It's time to get medieval, so I am visiting Kochi Castle. It's one of the few Japanese castles that are "original" - which my guide and surrounding signs reminded me every 10 seconds or so. Historical Japan builds mostly with wood, so things tend to burn down. A lot. Kochi Castle has survived about 300 … Continue reading Kochi

We have a sea day, so I thought I'll give you a snapshot on my life on board the Silver Whisper. Since today is Saint Patrick's day, below is how they decorated the lunch buffet. Remember, we are off the coast of Japan. Sakura Balloons Green Sweets Every evening we received a daily newsletter called … Continue reading Saint Patrick’s Sea Day

Kyushu is the southern-most main island of Japan, and Kagoshima is the southern-most prefecture capital. We had two bumpy days crossing from Shanghai, so I was looking forward to walking on a surface that doesn't move. There are several semi-active volcanoes within view of our dock - our tour guide explained that due to the … Continue reading Kagoshima – Sobering

The Bund in Shanghai was the old foreign settlements and is now the cool banking and shopping area. I decided to not take an organized tour and have a walk around. There is a bull sculpture by the same artist who made the one on NYC Wall Street. Things I can tell you about the … Continue reading Shanghai Bund

The Huangpu River splits Shanghai into east and west, with the west being the old city. Our guide explained how 30 years ago his grandmother's house was bought by the city to build a skyscraper, and she has lots of company. However, when we sailed in it was very foggy. Foggy I left the cargo … Continue reading Shanghai Garden & Museum