Osaka

We pulled up our anchor in the early hours of the morning, and quietly headed into Osaka harbor, so by the time we woke up, we were safely tied up to the pier.

It was laundry time, and I had hoped to get in a load first thing in the morning while everyone was ashore. I placed our laundry into my pop up basket, and humming happily to myself, headed from our aft cabin towards the front of the ship where the launderette is located. The next thing I knew, I was in the Commodore Club. Smiling sheepishly at the waiter, I grabbed my basket, and headed down the 2 flights of stairs to the launderette. I do need to focus more on what my destination should be when I venture out.

We decided to go and see Osaka castle. It is an easy walk to the Osakako subway station from the port, and from there we took the green Chuo line to Tanimachi station. We bought a subway day pass for 800 Yen, and then tried to work out our route. I had an idea of how to get there from reading Ricki’s blog, which was good as the subway map we had was in Japanese. It was pretty, but not easy to decipher. Luckily we met a gentleman from the ship who had a map with English on it. Quick thinking Brian took a photo of it with his phone, and we were now safe to travel the subway without getting lost. We have found the subway systems in Japan to be very user friendly. The stations are numbered, so if you get on at station C11 and plan to get off at station C18, it is easy to plot your progress towards your destination.

When we got off the train at Tanimachi there was a sign with a picture of the castle showing you needed exit 9. All terribly straightforward. As we walked to the castle it began to drizzle, and by the time we got there it was pouring. Our rain making talents are working in full force on this trip. We wandered around the castle in the rain, marveling at the spirit of the Japanese. Just like other castles we have seen, this one kept on being destroyed by a series of unfortunate events, but they just built it again. The cherry trees were trying to blossom, so even in the rain, everything looked wonderful.

Next to the castle is a monument looking very much like Lincoln’s tomb in Springfield, Illinois. On closer inspection it was indeed not Lincoln’s tomb, but a memorial to “The Dead from Disaster”. It memorializes the children and teachers killed in typhoons, earthquakes, and the war. The “memorial serves as a reminder of the importance of everlasting peace and safety” and is managed by the Japan Teachers’ Union. It was very moving.

We headed back to the subway station in search of retail therapy. We were going to Shinsaibashi station on the red Midosuji line, which meant changing trains in Honmachi. We achieved this with no problem, wondering why we have been able to navigate subway systems all over the world, but are still confused by the New York system.

The entrance to the wonderful Daimaru department store is right in the station, so I wasted no time shopping. I had been hoping the find the incredibly delicious Satie chocolates we had bought in the department store on the Ginza in Tokyo. They did not stock them, but we found some great cakes instead. We looked around the food section. It was every bit as amazing as the ones in Tokyo and Kyoto, but the fruit, although very attractive, was very expensive!

Next we checked out the restaurants and Lego display on the 13th floor of the store, and then headed outside and wandered around looking at the stores in the covered arcade next to Daimaru. We returned to Daimaru to stock up on my Veuve Clicquot supply, and took the train back to the port.

Walking from the subway station to the ship we saw several posters and banners of Queen Elizabeth. Obviously our arrival is something special.

We stocked up on our supply of Coca Cola before going back to the ship. There is a convenience store and pharmacy at the port which is very handy.

When we returned to our cabin, there was a bottle of Pol Acker! We were certainly not entitled to one, but Nelson, our cabin steward knew I was upset by having sparkling sake rather than sparkling wine on embarkation, so he had managed to purloin a bottle for me today. Good man. Now I will have to drink it alas.

We went back ashore so we could ride the giant Ferris wheel. There was a 40-minute wait for the ride, but once we got on the Ferris wheel we decided that it was definitely worth it. The ride takes about 25 minutes, and gives you a wonderful view of Osaka and the bay. You also get a great view of our ship from above. The only down side is that they continuously play a happy little song, sort of like on the “It’s a Small World” Disney ride. Once would be fine, but 25 minutes of it, trapped in a glass bubble in the sky might be wearing for some. It was for Brian.

From the Ferris wheel we could see a band getting into formation down on the pier. After we got off the ride I headed back to the pier to listen to them, and Brian went off to photograph nearby cherry trees in blossom.

The band turned out to be a group of school children. They were amazing, and I must confess, better than the award winning bands our children played with at high school. Not only were they really great musicians, the energy they put into their performance was contagious, and we all asked for an encore. Captain Inger was there too, and posed for photos with them. They seemed so happy and proud that she did. It was a wonderful experience. I continue to be so impressed at the effort our hosts have made to entertain us in each port.

Brian had managed to find a QE flyer for my, something to add to my ever increasing pile of memorabilia from this trip. I may even frame it when we get home.

Dinner at Coriander did work out tonight, and it was well worth the wait. The food was delicious, and although I had been unable to get a Strongbow cider in the pub, the wine steward was able to find one for me in the Lido, so I was very happy. Indian food and cider go so well together. From where we were sitting we could see the Ferris wheel, which was now illuminated by a constantly changing light pattern, so all in all it was a very pleasant meal.

However, it did take an extraordinary long time. We arrived at 7:15 and thought we would be able to see the 8:30 drumming show, but it wasn’t until after 9:00 that we were done with our main course. I was sorry to have missed the show, and being able to support the performers who had come on board to entertain us.

The sail away was great. Even thought it was about 11:00 there was quite a crowd of people who had come to see us off, and they were waving colored flashlights. It looked great. Finally, as we left the dock, they played “Time to Say Goodbye”. Although this is my QE2 song, it was lovely to hear it in this setting. Japan has been very good to us; I have loved the enthusiasm at each stop we have made.