April 12, 2016 – Shimizu Port, Japan

The Seto Inland Sea is a body of water separating three of the four main islands of Japan – Kyushu, Shikoku, and Honshu. It serves as a sea route connecting the Sea of Japan on the west to the Pacific Ocean on the east. Captain Vorland warned us yesterday that after leaving Fukuoka (on Kyushu Island) we would likely experience some rough seas going through the Kanmon Straits to enter the Inland Sea, due to a strong current, and then again upon reaching the Pacific Ocean. He was certainly right about that, as we saw very high waves with strong wind, and the ship was rocking and rolling like we haven’t experienced in months. It was so bad that Ginny skipped dinner last evening and stayed in bed.

The bottom line is that Crystal Serenity successfully transited the Inland Sea between Kyushu Island and Japan’s main Island of Honshu. Sometime overnight the seas abated, and we had a smooth time entering the port of Shimizu early this morning. We are along the Pacific coast of central Honshu, about 200 miles southwest of Tokyo.

Shimizu and nearby Shizuoka were merged into one political city, named Shizuoka in 2005. Shimizu is the principal seaport, with a population of 32,091. Our guide, Fumiko, told us that this area is famous for handling the largest amount of frozen tuna in Japan, and also for their Sakura shrimp which is known for its pink shell and special taste. Likewise, she said that good wasabi (a type of Japanese mustard) is grown here. 

We were immediately impressed with the natural beauty of this area. Despite the industrial nature of much of Shimizu, towering mountain ranges to the west, and an attractive coastline to the east, make for picturesque scenery. This part of Japan is well-known as the home of Mt. Fuji, the most famous symbol of Japan. We caught a quick glimpse of Fuji this morning, but then it disappeared behind thick cloud cover, as it often does, for the remainder of the day.

We were signed up for a shore excursion today titled, “A Step Back to Edo.” The natural question is, “What is ‘Edo’? That’s a simple one to answer. Edo is the old name for what we now call Tokyo. It was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate, which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868. The shogunate exerted complete power over Japan, including the military, the court, and the religious orders. The emperor was the ultimate source of political approval for the shogun, who publicly was acting on behalf of the imperial family.

Some quick background: In 1603 the shogun directed construction of road systems in Japan. The most important and well-traveled of these, the “Tokaido” travelled along the eastern coast of Honshu, linking the shogun’s capital in Edo (Tokyo) to the imperial capital in Kyoto.

Along this road, there were 53 different “post stations,” which provided support for travelers (stables, food, and lodging, for example). In 1832, the artist Utagawa Hiroshige traveled the length of the Tokaido from Edo to Kyoto, as part of an official delegation transporting an annual symbolic gift from the shogun, in recognition of the emperor's divine status. Apparently the landscapes of this journey made a big impression on Hiroshige, and he created a series of colorful woodblock prints titled The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido. The prints became extraordinarily popular in Japan and still are regarded as beautiful works of art.

Our excursion began by driving to Yui-cho, which was one of the 53 “post towns.” Here we visited the country’s only museum devoted to the Tokaido Art of Hiroshige. Our excellent tour Guide, Fumiko, led us through the museum’s exclusive collection of wood-block prints for each of the 53 stations of the Tokaido, explaining how the artist drew on local surroundings for inspiration, including the various size changes in Mount Fuji, as the travelers approached closer to it along the route. The view of Mount Fuji at Shimizu as seen across the bay from Miho no Matsubara (where we visited later today) appears in many of Hiroshige’s prints. At the museum we also followed along as we learned the steps in making a colorful Japanese wood-block print.

Next we walked over to a nearby site named the Yiu Honjin Memorial Hall, at which an emperor of the Meiji era was said to have rested at one time. Of more interest to us were the beautifully landscaped grounds and a tatami-matted tea house.

Our group of twenty was split into two smaller groups. One of the groups participated in an informal Japanese tea ceremony, while the other half wandered around to look at the various features of the tea house, then we switched places. The tea ceremony was performed by a woman in a traditional dress. She used matcha green tea, which is a powdered tea prepared in a special way and very popular now. You can find it in all sorts of sweets all over Asia. She put a tiny pinch in a ceramic bowl to which she added hot water. All the utensils she used for the ceremony were made of bamboo. She used a special bamboo whisk to stir up the tea and swirled it around. We were each given a mochi ball pastry which is made of sweet rice flour and filled with red bean paste. Then we were each given a bowl of tea. There is a special ceremonial way to receive the bowl and the drink the tea. Ginny thought the tea tasted like grass clippings, but Jim drank the whole bowl. 

Our last stop on the excursion was to Miho-no-Matsubara – one of the best locations in Japan for viewing Mt. Fuji on a clear day. Many of the most famous depictions of Fuji, including the wood prints by Hiroshige, were done from this site on the Miho seacoast in Shimizu. Unfortunately, Fuji was hidden behind clouds during our visit here today. We had caught a quick glimpse of the very top of Mount Fuji earlier in the morning – just the snow-capped peak – while riding along in the bus.

Here’s a photo of a photo Jim saw, in the parking lot where our bus was parked, of what Mt. Fuji looks like on a clear day at Miho-no-Matsubara, followed by what we saw today. Jim didn’t walk out in the water to take his picture; other than that, the location is exactly the same:

Despite not seeing Mount Fuji in all its glory, we enjoyed the stop here. Jim walked for about 20 minutes to the beach along with Fumiko and most of our group, while Ginny and another woman stayed on the bus. Most of the trek was on a boardwalk through a particularly attractive grove of very large, gnarly old pine trees.

When we reached the beach area, we stopped for a few minutes to wait for stragglers to catch up. Jim quickly visited a few small stores that sold mostly Japanese snack food products, but he did find a refrigerator magnet to purchase.

We then climbed a fairly steep hill onto a very large stand of even larger black pine trees overlooking the sea. This is a truly picturesque park that Fumiko said has been a favorite subject of poets and artists for centuries. 

One “divine” pine tree in particular is said to be over 650 years old and the setting of the Japanese Hagoromo (Goddess Robe) Legend. Fumiko read the legend to us (translated into English). Some of our group, including Jim, walked down onto the black sand of the beach (but not in the water). On the walk back to the bus, we stopped and walked around the also picturesque Miho Shinto Shrine. It’s said that the shrine preserves a piece of the goddesses Hagoromo feathered robe, but we didn’t see that as we walked around. There were some attractive newer homes along this boardwalk. Here’s one sample:

We both really enjoyed this interesting tour, because we were able to visit the part of Japan that you can’t see in the city. Jim said this looked like the “real Japan” that he remembered from living near Tokyo for three years (1969 – 1972). Our guide, Fumiko, was an excellent resource, as she had lived for a while in both London and New York while working for a Japanese company. She spoke absolutely perfect English.

When we returned to the port, there were many tents set up along the ship to not only sell things, but also to help us understand their city better and answer any questions we might have. There were even students testing out their English skills and asking us to fill out a survey form. In the Marine Terminal Building, many of our fellow passengers greatly enjoyed trying on kimonos (for fun), learning to do origami (paper folding), and using free Wi-Fi. Shimizu was a very nice port call.

Life on board Serenity continues busy, even with the high number of recent port calls. We’ve attended three shows in the Galaxy Lounge the last several days that ranged from excellent to “not so good.” The best was singer and 3-time Grammy nominee Mark Preston. We’ve also dined at Prego (for our 42nd anniversary), Tastes (with our friend Frank from Shell Point), and the Trident Grill (just for fun on a formal night) over the past week or so. Of course most nights we happily eat in the dining room with our good friends Dave, Jerry, Karen, and Suzanne.

Tonight we leave for our two-day, one-night port call in Tokyo.

Jim & Ginny