Südostasien und Japan mit Kirschblüte

It was a wonderful and educational trip. Japan wasn't nearly as foreign as we had expected. The language barrier is significant, but with Google and the translation tools provided...

The weather forecast was not promising for a view of Mount Fuji. But surprisingly, the view from the balcony upon arrival showed Mount Fuji after all. ... Daily report to follow

The captain's decision to set off yesterday only in the morning, but to travel a bit faster, paid off. The whole journey was quite calm. Upon arrival in the morning, it was still...

Today is our last day at sea. As another low-pressure system moves over Japan, which is expected to bring high waves, the captain has decided to spend the last night in the port...

We are today in Hososhima, the port town of Hyūga. The city of Hyūga has almost 60,000 residents, and Hososhima might have around 1,000. It is a very small town. It only has two...

Today, we were greeted by the Sakurajima volcano in the early morning, emitting smoke once again. The volcano is permanently active and regularly releases steam, and often ash as...

Tram Line No. 3

Today we are again in the port city of Busan in South Korea. This time, we haven't traveled far from the city; instead, we visited a temple and a bamboo forest on the outskirts....

Fukuoka is the sixth largest city in Japan, with about 1.6 million residents. We have beautiful weather, and after yesterday, the city looks much more lovely. Today we have a...

We thought the last time the weather in Hiroshima had been bad. But it was actually even worse. At times, the rainwater flowed like a waterfall over the steps. Surprisingly, there...

Today the sea is completely calm, the sun is shining, and it is warm. We can even eat outside. Unfortunately, heavy rain is forecast for Hiroshima again. However, we will probably...

Today the weather was pleasant again. In the morning it was still a bit cool, but once the sun started shining, it became comfortably warm. After exploring the nearby cities of...

Our second round of Japan began in Kōbe. We had already visited Kōbe before when we went to the ancient capital of Kyōto. Now, despite the rainy weather, we decided to travel to...

Our captain prefers to drive along unpaved backroads instead of the highway. This means it's pretty bumpy and shaky. However, we are doing well for now, but there are noticeably...

Today we are in Yokohama. The weather forecast predicted some rain, but it stayed dry and quite warm. Since I (Tommy) caught a cold, we took it a bit easy. First, we went to a...

Today we are in Shimuzu, with Fuji-City being a neighboring city. From here, one can actually see Mount Fuji almost everywhere. Since it was still a bit hazy in the morning, we...

Finally, a sea day where we had interesting lectures, could prepare for the coming days, and relax. There was also the Galley Market again, but the tuna and the suckling pig were...

Today we are in Hiroshima. The city is known for the first atomic bomb drop on August 6, 1945, at 08:15. Our main goal was, therefore, the Peace Park with the iconic Genbaku Dome...

Today we arrived in Korea in the city of Busan. Busan is a port city with the seventh largest container port in the world. Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, is one-third...

The second atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki at 11:02 on August 9, 1945. It was a plutonium bomb with an explosive power about 50% stronger than that of the uranium bomb dropped...

... work in progress ...

Today we have another sea day, which is quite convenient. At breakfast, we saw a former Seabourn ship named Odyssey. It was sold to a Japanese company and is now called Mitsui...

It's still a bit chilly, but the sea and wind have calmed down. You can even eat outside in sheltered spots. Today is also St. Patrick's Day, and for that, the dessert has been...

Today we arrived at the port of Tokyo (Harumi-Futō). It is overcast, somewhat windy, and about 10°C. Nonetheless, we took the first shuttle bus to the main station (Marunouchi)....

Today is the last day for many of our fellow travelers, as the first part of the overall journey ends tomorrow in Tokyo. This is a bit sad for both them and us. We still have a...