Asia 2026
Bamboo Forest
Rainy day (again), but I nice trip up to the Bamboo Forest. We also got a tour of someone’s garden that we were admiring from the road, which was a bit special.
Onsen Day in Osaka
Lazy Day
Quiet day today onboard. David and I wandered around the ship, finding all the restaurants and lounges and facilities. I then camped on a deck chair and read a book for a few hours while David had been off in the gym walking and running and sauna-ing.
Bike Ride around Shimizu
Cherry Blossoms in Tokyo
Japanese Woodworking Class
Temple Wanderings With Peter and Leza
Temple visit today with Peter and Lesa
Rainy First Day, Colorful Umbrellas
Our first day today… and rain, rain, rain. But cool new umbrellas!
Tokyo Disney Sea
Maybe the best theme park I’ve ever been to. Amazing rides, beautiful and so well themed.
Afternoon in suburban Tokyo
we spent this afternoon wandering around western Tokyo suburbs and riding a small train. It’s easy to see how people love this city. Saw our first cherry blossom today.
Scramble Square
When in Japan
Wear the provided pyjamas
First take
One thing I’ve noticed in Japan is “uniformity” in almost everything. When trucks are parked at a warehouse they’re all perfectly aligned. Houses are all the same size and shape in an area. No one wants to stand out or have attention drawn to them.
Crazy fast trains
Bullet Train to Tokyo
David and I boarded our first bullet train today. 285 km/hr from Osaka to Tokyo. Amazing experience.
Osaka Arrival
After arriving on JQ 23 we had a really quick transit through immigration and security at Osaka airport. We got the train into Osaka after giving our bags to a luggage transport service. Fingers crossed we’ll see our bags in two days. That train looks like something from Flash Gordon and I’ve never felt so lost or out of place as I do here. Only day one.