Mar. 7

3-7: Yesterday we docked in Kobe around 7am. All passengers and crew had had to have their temperatures taken on two separate occasions for the Japanese Quarantine Authority prior to our docking! It was amazing! Then they took their time allowing us to get off the ship so our tours started a little later than scheduled. The weather was lousy - gray and drizzly - BUT the tour was great. We took a bus from Kobe through Osaka to Koyoto which had been the capital of Japan until 1867 when the 15th Tokugawa Shogun returned sovereignty to the Emperor. First we toured the Golden Pavilion - properly called the Rokuon-ji Temple - which was beautiful - it had been originally built in the 1220s as a villa. The gardens are fantastic though it is still winter here so not much in bloom. However, there is a 600 year old Bonsai tree that has been fashioned into the shape of a sailing ship! Amazing. Then we went to lunch at a hotel - the lunch was not wonderful - raw fish to start and some soup with tofu! But we did have a Sapporo beer that came in huge bottles! After lunch Ginnie went to the VIP toilet where the seat was heated and there were 4 buttons which she was afraid to push for fear she would get her butt scrubbed! I missed that by going to the commoners ladies room but at least it was western style when so many of the toilets around here are simply holes in the floor - nice porcelain holes, but holes nonetheless! Then we headed across the street to the Nijo Castle which had been built in 1603 - and completed in 1626. It was a huge building with a moat and high outer walls. The floor in the castle is wood and specially built to make sounds so no one could sneak up on the Shogun who lived there. It is called a Nightingale floor and it is the most amazing thing - it just chips and sings as you walk across it! Then we headed to the train station in Koyoto to catch the bullet train back to Kobe! You have approximately 2 minutes to get on the train - our tablemates said they almost missed it because the people in front of them were so slow moving out of the way! The seats are very comfortable and the leg room is about 5 times what you would find on an American airplane! And it goes FAST making cars on the freeway next to us seem to be standing still! We got back to Kobe in 31 minutes when it had taken over an hour to drive the other way. Kobe had a large earthquake around 1997 which devastated the city - around 6000 people killed and buildings destroyed. On the way back to the ship we went to the Earthquake Memorial which was right down on the harbor. They had left a place that showed the damage - it was very interesting and the memorial park was very pretty. Other tidbits - there is a chain of 24 hour convenience stores called Lawson - we tried and tried to get a picture of the sign but failed. Also the 7-11s look like 7-11s but are called 7-i. And The Golden Arches over a Japanese word - whatever it may be! All in all - weather and lunch not included - it was a very good day! Tomorrow - Kagoshima!