A Visit to Japan

 We have arraigned a longer visit to Japan.  Last year, we were here for a few days, but this visit will be 25 days; first a stay in Tokyo and then a circumnavigating cruise.  Arrival went well.  The immigration-customs- baggage lines at Narita were much shorter this time.  A free upgrade to business class made our flight enjoyable.  Finding a limousine bus to our hotel was easier than anticipated.

Moat, bridge, and Imperial palace in the background.  This is all in the center of Tokyo, yet it is very private due to forest, fortress walls, and hills.

Hibiya Park was close to our hotel.  It was wonderful that we had green walking space while being close to major attractions.

Our stay at Dai-ichi Hotel Tokyo was very comfortable.  I looked forward to their buffet breakfast to try an extensive variety of Japanese dishes.  We were swept away by the crowds at the Shimbashi train station when we went there (at rush hour!) to buy tickets.  Fortunately, our hotel was close to the Ginza shopping district and a short walk to Hibiya Park and the Gardens and Imperial Palace beyond it.  We detected no smog and enjoyed our walks.

This is the night-time view from our hotel room.  Multiple train tracks in the foreground.  Ginza district off to the right.  Shimbashi rail station just outside the picture to the lower right.

Where the park land ends downtown Tokyo immediately starts.

As an added bonus, Belgian Beer Weekend was taking place, and we enjoyed two outdoor dinners of beer and bratwurst.  Ginza was impressive: very high-end stores featuring the best of world products.  We just observed but noted that some serious shoppers had hired a Japanese guide to lead them to the finest stores.

Belgian Beer Weekend in Tokyo!  How lucky was that!  You would purchase a stack of 'chips' and then use them at the booths to pay for food and beer.

We took a ‘hop on, hop off’ bus tour of a section of Tokyo; not really impressive.  But when you consider that it was totally destroyed in WWII and is the second largest metropolitan area on earth, the fact that is functions so well is impressive in itself.

On the day we boarded our cruise ship, there was a large, and busy, shopping mall nearby.  We could hear a loud drumming noise coming from the adjacent park, which attracted us.  The route to the mall/park was circuitous, but we were looking for an exercise walk, and this was worthwhile.  

We are currently very busy, but I will be publishing more entries from our recent trip in the near future.

List of Entries, February 2026

 Entry titles are listed in order from oldest to newest (top to bottom) in this index; however, the actual blog entries are posted from oldest to newest (back to front).  Thus, the 2005 entry will be at the back end of this blog.  Find a topic in the left-hand column, then click on the corresponding archive year in the right-hand column to get close on a time scale to the desired entry before scrolling up or down for the specific entry.

 December 2005-   Building my first boat, Leaving home and Nebraska (my bio) 

February 2016-     Travel Blog, Croatia preview

March 2016-         Iceland, Copenhagen, Zagreb, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Ireland

July 2016-             Scandinavia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Berlin

September 2016-   Colorado

November 2016-   California coast

December 2016-   Washington DC, Island of Maui

March 2017-        Argentina:  Buenos Aires, San Carlos de Bariloche, Mendoza

May 2017-           Northern Italy preview

July 2017-            Alaskan cruise

September 2017- Venice, Lake Garda, Lake Como, Lake Maggiore, Genoa, Nice, French hill villages,                                        Portugal & Algarve 

October 2017-      Lisbon & Sintra, Washington DC

December 2017-   Eastern Caribbean cruise:  St. Kitts-Nevis, Martinique, Antigua, Barbados, Grenada,                                Puerto Rico

February 2018-     South Pacific preview

March 2018-         Tahiti & Tuamotu cruise, New Zealand

April 2018-           New Zealand South Island, Australia

September 2018-   Road trip to Colorado. Idaho, Wyoming

September 2018-   Galapagos Islands, 2015

September 2018-   Panama 2014 trip

September 2018-   San Blas islands cruise 1981

October 2018-       Krakow, Poland

November 2018-   Zakopane, Danube, Budapest, Azores

January 2019-        European trip preview

May 2019-              northern France, cruise to Med, Mallorca, Rome, Copenhagen

July 2019-              Azores, Maine, Cape Cod preview

August 2019-         Omaha visit

September 2019-   A Voyage to Remember, Florida to Panama, 1980

October 2019-        Azores, Maine, Cape Cod

December 2019-    Puerto Vallarta

February 2020-      Madeira Island, Azores

April 2020-            The Lost Vacation (due to Covid), Switzerland, (now rescheduled)

August 2020-         Road trip to Montana

October 2020-        Road trip to Arkansas

April 2021-             Living in Panama, 1979-1982

July 2021-               Brazil preview (canceled and rescheduled April-June 2022)

August 2021-        Raising Children in the Military

September 2021-    Switzerland:  Lausanne, Interlaken, Lucerne, Zurich

April 2022-             Road Trip to Omaha, Washington DC, and Florida 

May 2022-              Roatan snorkeling, Our 1972 Road Trip

August 2022-            A Lifetime Travel Partner

June 2022-              Bocas del Toro snorkeling, Panama               

October 2022-         France:  Strasbourg, Colmar, & Mulhouse

                                Switzerland:  Basel, St. Gallen

April 2023-             Spain, Canary Islands, France, England, and DC

September 2023-    Scotland, Sardinia

November 2023-    Travel Planning Details

December 2023-    DC, Dubai, Mahe Island (Seychelles)

January 2024-        more Seychelles Islands, Maldives Islands, Sri Lanka

February 2024-      South Africa, a brief stop in Brazil

March 2024-          Snorkeling Sri Lanka & Maldives

April 2024-            Military Travel

September 2024-   Revisiting the Past, Germany

October 2024-      Garmisch, Germany to Hall, Austria

                              Salzburg, Munich, and Onward

                              Istanbul, first encounter

                              Cappadocia, the Balloon Capital

                            

November 2024-    Back to Istanbul and a Cruise

                               Tuscany, Italy

                                Living in the Sweet Spot

January 2025-           New Destinations 

February 2025-         A Time for Reflection

March 2025-             Puerto Rico, instead of a Cruise

May 2025-                 Japan

                                   Taipei, Taiwan

                                    Manila, P.I.

                                    East Malaysia, Brunei

                                    Semarang + Surabaya, Indonesia (Java)

                                    Celukan Bawang, Bali

                                    Benoa (Bali) plus Sumba, Komodo 

                                    Cruising

                                    Perth, Adelaide, Tasmania

                                    Maui

August 2025-            Careers and a Hobby, New Travels

September 2025-        Rewards Beyond Money

                                    Dentistry is about people

October 2025-            England

                                    Colmar, Alsace, and the Vosages Mts.

                                    Arrival at Basel

                                    Montagny les Buxy, and Burgundy

                                    Annecy & Cruseilles

                                    Yvoire & Evian, France, and Geneva, Switzerland

December 2025-        Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn, Argentina

                                    Falkland Islands to Ushuaia

                                    Punta Arenas to Santiago, Chile 

February 2026-            Island of Hawai'i

Hawai’i, One More Time?

Classic sunset over the ocean

I first visited Hawaii in December 1966.  At that time, Don Ho was singing the song “Tiny Bubbles at a club on Waikiki Beach, and the XO on our ship also sang that same song when on duty on the bridge deck of our ship, USS Askari, which was in port at Pearl Harbor.  Our specially modified ship was on its way to Vietnam to be the mother ship for a Riverine flotilla in the Mekong Delta.  Off duty, I would walk down the gangplank with a paper bag holding my civilian clothes.  Arriving at Waikiki Beach, I would switch into my ‘civies’ at a public bathroom, then stash the bag (with my uniform) in nearby thick bushes.  Then, I was free from the Navy for the day!

Almost sixty years later, and after many more visits, we are back in the Hawaiian Islands for perhaps the last time.

Hawaiian scenery: sand, surf, blue seas, and black volcanic rock.

Spotted eagle ray in shallow water

Six months ago, I booked a short trip to the island of Hawai’i to serve as a relief to winter’s cold in Colorado.  Hilton was offering us a discounted condominium at Waikoloa Beach if we would listen to their time share presentation.  We really enjoyed the beautiful resort, but the share presentation left us unconvinced for our preferences. We had been to this resort once before, about 25 years ago and really enjoyed it then.  In fact, we never left the resort grounds on that visit.  This time, we had a rental car allowing us to explore further.

Does anyone remember the Western TV series 'Gunsmoke'?  This catamaran was previously owned by James Arness, the star of that show; thus, the name, "Seasmoke".

With a rental car, we have been able to explore more widely.  Driving to Hilo, we stopped at Rainbow Falls.  We paid about $22 for parking and admission then later realized that if we had parked only a half block away, this visit would have been free!  A nice stop but not amazing.  Later, we came across a botanical garden: $35 per person admission, more than we have ever paid.

Place of Refuge,  during conflicts if you were able to get here, you were safe.

Rainbow Falls, near Hilo

Waipio Valley

On another day, we drove to Waipio Valley Lookout.  The scene is a deep, narrow valley on the island’s north shore.  In 1946 this valley was struck by a tsunami with disastrous results so that now few people live there, although crops are still tended there today.  Hilo has also been affected by tsunamis.

View from our Marriott hotel room.

After five days at Waikoloa we shifted to the Marriott in Kailua-Kona, a different experience.  Instead of an all-encompassing resort atmosphere, we were located on the city harbor surrounded by stores, restaurants, and competing accommodation choices.  Unfortunately, the weather also changed.  Our sunny Hawaiian weather was replaced by clouds and intermittent rain.

Directly adjacent to the Marriott were grounds of a previous Hawaiian king and also a theater where Luaus were held.

Many stalls, and stores, for the tourists at Kailua-Kona

To escape the clouds, we drove to Volcanos National Park on the east side of the island.  Along the way we stopped at an unimpressive “Black Sand Beach”. When the coarse volcanic sand doesn’t extend to the water’s edge, is that still a "sand beach"?  At the volcano, the clouds returned.  Looking out across the broad caldera (2 by 3 miles across) the steaming fissures were obscured by clouds and fog with a sprinkle of rain, worthwhile to observe but difficult to capture in a meaningful photograph.  Continuing our trip, a drive around the entire island would take about five hours without stops.

Terrible weather for our visit to the volcanos.  At times a cloud would drift past and completely obscure our view.

This volcano is still actively erupting (about every two weeks); at such times it can spew red hot lava a thousand feet in the air, attracting a large crowd of spectators with resulting heavy traffic.

Our most satisfying site was Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Park, also called the "Place of Refuge".  Due to predicted heavy surf accompanying the rainy, windy weather, all the State beaches were closed, but this federal park was kept open, resulting in a crowd at this beach area.  But the park has other attractions: ponds, palm trees, a theater, a coastal walking trail, and ruins of early dwellings.  (The heavy surf never occurred).

An Indian mongoose.  Originally imported to help control rats.  Unfortunately, the mongoose is a daytime hunter, and the rat is a night-time nuisance.  The mongoose preys more on native birds and their eggs.

A green sea turtle. They are highly protected, but this one does not look healthy.

Early Hawaiian structures.  The path you see follows the coast for many miles connecting small native gatherings.

Relaxing in shade on a sunny day at Waikoloa.

Overall, we were left unimpressed by this visit to Hawaii.  In the past, we always said that Hawaii was a guaranteed great destination to visit.  Now, not so much; crowded, expensive and highly commercialized.

Chile, Punta Arenas to Santiago

 We left Ushuaia and cruised into Chilean waters.  We were also leaving the protection of the Straits of Magellan and heading into more open waters.  Islands were still present, but, as we headed north, significant Pacific Ocean swells constantly rocked the ship port to starboard.  The Humboldt Current, flowing north from Antarctica, creates a cool wet climate similar to the coast of British Columbia.  

Stopping at Punta Arenas (almost 2,000 miles from the capital of Santiago), we participated in an excursion to a sheep and cattle ranch south from the city.  The ranchers are switching from sheep to cattle because meat from beef is more profitable than wool from sheep.  Also, sheep suffer greater losses from pumas (South American mountain lions).  The area is sparsely populated, and each ranch covers many thousands of acres.

We were able to watch a sheep shearing demonstration.  During the actual shearing of a flock, large outside crews are brought in to trim the hundreds of sheep involved.

We had two days at sea between Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt during which we were to experience scenic fjords and glaciers.  However, during those two days we experienced cold, light rain, fog, with associated cloudy skies.  Yes, I saw some glaciers, but it wasn't really good photographic material.  Dawn and I both experienced minor illnesses, mainly fatigue and chills, during this period so we were not out on deck as much as we could have been.

Our next destination was Puerto Montt and nearby Puerto Varas.  This area is experiencing rapid population growth from two main sources.  First, farming of salmon using submerged pens in the nearby fjords has proved very profitable.  Second, tourism is growing in this scenic area.  Many activities are being developed: boating, kayaking, ziplining, mountain climbing, horse riding, etc.  Housing is in short supply.  More stores are becoming focused on the tourist trade.

Our first activity was to be a hike on the nearby volcanic peak, Volcan Osorno.  However, it snowed the night before and a cloud bank cloaked the peak.  We were brought to about the 6,000-foot level and released from our bus to explore some crude foot paths in the near freezing weather.

The fun in that hike quickly dissipated, and we retreated to a lower elevation.  In this view, our volcano is hidden in stratus clouds.

Next stop was a rushing river with scenic waterfalls.  A wooden walkway had been constructed to get to this location for viewing.

Later in the day the clouds lifted, and we were able to enjoy the scenery.  This large lake is called Llanquihue.

Puerto Montt is at the same latitude as San Carlos de Bariloche on the Argentine side of the border.  In fact, there is a very minor border crossing between the two: a gravel road on the Chilean side leading to a ferry boat landing on Lago Nahuel Huapi in Argentina.  We encountered that crossing in 2017 on an all-day ferry boat ride.

A view of Valparaiso harbor.  Locals call it "the San Francisco of South America" but all we saw was a crowded city of hills.  I haven't been to San Francisco for a while, so maybe it is accurate.  We attempted to take a walk from our harbor pier location, but local residents twice warned us that the area was not safe for tourists such as us, so we turned back.

Not sure why, but vehicle transfers from Valparaiso to Santiago seem quite expensive to me.  I previously searched online and found a reserved private transfer, but at $249 it was hardly a bargain.

We really enjoyed our one-day stay in Santiago, Chile.  Our hotel, Solace Hotel Santiago, is in an excellent neighborhood, convenient to parks, restaurants, and the Teleferico. a cable car system to the top of San Cristobal Hill.  This cable car was chosen by TripAdvisor as the #1 city attraction.  In this photo, you are looking across the city to the snowcapped Andes Mountains.

View in another direction showing the wide expanse of the city.  This part of Chile has a climate similar to California.  Population is 7-8 million.  On our ride into the city, we encountered heavy traffic congestion.

This building, Costanera Center, at 300 meters, is the tallest building in Latin America.

The view from our hotel room window.  We were able to take long walks from our hotel.  We stopped at a nearby German-themed restaurant for a very tasty lunch.  Dinner was at our top-floor outdoor hotel restaurant.   Does this remind you of Hollywood hills, California?  

Our trip did not end here.  We probably would have spent more time in Chile except that we were due in Washington, DC, for Christmas.  From Santiago, we flew to Orlando, Florida, (via Panama) to visit friends and family.  Then we flew from Tampa to Dulles airport in DC to spend Christmas with our son, wife, and grandkids before finally flying home to Colorado.

I was extremely impressed with our service from COPA airlines.  When booking our travel back to the States, they offered the quickest and least expensive 1st class service of any airline.  That included a 40-minute stopover in Panama City to change flights.  As our flight from Chile landed, our next flight was starting to board.  Dawn and I hustled through the Panama airport (new and large) to get to that next flight.  Fortunately, our seats were in row 1.  Not only did we make it onboard, but our checked luggage made it as well!

Our grandkids were fun to be with, ages 6 and 8.  They are old enough that we can discuss almost anything with them on a somewhat equal basis.  By the next time we see them, they will probably be teaching us how to do things, especially with technology.

Falkland Islands and Ushuaia, Argentina

Next stop on our cruise was Port Stanley, Falkland Islands a British territory.  Alternately named "Las Malvinas" to Argentines.  Dawn and I had first considered visiting Argentina back in 1982 when we were living in Panama, but war over the Falkland Islands broke out between Argentina and England, and we were advised not to go there.

Total population of the Falklands is about 3,600.  Much of what we experienced there was a low, windy, treeless, somewhat barren landscape.  We did see some nice beaches and a colony of penguins.  The weather was quite variable, alternating between clouds, rain, and blue skies overhead.  The weather was favorable for our ship, which anchored in the bay and tendered us to a pier. When my sister & husband previously took a similar cruise route, they were unable to make this stop due to adverse weather.  

No pictures of Port Stanley because there wasn't anything I considered picture worthy.  Unadorned houses and other buildings, no landscaping, and faceless streets.

This is what much of the terrain looked like in our visit to the Falkland Islands.

The bay shown is absolutely beautiful.  If it weren't for the weather, you might think you are on a tropical island.

 

Pretty beach, pretty flowers, but rain clouds moving closer in the distant background.  Those rain clouds caught up with us on this hike.  Fortunately, we had an umbrella.  The wind-driven rain only made our legs wet.  Do you see the group of penguins in the middle of the beach?

With a zoom camera, now you can see the penguins clearly.

One penguin entering the water and another waddling a few feet behind.

There are low mountains, a few thousand feet tall, on these islands; this is only a rocky outcropping, but one of many.

Cruising a passage through the Tierra Del Fuego area.  Dramatic views in every direction including cloud formations.

 

Sealions and sea birds living on a rocky outcropping, safe from land predators, surrounded by the sea.

A few of the many fog-shrouded peaks which marked our route toward Ushuaia, the southern-most city on earth.

Ushuaia city center, called "Fin Del Mundo", that is, the end of the earth.

Ushuaia is the southernmost city on earth and, as such serves as the gateway to Antarctica. Many cruise ships stop here coming and going from that white continent. The scenery is spectacular, snowy mountain peaks in every direction.  The city is currently experiencing rapid growth.  This despite the cool, windy, changeable weather.  Our young female guide told us that she had moved there from Buenos Aires to get away from the congestion of that metropolis.

A snowclad, cloud-wrapped peak directly behind Ushuaia.  In each photograph I took, the cloud formations and lighting highlights were different.

Off to one side at Ushuaia was a bay with many colorful fishing boats.

A few of the excursion/expedition ships in the foreground and beautiful mountain peaks behind.  This area is the gateway to Antarctica.

A collection of larger cruise ships rounding the tip of South America.  Our ship is on the left.

We went on a long excursion (boat, train, & bus) to see more of Tierra Del Fuego which extended into Chilean territory.  Dramatic scenery everywhere.

How is that for a rugged mountain peak?  Do you see the blue and white Chilean flag in the foreground?

On our excursion into the Patagonian countryside, we first took a boat ride, then a train ride, and finally a bus back to Ushuaia.  The refurbished train was originally used to take mine workers to their work site.  What scenic surroundings!

The horses here have no owners; herds run wild in this remote area.

It looks like a lush paradise.  Remember that this is late Spring.  I wonder what it looks like in winter.    

The weather was very pleasant when we started this cruise.  Here we are starting to experience substantial Pacific swells coming from the west and colder water of the north-flowing Humboldt current from Antarctica.  From now on, we will be experiencing Chile.