Dispatch from Donna: Japan's Northern Islands with Regent Seven Seas

This is travel writer Donna Hull's fourth installment of "Dispatches from Donna," a weekly update during her 52-day voyage aboard Regent's Seven Seas Mariner.

As we enter our fourth cruising week, Mariner sails toward Japan. Traveling from north to south means the ship visits the smaller ports of Hakodate and Sendai before introducing passengers to cosmopolitan Tokyo and Osaka. After cruising the wilds of Alaska and Siberia, it’s like easing our way back into civilization.

At every Japanese port, Mariner is met with official delegations that swap plaques and speeches with Mariner Captain, Felice Patruno. In Hakodate and Sendai, dancing troupes wave gaily as the ship pulls into port. Fireboats spray a watery welcome in Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagasaki. Performers singing a brief excerpt from the opera, Madame Butterfly, elicit tears from the audience before Mariner leaves Nagasaki. Throughout our stay, Japan proves to be clean and efficient with a polite population that is friendly to visitors.

On the morning of Mariner’s arrival in her first Japanese port, Hakodate, passengers are required to present themselves to authorities to be fingerprinted and photographed. By the time we clear Japanese customs, the stay in Hakodate has been whittled down to a few hours. Standing on the observation deck on Mt. Hakodate, I wonder what adventures Regent could find for us if we only had more time to experience the mountainous countryside.

In Sendai, we’re introduced to the first of the many Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples included on the ship’s tour excursions. According to our guide, most Japanese claim to be secular; but these historical sites are crowded with both international and local tourists. Since the cities we are visiting were bombed during World War II, much of what we see is a rebuilt version of the original buildings.

An overnight stay in Tokyo gives us plenty of time to explore. The port authority runs a shuttle for Mariner guests to the Ginza shopping district. We brave the subway system for a ride to Akihabara, an electronic lovers paradise, where the streets and alleyways are lined with shops selling every electronic gadget known to man.

The next day, our Tokyo overview excursion takes us to Meiji Jingu, a shrine surrounded by a large park in the heart of Tokyo. The morning bus ride across town allows us to observe Tokyoites as they stream from the subways toward another workday. Later, at yet another Buddhist site, Asakusa Kannon Temple, row after row of shops selling Japanese souvenirs compete for our attention.

When Mariner spends an overnight in Osaka, it’s the end of a segment for some guests while new voyagers join us for the sail to Hong Kong. After a rainy afternoon arrival, we visit Osaka Castle plus Shitennoji Temple, believed to be the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan.

The following day, Alan and I take advantage of our “in transit” status to book an eight-hour excursion to Kyoto, where many historical buildings survived World War II. Joining hundreds of Japanese school children, we tour Nijo Castle, the home of a 1600s-era shogun and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The children laugh and giggle as they pass us, saying “hello, hello.” We answer back. The flirting continues throughout the passageways of the mighty shogun’s home. Later, the Golden Pavilion dazzles us. I can only imagine how this area must look in the spring when it’s decorated with the blossoms from hundreds of cherry trees.

Mariner says goodbye to Japan with a stop in Nagasaki. Standing on deck, viewing the low mountains surrounding the harbor, it’s hard to imagine that an atomic bomb devastated the area. On a visit to the Peace Park, we walk in a pleasant plaza where plaques and statues, donated by nations from around the world, display hopes for peace. A sobering visit to the Atomic Bomb Museum ends when we stand at the detonation point of the bomb.

The Nagasaki lights twinkle as Mariner slips out of the harbor on a late-night sail-away. I’ve been impressed and intrigued by Japan. The time here has left me curious to visit again. But, on this trip, more ports remain to be explored. Next up, a short stop in Korea before visiting the Chinese cities of Dailin, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.

—Donna Hull for LuxuryCruiseBible.com

All photos © Alan Hull and Donna Hull.

Follow Donna on Twitter, visit her blog, and return here next week for the next "Dispatch from Donna" as she travels for 52 days aboard Regent's Seven Seas Mariner from Vancouver to Singapore.