wish on the back, drawing a stick out of a container and paying for the corresponding fortune, buying a candle to light in remembrance of ancestors, purchasing a token for a variety of things (good health, prosperity, educational success, wealth, etc) and the typical souvenir shops. The education and good health buckets were empty!

My friend Oli wanted to take a taiko class across town so Gabe and I took the train and city bus to the Golden Pavilion. We stopped at a 100 Yen store and bought snacks along the way and then paid the 400 Yen to enter. The sight was expansive. The pavilion is 3 stories tall with the top 2 floors made of gold fragments. The entire structure reflected on the small body of water that surrounds it and the trees created the perfect backdrop. My phone was dying so I took pictures sparingly but still was able to capture the moment.

We ended the day by taking the local city bus for about 35 mins to Kyoto Station, hopped on the JR Train to Sannomiya Station, and found the best gyoza hole in the wall spot. The entire restaurant was no larger than the biggest cabin onboard but was amazing. Menu items were tapas style so we tried a bunch of things: spicy shrimp, shrimp with radish and lemon, curry, and pork. I also had the local Asahi beer and enjoyed it so much that I got two! Overall, we had a great day!

Jan 26

Japan Day 3:

Travel buddy- Anaeis

With no solid plan for the day, I went to breakfast to see if anyone wanted to go to Hiroshima. I wanted to go and was willing to figure it out on my own but definitely preferred a travel buddy for the day. Ana is one of the Dependent Children coordinators and we had so much fun together. We asked a lady at the information desk in the port terminal for directions and fee information for the to train. We asked if there were railway pass options and she informed us to ask the ticket office at the local JR station for special pricing for a rail pass that would save about $50 per person. When we got to the Kobe Station the ticket agent confirmed that the pass route was our best so we each bought a pass that cost 140 Yen (about $135) and the pass would allow access to all JR trains in the region. Spoiler alert! I shared my pass with Gabe on Day 4 so we split the cost! A cheaper price and half off, winning!

It took approx. 2.5 hours to get there by special rapid and bullet train. The bullet train looked like a spaceship. The legroom was amazing (about 3 feet), they offered food and beverage service, had wifi, and outlets at each seat. I can see why people love the bullet trains so much.

Once at the Hiroshima train station, we took the streetcar about 20 minutes down the road to our stop (180 Yen). We stepped off the streetcar and there it was, the only building still partially standing from the Atomic Bombing of 1945. We took pictures and meandered throughout Memorial Peace Park. We got to see the Children’s Memorial, Cenotaph, and the museum. The museum cost 200 Yen ($2) and was fantastic! There were video recounts of survivors from the bombing, artifacts generously donated by family members, many pictures and a lot of text about the history and present day like in Hiroshima. We spent nearly 2 hours inside of the museum; and I don’t typically like museums.

When we left museum to experience a winter wonderland as snow fell from the sky. It was beautiful! We took pictures and videos before stepping inside an Italian restaurant to share a pizza prior to making our way back to Kobe.

Our journey back was slightly shorter and took just over 2 hours. We were a bit pressed for time at the end since I had to report for duty at 8pm but I made it just in time to relive Remy and settle in for the night.

Jan 27

Japan Day 4:

Duty Day! With a required day on the ship, I spent it well. I had no calls overnight and then woke up t a great breakfast with a few friends. After a short nap, I woke up and it was lunchtime. I needed to make the day productive so I got dressed in workout clothes, grabbed my laptop and a movie. After lunch, I went to the gym and walked 4.75 miles while watching the movie Stand by Me on my laptop.

I cleaned my cabin and put away maps, clothes, and bags from the previous days travel before handing the walkie-talkie back over to the next RD on duty. I did leave the ship that night with Ana and we found a Y100 store where I bought s few souvenirs, a local spot for a beverage, and walked the lively streets at nearly midnight on a Sunday night.

Jan 28

Japan Day 5:

Travel buddy- Anaeis

Today was a great day! Ana and I took the free shuttle bus to Motomachi Station (Kobe Station) and then used our prepaid JR pass to Sannomiya Station where we took a short walk up a main road to the Herb Garden for the most beautiful view of Kobe. The cable car cost Y150 but with a 20% off coupon from a helpful lady at the Port Terminal Info Desk, it only cost Y120. The cable car ride was about 8-10 minutes and scenic the entire way.

The Herb Garden was pretty barren but the green house had a pretty display of a variety of flowers and a restaurant with a view of it all. There was a lovely I took plenty of pictures but also froze while up there. I forgot that going up the mountain would drop the temperature and I bet it was near 30 degrees.

After the Garden tour we adventured by foot back down to the Sannomiya Station area and found a place to eat lunch. We first asked for a menu in a restaurant where they quickly stated “no Kobe beef” so we said okay, thank you and walked away. We looked left and saw a place that advertised, with a huge banner sign, 100% Kobe Beef. The prices were right and some English was spoken so we took a seat at the hibachi style restaurant. I paid 27,000 for 80g piece of meat and because it was lunchtime they included miso soup, a fresh salad, and rice for free. It was delicious! I didn’t have this experience on my radar so it was a nice treat.

Another thing to note is that most restaurants have hooks on the walls for your coat and a designated space for your bags. Sometimes they have an individual bucket or basket for each person to put their purse, bags, etc in at their table.

We left the restaurant, took the JR back to Kobe Station and then searched for wifi. We stopped in at McDonalds, found RD Christian, and ran across the street to Starbucks where I uploaded pictures from Hawaii to my blog. I spent my last 1,200 Yen at the Family Mart across the street so I ran back to the bus (free shuttle to/from the bus to downtown) with a backpack full of snacks. Back to the ship we went and from there we worked the security lines and greeted happy SAS travelers!