October 6, 2026 ~ Tokyo, Japan
Meiji Shrine is a peaceful retreat tucked into a vast forest in the heart of bustling Tokyo. Established in 1920, this Shinto shrine honors Emperor Meiji and his wife, Empress Shoken, who lived during Japan’s transformation into a modern nation. One surprising fact is that the forest was planted by hand, using around 100,000 trees donated from across Japan.
October 5, 2026
Another very long day with an early start. Up at 5:30 to allow time for breakfast and to be ready for a 7:00 pickup. We had arranged a private driver to take us to Nikko. It was almost a three hour drive to get there, but well worth it.
Nikko’s famous waterfall is Kegon Falls, also called Kegon no Taki. It is nice to see from the top, but I definitely recommend spending the small fee to take the elevator down to the viewing station.
October 4, 2026
Greetings from Japan! I’ve noted the date as October 4th, but a reminder that since we crossed the International Date Line that we are actually a day ahead of our family and friends back home in the USA.
Getting off the cruise ship, through immigration and customs went smoothly except for one slight snag that my large suitcase was missing in the arrival terminal. It got sorted out quickly though when one of the staff asked us to check in the section of bags where the baggage tags had come off. Sure enough, my bag was there and we were on our way.
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October 3rd, 2026
Short and sweet. It was finally warm enough and smooth waters to enjoy being back outside. We are arriving in Tokyo tomorrow morning, which means that activities that have gone on for almost two weeks, needed to get wrapped up.
SCAVENGER HUNT
We did only OK in our pursuit of getting signatures. It was fun for the first few days, but after a week, and with diminishing returns, we both lost interest. I was actually happy to see that a young kid, maybe six years old, came in third place. He won a bottle of champagne, which was promptly turned over to his dad, plus a bag of unknown treasures. I hope there was something he will cherish in that sack!
We managed to walk away with a yellow rubber ducky 😁.
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October 2nd, 2026
On the ship, I normally start my day with a small serving of some kind of protein like corn beef hash with an egg on top and some fresh fruit such as chunks of cantaloupe and honeydew melon, along with a cup of decaf coffee. On other mornings I have enjoyed two tiny egg white bites from the International Cafe. A couple days ago I discovered chia seed parfait cups and they are my new favorite. I’m obsessed!
September 28th ~ 30th, 2026
Our weather has improved dramatically since yesterday and we have returned to our normal speed instead of the throttled back, slower pace when the worst of the swells were battering us. The captain indicated that we had 5 meter (16 feet) swells during one of his announcements, but I’m not sure if that was the peak or not.
At one point when at dinner, a wave splashed against the side of the ship, completely covering the dining room window, which caused a few gasps from fellow diners.
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September 26, 2026 ~ At Sea
There is always a lot going on every day while on a cruise ship with a wide range of activities to choose from. They are quite good at offering a variety. Here are some examples of today’s options.
Want to get active? Besides the gym, there were classes offered in Zumba, Line dancing, and a 80’s Grooves dance class.
Improve your health? You can attend a lecture or class on Acupuncture for pain management, How to increase your metabolism, Better posture and alignment or Relieve back, neck & shoulder pain naturally.
Hair and beauty? I found these options – Master hair class, Look 10 years younger, Non-surgical facelift.
Enrichment? Coffee and chat with the officers, Destination talk on Tokyo, and a lecture on Bears and survival in the north.
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September 24, 2026
Whittier is one of Alaska’s most unusual towns—a small port tucked between steep mountains and Prince William Sound. Developed as a military port during World War II, its history and isolation help explain its unusual buildings and tunnels.
Heavily damaged during the huge 1964 Good Friday earthquake, Whittier rebuilt, but condensed into two primary living quarters – the 14-story Begich Towers (originally built for military housing) and Whittier Manor. Individual homes are pretty much non-existent.
September 23, 2026
We entered College Fjord late in the day so our lighting was not ideal and there is a blue tinge to the photos. The fjord contains a whole collection of glaciers, lining a narrow inlet in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. We could see chunks of ice floating in the water.
The college names date back to 1899 when the Harriman Expedition named the glaciers after eastern schools including Harvard, Yale, Smith, Amherst and Vassar. Generally, women’s colleges are on your left as you sail into the fjord, men’s colleges on your right.
Wednesday September 23, 2026
Hello from beautiful Alaska! We had been expecting and were all prepared for a very wet and rainy cruise. But (knock on wood), so far we have had lovely weather. Feeling very fortunate!
Yesterday was listed as “Scenic Cruising” and it did not disappoint.
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