We travelled to Japan in April 2023, as part of a cruise which gave us an introduction to the southern coast. Our favourite place by far was the Okinawa Islands! We would love to go back there someday soon!
We really enjoyed the variety of places we travelled to last spring. Here are a few highlights!
Kagoshima
We took a public ferry to the always-active volcano, Sakurajima, and walked along a trail with beautiful vistas. There was even a foot bath spot where you could soak your feet in warm, spring-fed water. We enjoyed the relaxed day and walked around the volcano. Since it was a sunny day, we were able to see the crater from several places.
Okinawa
The Hawaii of Japan does not disappoint! We visited two places- Naha and Ishigaki. We enjoyed the summer-like weather. We walked from the ship to the main shopping area in Naha. From Ishigaki, we took a ferry to the smaller island of Taketomi. We walked through the village and across the island to the beautiful beach. The protective entry statues called shishas kept us from harm. People were welcoming and helpful everywhere.
Osaka
We successfully navigated the subway system and enjoyed people-watching in the modern downtown of Osaka. It is a vibrant city. We were docked beside a giant Ferris wheel. Since it was sunny, we captured some nice aerial shots. The suspension bridges were everywhere!
Historic Kyoto
We visited some shrines, a temple and a castle in the ancient city of Kyoto by tour bus. We sampled a traditional Japanese set for lunch. We were completely soaked as it rained all day! Our guide had a great sense of humour and was very knowledgeable. They were happy to have tourists back in Japan, and we were treated well! We booked our tour through Holland America to ensure that we would have an English-speaking guide and also learn as much of the history of the city as we could in our short visit.
We are so fortunate that we had the flexible schedules to say yes to our friends’ invitation to join them on this trip. I think we will be back in this beautiful country soon.
