Our cruise began in Seoul, with visits to Jeju Island and Busan in South Korea. Somewhat apprehensively, we negotiated a rail link from the terminal and then took a taxi to our hotel. Our first mistake was that the taxi virtually took us back to the airport! Although we were prepared for the cold, we did not truly appreciate how cold it would be, with sub-freezing temperatures at night. However, we coped well for several days, enjoying lovely meals and breakfasts.
South Korea
Japan
Our first port of call in Japan was Kumamoto, a city on the island of Kyushu, Japan’s third-largest island, followed by the southern isles of Amami, Kagoshima and the city of Naha on the island of Okinawa – the scene of the infamous Pacific battle of the Second World War.
Kumamoto
Naha – Okinawa
First, a visit to the military caves used by the Japanese and to see some of the remnants was quite depressing, especially when learning about the huge civilian death toll on instruction to commit suicide. The garrison was a prime base for the kamikaze pilots, too.
Following a visit to Shurio Castle Park, we found the castle under refurbishment, so we headed down the hill to the large shopping mall.
Shurijo Castle and the City centre.
Kobe / Osaka /Kyoto
With the ship in port at Kobe, we took several coach trips to explore the area around the port and in particular the temples at Kyoto.
Tokyo
Finally, we arrived in the suburbs of Tokyo, Yokohama our last port of call for a couple of days before flying back home. The cruise lasted just 12 days, but as one lady told us, it was a long way to travel for so little time in Japan. We would agree.
On our final day, we took a tour before catching our evening flight via Dubai back to Blighty. A quick trip up Toyko Tower, 333m high and a fun quiz on the coach and finally a pass by Toyko Disney World!