Toba

Our final cruise stop in Japan was Toba. Toba is in a bay with several islands around it, so there are no easy docking solutions. Instead, we used a water shuttle to get to and from the ship.

Our shore excursion in Toba was a leisurely one. We were going to the local aquarium and then on a boat ride in the area where they cultivate pearls. There was a beautiful fish tank display when we first walked into the aquarium.

Unfortunately, it was close to lunch time, and the girls insisted that they were starving, so we left them admiring the fish and the giant tortoise while we scoured the gift shop trying to find some food that was simple and transportable.

I ended up finding some butter cookies with fish pictures imprinted on them. We made quick work of the gift box, and the girls had a few cookies each.

After that, they were ready to fully enjoy the aquarium. It was medium sized and busy but not overly crowded, and so they were able to get right up to the tanks and admire the aquatic life.

One of our favorites was a very rotund seal that kept swimming in circles upside down. We watched it for quite a while, and it never flipped over, just kept going round and round with its belly to the sky.

We were also fascinated by the electric blue lobsters.

We found a walrus enclosure where we could walk above the huge animal and then hang out next to it one floor down.

The aquarium was a big hit, and we had enough time to explore it. Then we got back on the bus for our next stop, the boat ride. We had some time once we arrived at the waterfront area, so Jeff got Elena ice cream, and Vivian and I walked around and looked at the shops that were selling everything pearl.

We were just coming out of a shop when our boat pulled up. I'm not sure what exactly we had been expecting, but it wasn't this.

It said it was modelled after a Spanish explorer ship. There's also a Spain themed amusement park in the area. We decided to just go with it.

It made one stop where we could get off and see the pearl process. Only Vivi and I got off. Jeff and Elena were happy to stay in the air conditioning.

We got back to the ship in time for our final dinner and sunset on our cruise. We all agreed that it had been a fabulous way to see all different parts of Japan.

Osaka

We had a day at sea to recover, and then we docked in Osaka. The rain had stopped, but it was a HOT day, and our plan was all outside. Our first destination was Osaka Castle which is right in the middle of all the modern skyscrapers. 

It's also surrounded by a huge moat and park, so it took us 10-15 minutes walking through that and up the hill to even get to the castle.

There was a very smart business man selling 10 yen shaped waffles with chocolate in the middle along the way, so we got some to fuel the children up for the climb.

We also all got a kick out of the bird sculptures near the stand.

Even with the extra sugar, it was a long, hot walk up to the castle.

The line for tickets was also incredibly long. One of the advantages of going with a cruise tour is that our tickets were pre-purchased, but our tour guide still needed to pick them up and hand them out to us, so we tried to find shade while she was doing that.

Then, there was a line if you wanted to take the elevator to the top as opposed to going up all the stairs. The girls and I opted to wait in the line, while Jeff went in and up the stairs. He got some pictures of the dioramas on the various floors.

Then, he met us on the top when we finally got there.

You definitely get a good view of the city from the top.

We had been seriously delayed getting off the ship and through customs, so it was lunch time, and we were hungry and tired, but there was no lunch included in our tour. 

We decided to just go directly down the stairs instead of trying to wrestle with all the other people to look at the displays. We used the extra time that earned us to pick up some meat on a stick at one of the food trucks in the park around the castle. We also discovered a Japanese soda that comes in a unique bottle with a little ball in the neck that we assume is supposed to keep the carbonation from escaping. The girls enjoyed the flavor, but we never managed to master the art of popping it open without making a splash.

After our quick lunch, we hopped back on the bus and went to a Shinto shrine. Our guide explained that Shinto shrines are for happy occasions, like weddings, and Buddhist shrines are for sad occasions, like funerals. We all thought that was an interesting approach to religion. The bridge in the temple area was beautiful though.

There were a lot of trees, so we enjoyed walking around the temple complex. Our tour guide told us that the paint used originally was red, but then it faded to orange in the sun. Jeff kept insisting (to us) that there was no way the paint had originally been red. He came up with a typically elaborate story about a paint mix up, leading to everything inadvertently being painted orange and necessitating a cover story.

There was also an elaborate carriage, 

and assorted shrines.

My favorite was the cat one that people visit throughout their lives. You start by collecting the small cats.  Then, when you have a certain number of those, you trade them in for a medium cat. Collect enough of those, and you can trade them in for a bigger cat, etc. You display your cats in your business to show your dedication and investment.

After all the walking around outside, we were hot again and out of water. There was no place to refill our water bottles, and no water for sale in the drink machines, so we took a gamble on what looked to be peach soda. It turned out to be delicious and refreshing.

Needless to say, after out hot day and quick lunch, we were very happy to be back at our table in the dining room having a big dinner and enjoying the air conditioning.

If we ever go back to Osaka, we would probably spend more time checking out things like the ferris wheel near the dock and Universal Studios with Harry Potter World.

Busan Birthday for Jeff!

Our ship made one stop in South Korea, and, as luck would have it, it was on Jeff's birthday. His top two requests were going on a cable car and eating real Korean bbq. The ship didn't have a tour that matched with that, and since it was his birthday, I figured it was worth a splurge, so I booked a local guide with car to take us around for the morning.

The weather when we arrived was not promising. It wasn't raining, but the sky was overcast, and it was extremely windy.

Our guide was very friendly and met us with his van at the port. We went to check on the cable cars, but they weren't taking passengers because it was too windy. Our guide very kindly kept calling and checking, but it stayed windy, and the cable cars stayed closed. Luckily, he had other ideas for keeping us busy. He took us up to an area known as Gamcheon Cultural Village. He explained that it was a poorer area of the city where a lot of North Korean refugees had settled. The people who lived in the area had chosen to paint the houses different colors, put in photo ops, and set up businesses selling arts and crafts. It was a perfect tourist trap, and we saw two tour groups from the ship as we were walking around. We were glad we had our guide, because the streets were narrow and the photo spots were crowded. It was also still very windy.

Our guide was clearly experienced at taking pictures to make it look like we were the only ones there. This is the final shot he got.

As opposed to the initial wide shot.

One of the most surprising things we found were representations of the Little Prince. Apparently, people in the area identified with the story. Jeff managed to get me pictures without the crowds of people.

We ended up coming out the entrance, and then we waited for our guide to run back and get the car.

We had told him that for lunch we wanted bbq with steak. He offered us a couple different options, and we said we wanted the one with the best meat, so he took us to a market where they sold the meat fresh downstairs, and you grilled it upstairs.

The front of the shop was lined with fridges displaying plates of meat. Jeff picked the one he wanted, and they brought it upstairs with us to a table.

One of the ladies who worked at the restaurant, brought us a series of side dishes, and then proceeded to grill the meat for us. She would cut finished chunks into smaller pieces with a fabulous pair of scissors, and then put them up on the little rack for us to retrieve.

We also got some delicious plum flavored soju. The bottle was bigger than the ones we'd gotten before, and it had little plums at the bottom fermenting. I made the mistake of trying to take a bite out of one of them. Don't do that.

The meat was so good that we tore through our first plate pretty quickly. Even Elena, who is not usually a steak person, was devouring it. We figured, since it was Jeff's birthday, that it wouldn't be a problem to get another plate.

We agreed that this was definitely one of our best meals ever. After our decadent meal, a walk around the market seemed like the perfect activity. There were the standard vegetables and fruits.

As well as lots of interesting looking foods.

There were also non-food stalls with different housewares.

And lots of different kinds of fish, 

and grains.

We also came across a shoe store.

One of our favorites though, was the bowls of greens for sale.

Then we spotted the strawberry sticks.

This particular vendor only took cash, but our guide took us around the corner to another one who would take a credit card. The result was a very happy and sticky kiddo.

Our guide took us back to the ship. The girls went to play, and the birthday boy relaxed on our balcony.

At dinner, our fabulous wait staff presented Jeff with a happy birthday plate.

We also went to listen to the ship's jazz band, who Jeff had befriended, so they played him happy birthday and gave him another birthday plate.

Luckily, by then I had picked Elena up from the kid's club, so she helped with eating his second birthday cake.

When we got back to the room, it greeted Jeff with birthday wishes. It was a good birthday.

We didn't go to many of the evening performances in the theater, but the next night we went to basically a jukebox of opera and musical top hits where the singers could all show off what they could do, and we really enjoyed it.

Have I mentioned we love cruising?