Day 32 - Misty Morning and a drizzly day in Yokohama

Sadly, we woke to a very soggy Yokohama with ominous black clouds and a depressing outlook over what is one of the most environmentally friendly and clever port structures anywhere.  From the air, all you would see would be grass and beautifully made timber decks and the whole port building complex is therefore totally hidden.  Our berth was the opposite side of the wharf from 2012, so when I state that the ship berthed starboard or port side, it can of course change from year to year.

Ship berthed on the port side (see note above).

Our el Cheapo, $30 Vodafone pre-pay phones still worked - ‘Welcome to Japan’’.

We still had our passport photocopy stamped at Hakodate, so just a walk off. 

The stamped, stickered copy was surrendered before leaving Japan.

No sign of a HoHo bus, but a free shuttle to downtown – which we didn’t expect.

Cruise cards checked on returning to the ship.

Ship’s hand luggage scanning on return.

Knowing we’d nothing planned and that shops generally didn’t open early anyway, a leisurely fruit breakfast, coffee bag coffee and croissant – though someone had forgotten the chocolate drizzle and almonds atop those on easy access, but those behind glass were complete - so naturally, I asked for one of those instead.

We ambled off at 10:30, loaded with our long waterproof jackets, which Paula wore on and off for the rest of the morning.  The shuttle dropped us off just around the bay and within easy walking distance of their large ‘Eye’, which was operating, but in the drizzle and the mist, a bit pointless. We didn’t venture into the amusement park either.  Shame.

We crossed the road and thanks to the local map, hopped on the moving walkway, which took us through to the Queens Tower and adjacent shopping mall.  Apart from a group of senior Japanese gentleman with video cameras on tripods, awaiting a performance by a police band, nothing special about the mall – if you discount the high percentage of white faces from a visiting cruise ship.  Although we stretched out our time as best we could, it was about 1pm again by the time we got back to the ship and there was no sign of the weather improving.

We handed in our passport copies and headed for the buffet – of course.

I skipped the fish options and returned to a tender lamb curry, whilst Paula stuck to mainly salad and a couple of crumbed prawns.   She then spied Graeme and Linda, our Rock and Roll specialists who had just boarded.  I’m not saying what a bargain they got with a window cabin, flights from Australia, and the rest of the cruise back to Sydney, other than at about $100 a night, it was considerably less per night than our bill.

Time for blog updates but for some reason, try as I might, I couldn’t get the our ASB bank site to load.

As we pointed out last year, maritime law now demands attendance at the muster/lifeboat drill every thirty days.  Rather boring and I’m sure ta for repeat cruisers they could do a shortened version.  Just before, Paula didn’t feel well again, so something is upsetting her system.  Straight after, even though it was dinner time,  she returned to the sanctuary of the cabin and didn’t eat at all, just hot water and lemon.

I couldn’t survive so headed up and enjoyed a fairly light meal and a chat with G & L, then returned with a jelly each and anther drink, but Paula opted to stick with the water.

As we are heading north again shortly after leaving Japan, the Captain announced that instead of the ships clocks being advanced at 2am each day, for the next 7 days (plus crossing the date line, July 23^rd, which we then get twice!), they would be advanced at 2pm.  The rationale being that rather than losing an hour’s sleep each day, we’d lose an hour during the day, which people might not notice.  By the time we get to July 23^rd for the second time, we’ll be behind GMT, rather than in front…

We now start ‘The Chunk’, the 8 day run across to Alaska, so I doubt there will be too much to write about and even fewer pics, so don’t expect too much, though who knows, with all that sea time, there will be time to blog, read a book or do word puzzles, but internet access is going to be slow and maybe difficult until we reach land again, Friday July 29^th – where the first hurdle will be US Immigration, which is notoriously slow for those not on a Princess tour.