Tokyo, Japan

It is our second visit to Tokyo. The first was a poorly planned anniversary which was supposed to be

spent in Hong Kong, but ended up being 6 hours in Tokyo airport and on airplanes because of the
International Date Line. We did manage 1 hour In Hong Kong on our 10 th anniversary in 1991.
This visit was better.
It was turn-around day for the crew. That means it is the end of the first segment of our four-segment
cruise. We disembarked passengers and added new ones. In-transit guests (guests continuing on like us)
waited until the leaving passengers disembarked with all of their luggage, then we were able to leave
the ship. We took a ship-organized tour that took us to one of Japan’s major shrines, and then took us
to Tokyo Tower for a look over the city.
Even as we approached from the ocean, it is evident that Tokyo is a big city. Unique architecture,
sprawling cityscape, many towers, massive port, healthy industry, lots of people. Even with this larger
scale of everything, Tokyo was pristine.

Like each state in the US, each prefecture in Japan has its own state flower, tree, etc. For Tokyo they are
chrysanthemum, Ginko, sea gull.
Our tour guide spoke English well and introduced herself by writing her name in English (Sachimi—Sah CHEE mee) and the two Japanese characters of her name: happy, beautiful. She was a delight and quite informative.

The date 1853 and the American naval officer Matthew Perry have been mentioned in many of our
stops in Japan. He was instrumental in opening Japan to the world and ending Japan’s isolationism. The
treaty he helped establish also marked the end of those feuding feudal lords and the establishment of
an emperor. Immediately the economy improved and the Japanese are happy with Matthew Perry. (The
irony of today’s news being filled with the death of the actor Matthew Perry is not lost at this
moment…)
Tokyo has 9 islands extending south from the city; some of them have hot springs as they are near Mt.
Fuji’s volcanic belt. We did not venture onto them, but cruised past some of them. Tokyo’s population
hovers around 14 million.
Nothing was mentioned today about what may have been obvious: the complete remake of a major
metropolis after “Operation Meetinghouse” which was the firebombing of Tokyo in WW2. According to Brittanica, it was “cited as one of the most destructive acts of war in history, more destructive than the bombing of Dresden, Hiroshima, or Nagasaki. Although the precise death toll is unknown, conservative estimates suggest that the firestorm caused by incendiary bombs killed at least 80,000 people, and likely more than 100,000, in a single night; some one million people were left homeless. The Japanese later called this the ‘Night of the Black Snow.’”

A pause in our blog, here. Just before supper tonight, a few of us gathered in a casual, informal prayer
time where we prayed for so much unrest in the world, past and present. Also, we had a sudden death of
one of the passengers on the ship. It was handled discreetly and professionally. But yet it caused us all
to ponder the fragility and splendor of life.
Our first tour was to the Meiji (MAY jee) Shrine. It is a Shinto shrine dedicated to Emperor (shock) Meiji who died in 1912. The shrine was completed in 1921 and was destroyed in the bombing of Tokyo. It was rebuilt and completed in 1958. It is a beautiful park with several large constructions in traditional
style and large open grounds between the buildings. There were lots of people around and we saw
multiple weddings taking place. We saw the formal processions and picture taking of the bride and
groom. There were at least 3 or 4 weddings taking place while we were there. Many parents also had
their children dressed up in traditional garb as they celebrate a traditional milestone with both girls and
boys at 3, boys at 5 and girls at 7. This is a relic left over from the Shoguns when many children did not
live long, so by 3 they felt a celebration was warranted. At 5 boys could begin training, and at 7 girls
could wear the same type of Kimono at their mothers wore for the first time. Numerous wedding pics
and child pics were taken. All “costumes” and even the wedding outfits are rented as the prices are
outrageous for formal garb.

Following the shrine we went to the Tokyo Tower. We went to the main observation deck about 500
feet in the air. The tower itself is modeled on the Eiffel Tower. We enjoyed the views but did not see
Mt. Fuji who our guide said was being shy. It is sixty miles away so not always visible. We found our
way back to the ship and rested some before dinner.

We no longer have the bridge experts on board to play bridge with when we get back from tours in the
early afternoon. We have others wanting to play but have not yet made arrangements. The weather
continues to get nicer so is hard to turn down time up on deck in the afternoon. We hear some of you

are seeing your first snow. We think about you often.