Itinerary
Sunday 12th March 2023	-	Fly to Tokyo, Japan & transfer to Yokohama
Monday	-	Yokohama, Japan embark Westerdam
Tuesday	-	Shimizu, Japan
Wednesday	-	Kobe, Japan
Thursday	-	Kobe, Japan
Friday	-	Tokushima, Japan
Saturday	-	Kochi, Japan
Sunday	-	Hiroshima, Japan
Monday	-	cruising Kanmon Strait
Tuesday	-	Tsuruga, Japan
Wednesday	-	Sakaiminato, Japan
Thursday	-	Busan, South Korea
Friday	-	Jeju, South Korea
Saturday	-	Kagoshima, Japan
Sunday	-	at sea
Monday 27th March 2023	-	Yokohama, Japan Fly Tokyo to UK

Mount Fuji (12,338ft) from the Miho peninsula (Shimizu).


Holland America's Westerdam in Kagoshima, Japan.

	Nights on board		14
	Days at sea		2

We planned this cruise back in May 2021, just as the UK was emerging from the Covid-19 pandemic and cruising was starting-up again, and we chose Holland America again; this time on Westerdam, another 'Vista-class ship' and sister to Oosterdam we had booked for New Zealand in 2022 - a cruise which was itself postponed to January/February 2023 on yet another 'Vista-sister', Noordam. So less than 4 weeks after we got home from that trip, we were off on this one!

Our 'core group' this time was to be Andrew, Angie, Gerry and me.

British Airways Club World (Business-class) Old-style boarding steps & seat plus Chicken Sukiyaki!				Neptune Suite #7151 the same suite as on Noordam - just a different number!

Having experienced the comfort and perks of a Neptune Suite on Noordam for our previous cruise, I decided to upgrade from the Signature Suite Gerry & I had booked. Fortunately (for us), there was another cancellation and Angie took the opportunity to do the same for her and Andrew!

Meanwhile, it seems that temples figure pretty significantly throughout Japan....

Mount Fuji		Shizuoka Sengen Shrine		Japanese Garden		Replica Gatehouse
The Miho Peninsula	Shogun Edo-period temple complex			Sunpo Castle & Park (ex-Shogun Dynasty)

We were very lucky on our first day to get a view of Mount Fuji from the beach on the Miho Peninsula. Rising above the clouds to 12,338ft (3,776m), Mount Fuji is notoriously 'shy'!

The next port of Kobe was a two-day stop and a brass band welcome - a precursor to some impressive and sometimes emotional send-offs that would follow as the cruise progressed.

Kobe Port		Hakutsuru		Mt. Rokko Observatory & the Rokko Cable Railway
Arrival & 2-day stay	Reconstructed 1920's Brewery

Multiple tastes of Sake at the Brewery Museum followed by some great views from Mount Rokko 2,800ft above the city and the 1932 funicular railway down again on Day-1 were followed by a trip to Osaka on Day-2 for one of Japan's more elaborate and most important shrines at Sumiyoshi Taisha, followed by a river cruise around Osaka Castle Park.

Sorihashi Bridge		Maneki-neko cats		Andrew & Gerry		Osaka Castle
Kobe day 2 - Sumiyoshi Taisha in Osaka						City River Cruise

However, travelling the 1.7 mile-long cable ropeway to Tairyu-ji (Great Dragon) Temple through heavy cloud and drizzle was one of our more spectacular experiences. Situated in a cedar forest at 1,650ft, the entire complex had a beautifully serene and ethereal quality.

Tokushima - The Shikoku Pilgrimage Route Temples No.21 & No.22
Tairyuji (Great Dragon Temple)				Byodoji (Equality Temple)
Cable-Car to 1,650ft		Treasure Tower		Guardian Gate		Jizo statue & Hondo

By contrast, the challenge of later on visiting Byodo-ji (Equality Temple) in the pouring rain did come close to a 'wash-out'!

Fortunately, in Horoshima the sun came out for our visit to the Peace Memorial Park....

Hiroshima - Peace Memorial Park (In Memory of 6th August 1945)						Hiroshima Castle (1590)
The Cenotaph, Memorial Flame, Pond of Peace & Museum				The Peace Dome		Destroyed 1945 & rebuilt 1958

Cruising the Kanmon Strait between Honshu and Kyushu
Kanmon Strait 733yds wide		The Kanmon Bridge (1973) Main Span 712m (2,336ft) Clearance 62-63m (207ft) 30ft to spare				Amorevole San Marco Wedding Venue

Tsuruga - Port of Humanity				Westerdam - Dinner in Pinnacle Grill
Kehi Jingu Shrine		Red Brick Warehouse		Steamed 12oz Lobster Tail

Tsuruga on Japan's north coast was an odd place; a semi-industrial port that had clearly seen livelier days. There was a museum dedicated to the expatriation of thousands of Jewish refugees from Poland in 1940 and 700 Polish orphans from Russia in 1920-22. But the 'highlight' had to be the large diorama train-set in the old red brick warehouse!

Sakaiminato - Japanese Gardens
Adachi Museum & Gardens				Yuushien Garden & Japanese Lunch

Sakaiminato was probably the best day of all; the sun came out again for what proved to be an archetypal 'Japanese day' with beautiful art and gardens and a 'real' Japanese lunch!

But the next couple of stops were in South Korea and in Busan the rain was so heavy that we all got emergency 'flood alert' messages on our mobile phones! Our tour still went ahead though and having missed the chance of a genuine Japanese Tea Ceremony, we were able to observe one in Busan.

Busan, South Korea				Jeju Island, South Korea
Tea Ceremony, Geungansa Temple				Seungsan Ilchulbong (Sunrise Peak)

The next day, Jeju Island was rather less interesting. At two volcanic craters there wasn't much to see from the ground and the Haenyeo museum about the female 'free divers' searching for abalone and octopus was interesting but all a bit low-key.

Kagoshima, Japan
Chiran Samurai Houses		Chiran Peace Museum (Kamikaze Museum)				Chiran Sakura Cherry Blossom

The next day, we were back in Japan and our visit to the Samurai houses proved a bit of a let-down, as we were unable to see inside. However, the Kamikaze Museum was well worth the trip itself; more English translations would have been helpful but there were some excellent exhibits and it was all totally moving. And the avenue of flowering cherry trees was spectacular!

Dinner in Canaletto Mixed Antipasti & Spaghetti alle Vongole				British Airways Boeing 787-900 Dreamliner Old-style Business-class & Tokyo view

We enjoyed the holiday overall and we really liked the ship (especially our Neptune Suites!) but while there was much to like about Japan, the overall experience was probably best described as 'something of a mixed bag'. Maybe it was to do with the weather - after all, some of the best days were the sunny ones - but our ship was also among the first of the season after the Covid shut-down and a bit too early for the cherry blossom in most of the places we visited. So our 'Japanese Experience' didn't quite match up to the travel brochure images!

For photos of Westerdam and the ports visited on this cruise, see account at Captain Martini >>

Cruise Mileage: 2,757 nautical miles
Total Mileage to date: 230,359 n miles