Thursday, March 23, 2023
I awoke way too early again this morning and so, showered and headed down to the lobby to catch up on blogging. But, not until after I ventured out to a nearby 7-Eleven for a take-out cup-o-joe. Jane and I rendezvoused at the hotel restaurant at 6:30, just as it was opening. We enjoyed our third and final buffet there including miso soup for Jane. After breakfast, we made a final trip to our room before boarding the number 4 tour bus with Hiro and our familiar bus mates. We left our three main bags of luggage tagged and waiting in the hall outside our room for pick-up and transport to the Nautica.
Hiro continued our education as we drove through Tokyo to our first stop, the Tokyo Tower. The Tokyo Tower is a functional broadcasting tower and popular tourist attraction. It stands 333 meters (~1100 ft.) tall exceeding the height of Paris’ Eiffel Tower that inspired its design. It was constructed to withstand earthquake tremors and partially made from steel derived from American tanks damaged during the Korean War. (Hawkeye would be proud.)
Our buses parked at the tower base and we followed Hiro’s critter-hanging-from-a-stick inside and up an escalator to the observation deck about half-way up the tower. Our group convened at the top and enjoyed the 360-degree view of Tokyo listening to Hiro’s commentary via our guidance devices. The morning was overcast and rainy so were glad to be able to see at least some of the city below us. There was a Shinto shrine on the observation deck to pray for the prosperity of the tower’s owners and the safety of its visitors. We also visited a floor below the observation deck with additional information and sections of glass flooring. After descending, the elevator opened into, you guessed it, the Tokyo Tower Gift Shop. I splurged on a deck of Tokyo Tower playing cards before boarding the bus.
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| Waiting for the Ascent |
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| On a Clear Day you can see Forever, presumably |
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| Portion of Tokyo Skyline |
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| Yikes! |
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| Great Shinto Shrine of Tokyo Tower |
The bus proceeded to our next stop, the Ginza shopping district. Ginza is Tokyo’s most famous upscale shopping area including small boutiques, art galleries, restaurants, department stores, etc. I had been warned by a fellow traveller that this was the most dangerous part of the trip and to watch my credit cards carefully. So, I became vigilant to ensure that Jane didn’t consider buying any more pencils. The buses dropped us off a Ginza Six, a six-story shopping mall. Despite the intermittent rain, Jane and I decided to walk up and down Ginza Street. Shopping, especially luxury shopping, is not my cup of tea, but I did enjoy gawking a little, and was impressed by the area’s architecture. We bypassed Mikimoto, a renowned Japanese jeweler company famous of its pearls, and tucked into an interesting small bookstore. After a loop around the district we sought shelter from the rain in Ginza Six. It took us awhile to make it to the top floor which was the most interesting with another large bookstore, an Eatally Ginza Restaurant, and various art displays. We boarded the bus outside of Ginza Six.
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| Sporting my Guidance Device on Ginza Street |
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| Ginza Mitsukoshi (a Prestigious Department Store) |
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| Ginza Nissan |
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| Ginza Rain |
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| Ginza Six |
On the bus ride to Yokohama, where our cruise ship, the Nautica, awaited us, Hiro had one long last opportunity to continue the education of her flock. So, among other things, she taught us how to count to a hundred in Japanese. Although excited to finally be boarding, each of her ducklings bid Hiro a heartfelt arigato and sayonara before commencing the boarding process. Hopeful passengers were corralled into a building and sat at a table where we presented our boarding passes, vax cards, and passports to an agent and filled out a couple of forms. After receiving red wrist bands, we then were corralled toward the ship gangplank but not before again presenting our boarding passes and passports. Onboard, we again presented our boarding passes and passports, were photographed, and passed through a metal detector. Jane and I were too ecstatic to be onboard our first cruise ship to be upset that nowhere during the boarding process did we have to present the COVID test results that we had worried about for so long.
We could not enter our stateroom until 3 pm so we found our way to a restaurant for lunch. The Terrace Cafe had a seemingly endless buffet which we pounced upon like we’d not eaten in days. When we finally made it to our room, our bags were not in the hallway as planned. As we were exploring our room, a fellow passenger delivered one of the three bags to us and the other two bags were delivered shortly with Jane’s prompting. We learned that one of our land excursions had been canceled so we found Destinations Services on Deck 4 to schedule a substitute. However, the Captain came over that loudspeaker for a mandatory lengthy safety announcement so we located nearby seats and listened attentively. Afterwards, we were able to reschedule our land excursion and received a refund for the price difference.
We then proceeded to a reception for GoNext travelers being held in the elegant Nautica Lounge where free drinks flowed and we continued to meet more N.C. State alumni. Each alumi group sat together in designated areas. There were 8 or 10 groups. N.C. State had 22 travelers but THE Ohio State group appeared to be the largest. The Nautica left port during our socializing. Finding ourselves emaciated again, we proceeded to the even more elegant Grand Dining Room. This was a sit-down meal which was delivered to our table so that in our weakened state we did not have to risk collapsing while waiting in line for food. However, our travel-weary appetites were satisfied after only appetizers and a salad.
Back in our room, the rain and wind increased and the seas roughened. Preparing for bed was fun as the ship pitched and rolled. The bed was at an angle as I climbed in and I had to take care not to roll back out. But Jane and I both agreed that the motion would help rock us to sleep.
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| Blogging from Stateroom 6031 |