Blossoms, bullet train and beyond: exploring Japan by Land and Sea.

[drron]

Good morning Aomori. It is freezing here today. Off to Hirosaki castle in a bit.
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Hitoshi Castle was my favourite cherry blossom place and we visited late April. I rowed Mrsdrron around the moat. Just beautiful. So enjoy.
PS good curry buns at the bus pick up place.

 

[Pushka]

Did I mention we might see Cherry Blossom today? Oh my. Despite a wet freezing day we walked around for hours. It's the start of Golden Week but the locals stayed home.



On the road up the snow was still evident in the hilly areas but had cleared closer to the castle.

 

[Pushka]

And huge worms.

 

[Pushka]

 

[Pushka]

Next to Hirosaki Castle is Nebuta Village, and the huge floats are in a display every year in August. Quite impressive.







After that we passed through their craftsman area paining tiny spinners. They work so well spinning themselves upside down. So of course the grandkids will get one each. Just $5 each.

 

[RooFlyer]

Did I mention we might see Cherry Blossom today?

I knew you'd do better in the north! That pic of the pink petals on the water's edge is sensational.

 

[Quickstatus]

So of course the grandkids will get one each.

What is the current AQIS attitude toward finished wooden products ?

 

[Pushka]

What is the current AQIS attitude toward finished wooden products ?

If they are manufactured - eg lacquered, then generally ok but need to declare regardless.

 

[Pushka]

The other night we went to the Sushi restaurant onboard as extra charge. It was delicious. I didn't eat sushi but wagyu beef nigiri.


Rainbow sushi for him and dumplings for me. It was good to use chopsticks again.



Tuna and Salmon shashimi for him and an extra dish I can't remember

Wagyu sliders. Gold leaf. Caviar. Delicious but Kobe beef seems just slimy. Don't like the texture. One wagyu and done now.





Loved the sushi rice though.

 

[Hvr]

Those goldfish certainly aren't coy.

 

[Pushka]

This morning is our last port before disembark Friday. Hakodate. No excursion planned but was to be a DIY using ChatGPT for planning.

Around 6.45 we heard an announcement being made but unless the cabin door is open you can't hear non emergency announcements. . Anyways we open the curtains finally and oh joy, look at the view....



A recycling dump. In the close by port we could see another ship had usurped us. Seaborne Quest.
Meant sorting out plans all over again. Our ship is on the left. The cruise terminal is on the right, in the centre of the action.



We learnt they were putting on a shuttle to take us to the cruise port. That's a help. Then just the original short walk to the fish markets, red brick warehouse building, then a walk up the hill to the ropeway.

Interesting fish market full of everything Marine.

 

[Pushka]

Through to the Brick warehouses which were the first in Japan to be renovated. Interesting but also full of tourist stuff we weren't interested in. Except the gorgeous chopsticks shop.



We'd already purchased some in what feels like a lifetime ago in nishiki market in Kyoto.

Our next plan was to get to the Ropeway to get to the view. Long walk uphill. But worth it for the view.

 

[RooFlyer]

Wagyu sliders. Gold leaf. Caviar. Delicious but Kobe beef seems just slimy. Don't like the texture. One wagyu and done now.

That's the wagyu thing in the last pic? Yes, very unappetising-looking. I thought a slider was a small hamburger-thing. or a shot of alcohol. I don't get out much.

Around 6.45 we heard an announcement being made but unless the cabin door is open you can't hear non emergency announcements. .

Same on SilverSea. "Oh, we don't want to disturb guests in their room by making announcements in their room." What? Its a cruise. You are making announcements about the cruise. Disturb me. Alternative (as you know Pushka, and others) is to miss the first 30 secs of the announcement as you realise that something is being said, then make a dash for the door and open it, in whatever you happen to have on at that moment . And see everyone else with their doors open, in whatever they are wearing.

 

[Pushka]

That's the wagyu thing in the last pic? Yes, very unappetising-looking. I thought a slider was a small hamburger-thing. or a shot of alcohol. I don't get out much.



Same on SilverSea. "Oh, we don't want to disturb guests in their room by making announcements in their room." What? Its a cruise. You are making announcements about the cruise. Disturb me. Alternative (as you know Pushka, and others) is to miss the first 30 secs of the announcement as you realise that something is being said, then make a dash for the door and open it, in whatever you happen to have on at that moment . And see everyone else with their doors open, in whatever they are wearing.

Yes, it's actually cooked enough and I don't like seeing blood, but maybe it was a nigiri not a slider?

Yup. I don't get it re the announcements. Having said that, either myself or love_the_life was in the shower when the Captain made an urgent message re China delays that did go through all the cabins and that too is a rather uncomfortable experience. Unless needed they Usually they make announcements at 12 noon. I've only heard three in the last 12 days and not at 12 noon.

 

[love_the_life]

....
Same on SilverSea. "Oh, we don't want to disturb guests in their room by making announcements in their room." What? It's a cruise. You are making announcements about the cruise. Disturb me. Alternative (as you know Pushka, and others) is to miss the first 30 secs of the announcement as you realise that something is being said, then make a dash for the door and open it, in whatever you happen to have on at that moment . And see everyone else with their doors open, in whatever they are wearing.

It is a common practice on all (most) cruise ships not to put announcements through to the staterooms unless it is something truly ruly important.

 

[love_the_life]

Did you see the 'dancing squid' in the fish market Pushka? I couldn't come at eating them.

 

[Pushka]

Did you see the 'dancing squid' in the fish market Pushka? I couldn't come at eating them.

They had a stall for fishing for them as well. We passed! We catch squid frequently at Broughton so it's more fun doing that than catching some poor thing in a water trough.

Did I mention we saw more cherry blossoms? . Not many trees but clearly in peak bloom as the branches were thick with blossom. Just a few. .

Turned out this lovely little blue building was a toilet. MRP dodged the sign. And I just missed the bride.

 

[Pushka]

After the Ropeway climb we set about touring the higher area. There was a lovely Russian Orthodox Church still in use. Had the most beautiful Camellia trees.





The paths around here were quite steep. We saw a rickshaw driver flat out refuse to take a cuddly couple up the slope after a couple of pulling and pushing efforts.





Really liked this bronze statue and so used Google translate to see what it was about. There's not much written in English here.



Pretty much every photo we took up here had that pesky cruise ship in the distance.

 

[Pushka]

We saw the same Rickshaw driver and another couple later on flat ground.

 

[love_the_life]

They had a stall for fishing for them as well. We passed! We catch squid frequently at Broughton so it's more fun doing that than catching some poor thing in a water trough.

In the case of the 'dancing squid' the muscles contract when soy sauce is poured over it so it looks like it is moving even though dead, Caught then cleaned then served with the soy to make it look like is dancing. Quite bizarre.