In 1962 as part of our around the world escapade my parents and I spent a blissful 6 weeks in Japan. We had no set itinerary, and just went where the train took us. We spent a week on Lake Biwa, climbed the Japanese Alps, indulged in mixed bathing, and armed with our trusty guide book, “See Japan and Speak Japanese?” managed to find our way back to Yokohama in time to catch the ship that would take us to our next destination.

My parents were free spirits, Brian and I certainly are not. Our trip to Japan is very structured with planned sightseeing scheduled for every day. No chance of just jumping on a train and seeing where it will take us. However, I know we will have a great time.

So the plan is to spend 5 days in Japan on our own, and then catch Queen Elizabeth in Osaka for a leisurely cruise to Cape Town. From Cape Town we will fly to Johannesburg and spend the night with a friend, and then fly home the next day. No chance for a safari this time – Brian has to be back at work the day after we get back!

Here is the Queen Elizabeth itinerary:

Thursday, March 15 Osaka, Japan
Friday, March 16 Kochi, Japan
Saturday, March 17 Hiroshima, Japan
Sunday, March 18 At Sea
Monday, March 19 Kagoshima, Japan
Tuesday, March 20 Busan, South Korea
Wednesday, March 21 At Sea
Thursday, March 22 Osaka, Japan
Friday, March 23 At Sea
Saturday, March 24 Nagasaki, Japan
Sunday, March 25 At Sea
Monday, March 26 Shanghai, China
Tuesday, March 27 At Sea
Wednesday, March 28 Xiamen, China
Thursday, March 29 At Sea
Friday, March 30 Hong Kong
Saturday, March 31 Hong Kong
Sunday, April 1 At Sea
Monday, April 2 At Sea
Tuesday, April 3 At Sea
Wednesday, April 4 Singapore
Thursday, April 5 Malacca, Malaysia
Friday, April 6 Penang, Malaysia
Saturday, April 7 At Sea
Sunday, April 8 At Sea
Monday, April 9 Colombo, Sri Lanka
Tuesday, April 10 At Sea
Wednesday, April 11 At Sea
Thursday, April 12 At Sea
Friday, April 13 Victoria, Seychelles
Saturday, April 14 At Sea
Sunday, April 15 At Sea
Monday, April 16 Mauritius (Port Louis)
Tuesday, April 17 Pointe des Galets, Reunion Island
Wednesday, April 18 At Sea
Thursday, April 19 At Sea
Friday, April 20 At Sea
Saturday, April 21 Port Elizabeth, South Africa
Sunday, April 22 At Sea
Monday, April 23 Cape Town, South Africa

So off we go!