On The Sea Again, I Just Can't Wait To Get On The Sea Again: The Japan Journey Continues and Finally Sushi!

I have to apologize in advance for the length of this post. There is a lot of catching up to do.

Thursday we were in Nagoya. We took the Panoramic Tour of Nagoya excursion which turned out to have more walking than the title would indicate. That was a good thing and we were able to experience what I call the trifecta of Japanese tourism - a garden, a shrine, and a castle. The first stop was the Shiratori Garden. Needless to say, it was a lovely and serene Japanese Garden.

The next stop was the Toyokuni Shrine.

The final stop was the Nagoya Castle and Hommaru Palace. The palace was built in the 1600's, destroyed in WWII, and rebuilt with incredible paintings on the interior palace walls. The castle tower is still under construction.

We have found everybody and everything to be so polite in Japan including this sign over the urinal in the men's room.

It says "Thank you for using it properly".

Friday we were in Kochi. We took the Japanese Paper Making Experience excursion. The bus ride took us through Kochi where the rice patties seemed to be everywhere.

We went through the hills and forest and came to the Niyodo River. The river water is very pure which is why it is used for paper making.

At the paper making workshop we went through the process of mixing the pulp and water, placing the mixture on a screen, and then draining and pressing the eight panels.

The paper was then put in a hydraulic press to remove more of the water.

While our paper was drying, we were driven to the Nagoya Chinka Submersible Bridge. The bridge was built without guard rails so that the there would be no damage during flooding and it could be reopened quickly.

Once again, notice the polite wording on the sign - "Please be careful enough not to fall down."

We returned to the paper workshop to pick up our dried papers. We foresee our grandchildren creating great artwork on these papers!

Saturday we were in Kagoshima. When we were there in 2010, we were greeted by the Sakurajima Volcano spewing ash as we pulled into the port. We had visited the Senganen Garden which was quite beautiful in the sunny weather that day. Our Plan A was to repeat the experience. However . . . . the weather did not cooperate. The volcano was shrouded in clouds as we sailed in and the forecast called for rain.

So, we went to Plan B which was to take the shuttle bus into town where we would roam the covered shopping area that someone had told us about.

This sculpture is related to the story of the first honeymoon couple in Japan.

It turned out to be quite uninteresting and we shifted to Plan C which was to ride the Kagoshima City View bus around the city. And, since the rain had stopped, maybe even get off at the garden. The bus stop was nearby and we arrived about 10 minutes before it was scheduled to be there. Well, we waited until 10

after the schedule with no sign of the bus and it was time for Plan D. I looked on Google Maps and found a sushi restaurant a couple of blocks away, Izuro Tsukasa Sushi.

It turned out to be an unusual and amazing experience for us. The restaurant is very small - 2 tables and the counter. When we went in, we were greeted by a woman (who I'm guessing was the wife of the chef) and thank goodness for Google Translate. We sat at the available table and pointed to the sashimi and sushi plate that we wanted. She nodded and indicated that we would have to move to the counter. We really didn't understand why but we complied. Then it became clear as the chef wiped off the counter and began to lay our food out in front of us. The woman through Translate was very helpful in explaining what the dishes were. She also told us that we could eat with chopsticks but said it was best to eat with our hands. There were bowls for soy sauce and, when I filled mine, she took it away indicating that I had put in too much. And the food just kept on coming.

It was all good including the Kue fish which we had never had before and as an extra bonus they threw in baked fish cheeks which was I think was also Kue. And Linda ate Uni which, until I told her later, is sea urchin and a particular part of the sea urchin - the reproductive organs! So good.

We have seen many references to Shohei Ohtani in Japan and it was the same there. Note the figurine over the chef's shoulder.

When I told them that we were from Los Angeles they were all very excited.

The experience was terrific - one of the highlights of the trip for sure.

When we returned to the ship, the weather was decent (though the volcano was still shrouded in clouds). I went for a walk around the park by the pier (actually 3 times around).

And, finally, today, Sunday we are in Nagasaki. I had been watching the weather forecast for several days and it consistently predicted heavy rain throughout the day. When we arrived, the forecast was correct.

We have been in Nagasaki and had done the sites related to the bomb, so, mentally, we were prepared and even looking forward to just spending the day on the ship. Then, as we were eating lunch, the rain stopped and the forecast showed a brief break. We got off of the ship at about 1:15 and walked along the waterfront for about an hour. At one point, the sun even made an appearance.

It felt so good that I even did some singing in the (non) rain! And just after we returned to the ship, the rain started again.

That wraps up a very good, very busy 4 days. Linda continues to impress and has averaged about 6000 steps for each of those days. Way to go girl! Tomorrow we return to Busan, South Korea. Light rain in the forecast but maybe we'll get lucky again.

Before I sign off, I want to reveal the story behind the artwork I included in my previous post.