ABOARD THE DIAMOND PRINCESS CRUISING OFF JAPAN – All in all it was a great cruise on the Diamond Princess, stopping in ports we had never heard of in northern Japan and even in Russia, thanks to some obscure law or regulation that nobody can quite get their head around. But no cruise is complete without its follies and unexpected discoveries. Here are a few: THAT GUY – You don’t want to be him. This cruise, like …
AT SEA ABOARD THE DIAMOND PRINCESS OFF THE COAST OF JAPAN — Jessica Maraesca at age eight is already a bonafide cruise expert. But she has one big advantage—her dad Fabrizio Maresca is the Captain of the Diamond Princess, commanding a crew of 1,050 and celebrating his 15th anniversary with Princess Cruise Line. In fact, Jessica wouldn’t be here if not for Princess—her mom and dad met working on board. Her mom, Caroline Andrews, was a dancer. …
HAKODATA, HOKKAIDO, JAPAN — The giggling Japanese teens, dressed in school uniforms of white sailor shirts and navy skirts, were anxious to practice their English. They greeted us as we got off a shuttle from the Diamond Princess in the town of Hakodate, handing us rice cookies and asking in halting English where we would like to go. “What do you like to do for fun?” we asked them. Finally, they understood. “Lucky Pierrot!” they declared. It …
OTARU, HOKKAIDO, Japan — Good news! I’m going to live at least seven years longer. That’s because I’ve visited a Japanese Onseng—a hot springs resort. They are ubiquitous in Japan—there are thousands of them. We’ve been aboard the Diamond Princess and when a visit to an Onseng in Hokkaido was offered as a shore excursion, I jumped at the opportunity. Our guide, Kiyoe Narita, who is from Sapporo, explains “for Japanese, Onseng is one of the most …
AT SEA ABOARD THE DIAMOND PRINCESS BETWEEN JAPAN AND RUSSIA — I’m sitting in a Jacuzzi looking out at the ocean. No, I’m not at a beachfront resort. I’m at sea in northern Japan at the Izumi Japanese Bath aboard the Diamond Princess. Onsen, as Japanese baths are known, are of course a big part of the culture here —there are thousands of them in the mountains where Japanese go for some R&R, soaking naked in thermal …
AT SEA ABOARD THE DIAMOND PRINCESS BETWEEN JAPAN AND RUSSIA — Sushi or Steak? Like other cruise lines, Princess offers specialty restaurants on board for which you pay an extra fee. “The dining room is like cafeteria food; if you want better food, you have to go to the specialty restaurants,” offered on veteran Princess cruiser. I wouldn’t go that far but it is true that like on other cruise lines, the specialty restaurants offer an enhanced …
KUSHIRO, Hokkaido, Japan — Cranes, so Japanese legend says, live for a thousand years; turtles for 10,000. That’s why if you went to a Japanese wedding, you might see symbols of cranes and turtles—wishing the couple a long and happy marriage. We’re in Kushiro, Japan, on the island of Hokkaido, and are visiting the Japanese Crane Reserve on a shore excursion from the Diamond Princess, which is spending the morning here. Red-crested cranes, we learn, nearly had …
AT SEA ON THE DIAMOND PRINCESS OFF THE COAST OF JAPAN — If you thought cruises were just about fun and games, ask 13 year-old Josh Berkowitz. “They’re very educational,” said the suburban Philadelphia teen. “You meet kids from all over the world.” Here on the Diamond Princess cruising off Japan, in fact, there are people on board from 34 countries, from the United States and Canada (just under 600 of the 2771 passengers) to Japan (1034 …
TOYKO – August, the hot month. Seventy years ago this month the world’s worst war ended, 66 years ago I was born and 60 years ago my father, a U.S. Air Force officer, moved his growing family to Japan for four years. So when we had the opportunity to visit Tokyo this month, I naturally thought of my childhood and wondered if we could try to find some of my old haunts. In 1955, my family sailed …
TOKYO (DAY ONE OF TWO) — Who knew a spa treatment could help cure jet lag? I’ve just flown from Denver to Tokyo, with a stopover in Seattle, and by the time I arrive at the Conrad Tokyo I don’t even know what day it is – in fact it is as if I’ve been awake for two days as Tokyo is 13 hours ahead of home in Connecticut. The 290 room Conrad Tokyo is not far …
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