(Editor’s note: Carla Bastos is on a year-long world cruise aboard the Villa Vie Odyssey, a residential cruise ship. This post is on Japan, one in a continuing series of updates.)
The Odyssey’s 11-day North Pacific crossing from Alaska to Japan was an adventure in itself. The waters weren’t terrible, but still much choppier than our Atlantic crossing last November. Overcast skies and chilly temperatures were the order of the day.
But the real fun was turning our clocks back one hour almost every night.
By the end of the journey our body clocks were totally confused, finding ourselves wandering the decks at 3 a.m. Then there was crossing the international dateline, meaning we skipped Wednesday altogether that week.
But at long last we arrived in our first port of Hakodate. It was a city most of us had never even heard of, but after so many sea days we were anxious to get out and explore.
While the scenery and architecture were not to be missed, it was the city’s endless seafood markets – all walkable from the port – that I ended up spending hours exploring. As a pescatarian, I went on a tasting frenzy, discovering every imaginable way to prepare the widest variety of seafoods I’d ever seen. Spending the second and final day in Hakodate at the Yunokawa Onsen natural hot springs was the perfect ending to this city visit. I was reminded how fulfilling it can be to discover those off-the-beaten-path locales, where visitors can often have a much more enlightening and relaxing experience.
Vibrant Yokohama
Arriving next in Yokohama presented an entirely different and unexpected vibe. In many ways, the city is a contradiction. Bustling cosmopolitan skyscrapers everywhere contrast the clean, welcoming streets that never felt crowded.
Yokohama is the ideal central location for bullet train visits to Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, with the Shin-Yokohama Station about ten minutes from the port. While many of my shipmates took off for Tokyo Disneyland, I took a pass on the estimated two-hour lines and opted to stay in the more laid-back Yokohama.
Spending four days there allowed me to get out of the tourist center and interact with locals at their regular haunts. Though I’d made the effort to learn a few basic words (kon’nichiwa, arigato), I was thankful that a bow always seemed to do the trick in a pinch. I also met a couple of American expats in Yokohama who were happy to share insights into Japanese culture and the pros and cons of life as an expat in such a homogeneous country.
Some of Yokohama’s most stunning sights were visible before the ship even docked. The Minato Mirai, or “Port of the Future,” includes Cosmo World Amusement Park and the Red Brick Warehouse shopping mall (it’s literally a red brick warehouse), all within steps of our berth. The 100-meter tall Cosmo Clock Ferris Wheel was an amazing sight, although I didn’t have the guts to go up. The clock overlooks the Cupnoodles Museum, with actual exhibits documenting the history of Japanese noodles.
Because, of course.
My personal highlights: Kobe
One of the best things about residential cruising as opposed to one-week vacation voyages is spending extended stays in each country. Our time in Japan totaled 30 days and numerous ports – we essentially were able to explore the entire country. The experience seemed never-ending, from the Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima to the temples and shrines of Nagasaki.
But, as always, my best takeaway was the least expected. The city of Kobe is obviously famous for its beef, but not much more. Who knew it was also a fashion hub and the home of countless jazz clubs? (I didn’t.) Stumbling upon these hotspots, or just wandering through Kobe Motomachi, the 1.2 kilometer-long covered arcade containing over 300 mostly family-owned shops and restaurants, felt as comfortable and at-home as any locale I can remember.
Experiencing Japan from this whole new perspective made for a perfect first leg of Odyssey’s three-month Asia segment, despite the oppressive late-August heat and humidity; South Korea and Taiwan held similar surprises and treats. South America had heretofore topped my list of favourite segments in this circumnavigation, but Asia was now running a close second.
Next stop, Philippines!
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Read more from Carla here in Dispatches’ archives.
Carla Bastos is a former journalist and newspaper editor, and an American expat in Italy for several years.
