Japan to Alaska

Lori and I just completed another amazing vacation/adventure. We took a cruise that left from Tokyo and ended in Seward, Alaska. The ship stopped in 3 ports in Japan, 1 in Russia and 4 in Alaska. It was a smaller ship than we are used to, the maximum capacity of passengers on this ship is 382 but we only had 296 on this voyage. Because the ship is smaller, we were able to visit some very interesting ports that larger ships can't. They also offered enrichment lectures given by some very interesting guests. Several lectures on Japan were given by a professor from the University of Pennsylvania, who specializes in Japanology. The best lectures however, were given by a woman named Kathy Sullivan, who is a former astronaut and flew on 3 shuttle missions, and more recently she served as the Undersecretary for NOAA in the U.S. Government. We enjoyed all the lectures immensely.

Here are some pictures of the ports we visited. First up was Aomori. We arrived at the end of the cherry blossom season in Aomori.

We also went to visit a Buddhist temple.

Next up was Hakodate where we went on what was classified as a hike, but was more of a leisurely stroll around a lake. It was still beautiful though.

Our last stop in Japan was in Kushiro. Here we went to an active volcano that was venting steam and gas. It's really quite beautiful once you get over the smell.

The town takes full advantage of the Geo-thermal activity and created places the public can enjoy the natural spas. We stopped at an Onsen to soak our feet.

We ate very well in Japan as well. Lots of sushi, soba noodles and Kobe beef.

Japan is an amazing place with a fascinating culture and history. There is a huge language barrier, but the people are so friendly, and so proud of their country, they want you to feel welcome and enjoy yourself while you're there.


Next up was Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia. Here we went to a kennel for Siberian Huskies. We were desperate for a doggy fix and we found some real cuties.

Petropavlovsk is a very remote city and tourism is very new to them, so there wasn't much else to do in the city, but it is a beautiful area.

Then we sailed the Bering Sea and crossed the international date line. We actually got to live May 12 twice. It was very bizarre. Eventually we made it to Dutch Harbour, Alaska. The main claim to fame for Dutch Harbour is that the television show Deadliest Catch is based here. None of the boats from the show were around, most spend the off-season in Seattle, but their crab pots are waiting for them.

It was another beautiful place as well. Even though we had never been here, it felt very familiar to us.

Next was Kodiak where we went on a wildlife tour of the harbour.

We saw this sea lion jump on this boat looking for a snack.

There were sea otters everywhere in the water, but we managed to spot one out of the water.

Our next stop in Alaska was in Homer and we went on a proper hike. Getting there was a bit of a challenge. We had to transfer to small landing craft so we could be dropped off on the beach.

We saw lots of wildlife. That small black dot is a black bear. Glad we saw one and even happier he was that far away.

 It wouldn't be a trip to Alaska without a moose.

We had lunch next to a glacial lake which was amazing.

Alas, our cruise had to end sometime. Our final stop was in Seward where we boarded a train for a scenic ride to Anchorage to catch our flight to Calgary.

It was an amazing trip and I highly recommend Silverseas Cruises.

db