18 March 2018 En route to Kagoshima, Japan. St. Patrick's Day in the US. Happy, Happy Birthday to our son Ben! We love you!

Lest you think that we we returned to Papua New Guinea, where I was a tasty lunch for a small village, I apologize for the length of time between posts. It has been a very active week, with only one sea day in which to compose the blog once we reached Japan.

The sea days pass so quickly, and our routine continues. A Wing and A Prayer—our Trivia team has consistently come in second to one other team. Grrr! Some of the highlights of the sea days have been:

High Profile Speaker, Stephen Cole. He is noted for launching four 24 hour news channels, and he has a history that involves investigating organized crime behind the iron curtain and working for Al Jazeera “Terror TV or the best news channel in the world?” as said by Hilary Clinton. His take away on his talks have been chilling. ISIS is here to stay in this or any number of other forms. If it fails in Syria, other terrorist agencies, including Al Qaeda are waiting in the wings. ISIS has been stockpiling money and agents in a variety of other countries. Follow the money and see who is funding terrorism. We need to be a lot less politically correct and condemn those who practice fundamental Islam as promoting terrorism. I came away feeling hopeless for any hopes of peace and resolution.

The highlight of entertainment on 10 March was the Crew Talent Show. What a gifted group of performers, made all the more meaningful since every number, including a dance number of highly choreographed dance steps with about 20 people, was obviously very well rehearsed. Considering the limited amount of time off, their devotion to their performance was amazing.

Sunday, 11 March was Mothering Sunday in the UK. On Sundays, the Captain conducts a traditional maritime church service. Along with Lin and Bryan, we deserted the table in Britannia tonight for the pop up Italian restaurant, La Piazza. What an unexpected pleasure! First of all, you would never know it was a section of the Lido Buffet. It was closed off from the other tables and had tablecloths and subdued lighting. Both the service and the food was excellent. Everything was presented beautifully and creatively. David, Lin and Bryan had the antipasto starter that was enormous. Since I am not eating red meat, the chef prepared a shrimp and portobello mushroom flatbread for me. I had a tasty shrimp and scallop entree and Lin had a chicken Parmesan that looked great. I can't recall what the men had. Dessert was a selection of tiramisu in a chocolate tulip cup, a small cannoli and gelato rolled in coconut. Delicious!

12 March, brought another concert by the Singers at Sea. Our friend Andy is one of the members and they did “Mama Mia,” “Danny Boy,” as well as a number of other songs.

I LOVE Japan! Every port has had extremely kind and helpful people, and it has been an amazing part of our journey. In case I didn't mention this before, but all the port stops in Japan were the reason we chose the Queen Elizabeth and this itinerary. We had been in Japan before, during the Crystal 2016 World Cruise—but amazingly--these are all new ports.

13 March, Okinawa, Japan.

The US presence is heavily felt on this island. As we walked, we saw shop after shop selling Hawaiian shirts, cowboy hats and other US type goods. The Battle of Okinawa in 1945 was the last pitched battle of WWII. Okinawa is an island, and as the crow flies is approximately 965 miles for Tokyo, but only 510 miles from Shanghai, China and 395 miles from Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. It is on the same latitude as Ft Lauderdale. We had a face to face with Japanese Immigration that took a while. We are required to carry our passports while in Japan.

We docked about 20 minutes from the center of the city, but Cunard provided complimentary shuttle buses into the city, known as Naha. Interestingly, the bus driver wore white gloves, and the buses had lace curtains. Our drop off point was in front of the Okinawa Prefectural Government Office. Japan is divided into prefects, similar to states or counties. Highly touted by the port presenter on board, was Kokusai-dori Street—the longest shopping street in Okinawa. Give it a miss on your visit. We walked from the head of the street until it ended at the mono-rail. It was shop after shop selling the same touristy things, interspersed with the US themed goods I mentioned before. The only thing interesting was the Makishi Public Market. This is where the locals come for produce. We saw lots of vegetables that were unfamiliar to us, and some fish. There were many stalls selling bitter melon in various forms: bottled juice, sliced, preserved. Bitter melon is thought to cure many ills and help prevent cancer. I did manage to get the ear piece of my sunglasses repaired in an optical shop. Perhaps they are on to something, the Okinawans are among the longist-lived people in the world. One section was devoted to clothing, another had small food stands for lunch or a snack. One of the most adorable things we saw was a yellow cart with six babies about one year old in it. The nursemaid/nanny was happy for me to take a photo. All told, we walked almost 12,000 steps. Okinawa, as every other port we will dock at has a castle, but we thought we would wait for Osaka to see our first castle.

14 March, another sea day. Stephen Cole spoke again, with shuddering results. We changed up our routine a bit and had drinks with Randell and Bobby in their cabin. Lots of fun!

In anticipation of the boarding of almost 900 Japanese guests in Osaka, Cunard has created their first ever Washoku experience. Two famous Japanese chefs will board in Osaka and create an amazing number of dining experiences, from sushi and sashimi lunches and dinners to Japanese tea and Namagashi Demonstrations. The dinners are $125.00 per person, and the tea is $49.00.

15 March, Osaka. We awoke to a cool, but sunny day. As I opened our curtains, I was startled by the sight of a giant ferris wheel right outside of our balcony! It seems like the idea of a giant ferris wheel has caught on big time in Japan, as every city has had one. This city of 19 million is the third largest in Japan. Today was David's choice for activities, because we return to Osaka in a week's time. He selected Osaka Castle. We navigated the the subway (a station is within walking distance of the ship's berth at Tempozan Wharf. We rode for about 40 minutes on the Chuo Line to the castle, part of which was underground and part elevated. The subways system is really easy to navigate as the lines are all color coded. For example, the Chou Line was dark green, and we transferred at one point later in the day to the Midosuji Line which is red. We had purchased a day pass for the subway for about $5.00 US. We arrived at our designated port, and had about 120 steps to get to the street level. These people must be very fit! I've climbed more steps in Japan than anywhere else! The Castle was built in 1583, but rebuilt in 1931 and is a commanding presence rising 50 meters above the ground, surrounded by both wet and dry moats and with walls built of giant pieces of rock, measuring about 12 feet by 14 feet in places. How did they do this in 1583? Possibly much the same way the rocks were moved in Stonehenge, rolled on tree trunks and pulleys and levers used to put them in place. The grounds measure in acres and is popular for jogging and dog walking. We did see a few plum trees in bloom, and one cherry blossom in bloom, far earlier than the others. After our visit to the Castle, we took the subway again (down those 120 steps) to the Shinsaibashi Station in the prime shopping area. Connecting to the subway was an entrance to the Daimaru Department Store, and that was our destination. This department store puts Harrods to shame. What an amazing array of very expensive goods: every designer label you can imagine, an entire floor devoted to high end watches, half a floor devoted to men's hats, elegantly dressed elevator operators with a “starter” in every car who calls out the floors and bows to the shoppers upon entering and exiting the car. We knew we wanted to see the food section in the basement, but by this time, we were hungry and headed to the 13^th floor (no superstitions here re: the number 13) a floor devoted to a cooking school and an assortment of lovely restaurants. We opted for a tempura restaurant and were seated at a table overlooking the city of Osaka. It was like being on top of the world! (I tried not to think about earthquakes.) Our lunch was beautifully presented and we each had a glass of Asahi Beer to go with it. Service was perfection! After lunch, we headed down to the food floor. The produce was gorgeous and perfect, as were the prices! The equivalent in US dollars of $16 for a tiny pineapple, $14 for a perfect orange, $26 for a beautiful mango, all nestled in little beds of woven plastic. The take out section of food was amazing, with everything available and everything looking appealing. The Paul Bocuse bakery selection were so much better than anything I have see in the US. But the chocolate, fancy bakery and cookie section was out of sight! It took up about one third of the floor and each piece was a work of art. Boxes of cookies are popular Japanese gifts when visiting someone. They started at $56 a box for lovely, but tiny cookies, perhaps half a pound. Exhausted both sensorily and physically, we headed back to the ship. Again we topped 12,000 steps. The sail away was very special, with people on shore and on the balconies of the shopping center at the port waving colored lights until the ship entirely left the berth. Music was playing and it was a super send off!

We left Osaka at almost midnight and arrived in our next port, Kochi on Friday 16 March at about 9 am. It took until almost 11 am until we were cleared and could leave the ship, but it was just as well since it was bucketing rain. Finally, at 11 am, we bundled into rain jackets and boarded the shuttle bus with Randell and Bobby as planned. Our goal was to walk through the shopping arcade and head to the castle. Luckily, the sheltered arcade had lots to occupy us, as the rain did not stop until about 12:30. We were on a mission to find tonic water, but only found tiny bottles for more than the ship charges. We did find a surprise outside of Kochi's Daimaru Department Store. A group of ladies, similar to the UK's Women's Institute volunteer group, some dressed in kimonos, were offering a lovely tea service to Queen Elizabeth guests. The machi (not in spell check!) was served in delicate bowls on lacquered trays and accompanied by a tasty tea cake. The tea was a bit bitter, but we were encouraged to eat the sweet first and then drink the tea. It was a lovely, unexpected experience and the ladies spoke to us in a mixture of Japanese and English. Somehow, we understood one another. My Japanese vocabulary has increased a bit. We then walked further and found a 100 Yen store, similar to our Dollar Stores in the US, these are so much better! I found lots of little gifts. Hunger called and we wanted ramen on this cold and rainy day. We asked one of the many English speaking volunteers, mostly high school students who were identified by signs they were wearing, and he directed us to a traditional ramen restaurant. We knew we were in the right area, but it was on a side street and we couldn't find it. We approached a woman seated in a park having her lunch, and showed her the photo of the restaurant, and she left her lunch and directed us down the side street. We were bewildered by the choice of not one but two ramen restaurants, and as we stood there, she came running down the steps to us and took us to the right one. She spoke no English and we thanked her in Japanese with bowing and arrigato's. This kind of help is typical in Japan, every where we have gone, people went out of there way to help us. On the way back, we passed a used kimono store, and I spent 500 yen (less than $5.00) on one that fit my decidedly un-Japanese body. I had 3 lovely ladies helping me and we were laughing and gesturing to communicate. I purchased the one, which they wrapped beautifully and also gave me a gift of a mug, daintily wrapped. Incredible!! We headed back to the ship, because the wind came up and it was quite cold. Our entertainment that night was Ms Lorraine Brown, who sang a selection of great songs. Although we haven't enjoyed a lot of the entertainment, she was excellent.

17 March, Hiroshima. We had studied the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki that finally ended the war with Japan, but I was not prepared for the upheaval of feelings seeing this huge lively city as it is now compared with photos of the city of Hiroshima after the bomb was dropped on August 6, 1945. We elected to go to the Peace Park today, to visit the Atomic Dome (all that remained of a building after the bomb dropped) which symbolizes the pledge to convey the horror of the atomic bombing and the call for the abolition of nuclear weapons and eternal world peace. In 1996, it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and to visit the shrines to those who perished. We wanted to have time to visit the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum without rushing. We took a tram (really an elevated subway car or cars) from our shuttle drop off place to the Peace Park. The first thing that strikes you is that the park, in a country where urban space is tight, is huge—and quiet. There is obvious respect for the solemnity of the location. There were many monuments to those who perished, the Children's Peace Movement covered with thousands of paper cranes to inspire peace, the monument to City Workers who died, the monument to students who died, etc. The Atomic Dome is the first thing you see, and then you walk past many of the monuments and a special fountain, across the bridge to the other side of the park. Playing on the side of the river was a sextet playing classical music. The monuments continued, and then we entered the museum. We first saw photos of Hiroshima as it was before the bomb dropped and then the devastation after. There was a virtual reality display of the city, with people walking, working, going to school, etc. and then the bomb and the fireball and the destruction. We listened to the stories of those who miraculously survived the bombing and radiation exposure. We saw photos of those human beings burned and scarred, the melting of solid stone and glass, the deaths of 90-150,000 people by the bomb blast, burns or radiation poisoning. The far reaching effect of radiation killed many more with cancers, especially leukemia and thyroid, years later. Those who survived, struggled with ill health their entire lives. I wept as we looked at the photos and heard the stories. I understand the thinking of the allied forces that the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were meant to end the war and save lives, but I can't believe that this was the only way. I know the US threatened the Japanese by releasing photos and films of the testing of atomic weapons, and the government supposedly hoped that threat would be enough to cause them to surrender. Trump, Kim Jung-un and Putin should be forced to visit the Peace Park and see what the destruction looks like. The challenging behavior of “my button is bigger than yours” is not an idle threat, they need to see what devastation looks like on a human level. We are doomed to repeat our tragic mistakes, not mistakes encouraged by the average person, but decisions made by politicians. I read a book called “The Flowers of Hiroshima,” in college, and that book has stayed with me for over 50 years. I encourage you to find it and read it.

I close on this somber note—we must find a way to make peace not war, not terrorism.