We got on the Diamond Princess on Monday afternoon. The waiting area was not great. There was no air conditioning, and it was quite warm. We dropped our bags off easily, but then we had to wait to be called to the check in area. We eventually got called and got through the paperwork. The girls were excited to see what the kids club would be like, and we all enjoy exploring and comparing ships. This one drove us a bit bonkers, because there were several decks where we couldn't walk straight across, but had to go up or down to get through. Still, it wasn't too big, and both the crew and the other passengers were all very polite and friendly, so we figured we were in for a good cruise. It was interesting to learn that the cruise before ours had been mostly Japanese, while this one was mostly English speakers. That worked out well for us though, because there were lots of kids for the girls to make friends with.
We got lucky our first night and were seated at a table for four near a window with a great main server. He made our dinner really enjoyable, and so we asked for that table for the rest of the cruise.
We've learned that this is the best way to dine on cruises. Every night when we came, Elena's drawing placemat was already set up, and the drinks waiter had our beverages ready and waiting. We love cruise life.
While the girls were busy making friends at the kids club, Jeff and I explored the ship. We watched some of the fruit carving demonstration.
We also went to the lecture on our first port, Akita. The opening picture was of Akita puppies, since there is a breed of dog named after the area as well. We knew this would go over well with Elena.
When we picked her up for lunch and showed her the picture, sure enough she squealed and declared her life would not be complete until she could pet one. We told her dog sightings were not guaranteed, but we could buy her sushi for lunch on the ship, so we did. She got california rolls, but I tried out the full sushi platter. It was a LOT, but very tasty.
The next day we had a leisurely morning and then got off the ship to take a tour of Akita's Samurai Town. There were friendly greeters at the dock and pictures of the dogs everywhere.
It was a little early for lunch, but that was our first stop. It was raining, so we were hoping the rain would let up a little after we were done eating. The meal was individual hot pots, which was perfect for the weather.
Elena, our little rice monster, ate everyone's rice and a fair bit of her own hot pot as well. We were enjoying our meal, but unfortunately not only did the rain not slow down, it got worse, to the point where water started streaming through the ceiling. Luckily, no one was sitting in that area. Jeff and a couple of the other people in the group helped move the affected tables out of harm's way.
We resigned ourselves to a wet excursion and got our rain gear out.
The good part though was that we were touring samurai homes, so we were inside quite a bit. The first house had a samurai sword you could pick up to feel how heavy it was.
It was fun to go around and explore the living areas.
The rain made the houses feel cozy and the gardens feel magical, so even though we got a little wet, we very much enjoyed walking around the gardens and looking in at the various houses.
The rain came and went, so every so often we could get a picture without getting drenched.
By the last house it had pretty much stopped. This one had a carriage house, and while I'm sure it was nicer to be carried around than to walk, we decided there was no way those boxes were comfortable to sit in for any length of time.
The house also had a shrine and an irresistible photo op.
As though summoned by Elena's will, we walked out of the last house to see a lady walking an Akita puppy down the street.
When listing her favorite parts of our trip to Japan, patting this puppy ranked right up there with Disney Land Tokyo.
Akita also hosts a really cool lantern festival where people put tons of lanterns on a stick and carry them in a parade. It was the wrong season for it, and we didn't go to the museum, but I snapped a picture of the girls with some of the lanterns they had for sale at the port gift shop. You can see Elena is also proudly holding her new, stuffed Akita puppy.
Despite the rain, it was a successful day, and we were delighted to come back to our room and discover a bottle of champagne from our travel agent. Cruising is the best.
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