Orders are orders

When the harbourmaster says the port is closed - no ships in and no ships out - his word is final.

And so this morning instead of cruising along out at sea in the direction of Aomori we were still docked in Yokohama.  Disappointing, but unavoidable.  Another change to the itinerary.  We will not visiting Aomori, where among other things, I was looking forward to eating apple ice-cream; Aomori is very close to the area where the Fuji apple originated. However, as the Captain explained, it is pointless to arrive in the port  at 4 pm and leave at 5 pm. 

The big feature of the morning was departing Yokohama and scurrying around to various vantage points as the ship sailed under the bridge.  

The sun shines brightly today and I feel an inexplicable sadness at leaving Yokohama.

However the bridge is waiting, along with a flotilla of smaller vessels, for us to get under way and leave we must.

We have two days at sea ahead of us and plenty of time to investigate all aspects of the public areas on the ship and to attempt to find my way from the Crow’s Nest to the Dolphin Deck and back to Room 3332 without resorting to screaming for help in a loud, panic-stricken voice.

Once out of the harbour, land soon disappeared and our focus turned to the list of activities on the ships newsletter. The newsletter arrives in the slot beside my door each evening, allowing ample time to consider what might be happening tomorrow and to make arrangements with any other interested parties.  The ship day starts at 7 am in the morning with Morning Stretches as part of the Fitness Class in the Crow’s Nest at 7.30 am.  I can say right now there is no chance I will be attending a fitness class at any time of the day never mind 7.30 am.  This is a holiday fer cryin’ out loud.

At a more reasonable hour, and more in line with my interests, is the Book Club enrollment.  After a few false starts I eventually find my way to the Explorations Café and collect my copy of How to be an American Housewife, the selection for this cruise.  It is a small book, and in keeping with a cruise taking in Japanese ports it has a Japanese theme, albeit one relating to an era at the end of WW2.

After lunch I find a seat at the back of a packed auditorium to hear a presentation - the Birth of the Pacific Ocean; it deals with volcanoes and tectonic plates and the ups and downs over several billions of years, which gave us the ocean we will all cross in a few days’ time.  There is a small, lingering worry I may have placed myself in line for a dose of the flu; sitting in the only seat available, I find the woman seated next to me has a loud hacking cough, which rocks my seat and I avert my face to avoid  collecting unwanted germs as she coughs unrestrainedly.

I line up this evening in the Lido buffet, which has a great variety of food; enough, I’m sure,  to prevent starvation over the next three weeks.

Nearly blown off my feet

As we boarded the shuttle bus taking us from Osanbashi Pier to the retail area, the man ushering us aboard cheerfully informed us that today Yokohama was experiencing what the locals know as a spring typhoon.

An understatement, if ever there was one.

A blustery, unpleasant wind pushed the MahJong Queen and I along towards the Landmark Plaza building with its shopping arcades over three floors and the elevator, which takes some finding, whose purpose is to whisk you to the 69^th floor and the fantastic 360 degree views over Yokohama city.

First up, the very important task of finding the Post Office, which has the all-important ATMs, which very generously dispense cash, providing all the right buttons are pushed in the right order. Then, the next most important task, somewhere to eat.  We wander around and finally settle on curry udon for lunch. Paper bibs are provided and we attack our meal with chopsticks and a helpful spoon, make a mess, manage to get most of it into our mouths and decide it was an excellent food venue choice. 

Then a time consuming hunt for the entry to the elevator.  It is easier to find the souvenir shop than it is to find the elevator.  When we find it, we reach the 69^th floor of the Landmark Building in double quick time.   The views across the city are spectacular and there is no notion of the wind howling around outside.  Only the Cosmos Clock 21 is still and unmoving; imagine riding around in the gondola in today’s wind strength of upwards of 50 kilometres per hour!

Looking towards the Cosmos Clock 21 and amusement park.

On the opposite side of the Tower, cars, car parks and a freeway.

Almost every form of transport is catered for here, road, rail and air.

At the end of the circuit around the tower, we are back to the water.  In the top right of the photo is the Yokohama Stadium, the landmark I searched for yesterday.

Obligatory browsing through the shops in the arcades of the lower floors of the Landmark Building takes up some more of our time.  And then the next test.  Finding the exit door to take us back out the way we came in.  Not so easy.  Much tracking back and forth and inadvertently walking outside at one stage, to be nearly blown off our feet.  

Then more by good luck than good management we find the right level and are walking along the moving walk way.  In between the covered areas the walkway is exposed to the elements and the wind buffeted us around to such an extent I had to wrap my arms around a pole to remain up right.

The queue for the bus to take us back to the ship was a welcome sight and the wind gave us one final taunting as we left the pier building and scuttled, sideways like crabs, along to the ship’s boarding ramp. 

The idea of a pleasant, late afternoon stroll along the shore front, before the ship’s departure, was immediately abandoned.

Managing the move

There’s nothing like the challenge of packing up and moving on to the next stage of the journey.

There’s nothing like this challenge to make you wish:

a)      You’d never left home

b)      The case you have should be twice the size

c)        Why the hell is it not possible to be like Dervla Murphy and travel with a notebook and six pencils and maybe a handgun to ward off evil-doers?

Of course it’s the much anticipated three weeks at sea that decided most of the contents of said suitcase.  And why on earth would I need a larger one when I can barely lift the one I have?

The dining room at the hotel was packed each morning and today I discovered the reason. A great variety of food, Western and Japanese and everything I tried was delicious.  With my possessions finally jammed into the case and backpack, I make a last minute excursion around the nearby streets where I made the discovery that a building I was certain would be a place of culture was nothing other than a pachinko parlour.  Shock!! Horror!!

I find these treasures growing in a narrow area beside a  tall building.

And then I find this - I can scarcely believe my eyes.  It's not one of my favourites.

And near the hotel, the back of a house where space is at a premium and plants are potted.

Finally, I stand on the station platform waiting for the shinkansen, my possessions gathered around me and the requisite bento box purchased and ready for lunchtime on the train. 

Settled into my seat with the case jammed into the space between my knees and the seat in front, I sit back to take in the passing scenery and demolish the contents of the bento box.  Most of the seats in this car were taken by Japanese business men, using the train time to catch up on lost sleep.

Not for them the wonder at the hoped for, but not expected, sight of Mt Fuji, which appeared as the train drew closer to Yokohama. Excitement!!   The remainder of the passing scenery was the usual mix of commercial, industrial and residential buildings with smaller areas of agricultural land, some of which appeared to be tea plantations. 

Mt Fuji

Shin Yokohama station was the setting for much walking back and forth, looking all about and sometimes walking in circles. I could have avoided all this if I had studied the train lines map more carefully. I was on the correct train when I left Shin Yokohama – I couldn’t get out the map to verify it while I was strap hanging and case-herding on the train. With a little bit of help from my friends, new found friends at ticket barriers and information boxes, I made it to Kannai station.

On the last leg; all I have to find is the Yokohama stadium, it’s huge and it must be nearby.   I’m rescued by a kind man, who no doubt thought if I didn’t stop spinning around in every direction in an effort to find a recognisable land-mark, I would fall to the ground.  Pointed in the right direction, I was soon walking by the stadium.  

Massed tulip beds near Yokohama Stadium

Alongside this huge building was a magnificent display of tulips, a sight to lift my drooping spirits.  Ever onwards and past a very inviting bar, where I could easily have paused and rested over two or ten beers.  At last, Osanbashi Pier and the ship and the formalities of checking in then opening the door to my home for the next three weeks.

What bliss, to thrown myself down on the bed and rest my weary legs and know I do not have to pull that goddam case anywhere for the next three weeks.