Japan

Yokohama, Japan, as we were about to leave

By the Imperial Palace in Tokyo

This is as much as we saw of Mt. Fuji (it was cold).

Danielle having lunch with Kindergarteners in Kobe

From Shanghai we arrived in Kobe in two days. Kobe is not small (1.5 million) but has a small feel to it. Danielle and I went to a Kindergarten and had lunch with a class and then toured around the city; while Kathleen did a faculty directed trip with students to the Kirin Beer company. The following day we simply walked around Kobe and visited a garden and a Shinto Temple. Naturally, we had Sushi for lunch and dinner! After two days in Kobe we headed for Yokohama (a port city just south of Tokyo), a trek that took just one night. Yokohama is quite large (3.6 million) but unfortunately we didn’t spend much time there. As soon as we arrived, we left on an overnight trip that took us to Mount Fuji and Tokyo.  Unfortunately, the weather was rainy and foggy so we never saw the famous mountain. Our very nice tour guide, however, insisted that the mountain was really there. We could tell that she was disappointed that we never saw the mountain. We then drove in the bus to Tokyo where we stayed at a very nice hotel. That night poor Danielle threw up four times and had a fever, so Kathleen took her back to the ship (which luckily was only a 45 minute train ride away). The rest of us (I was the trip leader) went to the gardens around the Imperial Palace, visited the Meiji Shrine (Shinto), and had a fabulous lunch at a local restaurant. We also went to the largest Buddhist temple in Tokyo which is located in a very nice shopping district. The weather had turned much better so we were all in much better spirits on the second day. After Singapore, Vietnam, and China, Japan was just another modern, clean Asian country. Many of us on the faculty, as well as the Life Long Learners (the non-student, older passengers) have been having some very interesting discussions about what we have experienced in Asia. Mostly we are wondering what will happen to the United States since we seem to be lagging behind Asia in so many ways – economically, socially and politically.  All in all, our trip to eleven countries has been too rich to explain. We have learned a great deal and have truly seen the world. Having this opportunity, with Archbishop Desmond Tutu as a neighbor, is something we will never forget.