By now you should be familiar with our typical sea day: breakfast, cards, casino, dinner (Marlene was initially disgusted by the look of the fish dish served at dinner, but decided, after tasting it, that it was quite good) and show. We did all of that (won $45 at the casino, down $170) but also saw two comedians in the afternoon (mediocre) and played a round of mini golf (I had 4 holes-in-one in 10 holes). The show was a female vocalist, Jenisa Baclayon. Also mediocre.

Another quiet day at sea. Breakfast, some cards, enough time in the casino to lose $40 (down $215 now), some blogging, dinner and a show – a musical revue by the Luminosa singers. This is a very talented group. We then danced to the Luminosa Rockband. Also a very talented group.

Our third port, Aamori, lies less than 80 miles due south of Hakodate. The ship could probably make the trip in less than 5 hours. But why arrive before midnight when you can go out beyond the 12-mile limit and let passengers lose money all night? So that’s what we did, arriving around 7am.

Aamori is our first port on the mainland of Japan. It is about the same size as Hakodate but feels larger, perhaps because it is less geographically constrained and so sprawls more. We again opted to walk the city, skipping the excursions. We first walked to the tourism office which is housed in a dramatic triangular building. The tourism office was a bust, adding little to what we already knew (thanks to my research). But it did have some interesting shops. Marlene found a very nice kimono and a few gift trinkets.

Next we walked to the Nebuta Museum. This is a small (and inexpensive – tickets are under $5) museum that features floats from the Nebuta Matsuri Festival which is held August 2-7 each year. It is basically a harvest festival but the floats are spectacular. We loved them. We also had a turn at the Taiko drums.

Marlene got some instruction from the museum staff on how to tie the sash on her kimono. Then we had lunch in the museum restaurant. I had a full sushi lunch while Marlene had a large ramen bowl. Both were very good. The price was a pleasant surprise – about $15 total. And no tipping in Japan.

We both found the restroom facilities to be interesting. Very clean, of course, but with fixtures unfamiliar to us.

After the museum we wandered through central Aamori for a while before visiting the Utou jinja Shrine. This is a small Shinto shrine in central Aamori. We didn’t go in as a family was worshipping. But we enjoyed the grounds. It had some lovely buildings and a koi pond with some huge fish.

After dinner we were entertained by two very funny comedians: Jim Brick and Michael Isaac. Then, against my better judgement, I went to the casino. But this time the slots relented and I won $35. Down $175 for the cruise.

Our second port in Japan was Hakodate. This city, like Otaru, is on the island of Hokkaido. It is also like Otaru in that it is a port of call that was added after our planned stops in Alaska were canceled. It is about twice as large as Otaru and was, overall, more interesting. We walked to two points of interest in the city: the “morning market” and the Red Brick Warehouse shopping area. Rain arrived – contrary to forecasts – while we were walking in the morning market but stopped by noon. Marlene left the ship a few minutes before I did and texted a request – or possibly just a suggestion – to bring our rain covers. I didn’t (because I trusted the forecast of 0% chance of rain) and regretted it. She won’t let me forget that mistake.

The morning market is primarily a seafood market but also offers some produce. All kinds of fish can be found there – fresh, smoked and dried. King crab is everywhere and they are HUGE. But fresh squid is also everywhere. Marlene and I sampled both fresh, raw, shredded squid and some dried squid.

The Red Brick Warehouse section reminded me a bit of Quincy Market in Boston – old warehouse buildings renovated into shopping space. Marlene found the shops interesting but shopping bores me to tears. We found some nice gifts for friends and family, though, so it was productive boredom.

We learned, after we returned to the ship, that Hakodate has a cable car – the Mount Hakodate Ropeway – which we could have taken to the top of the mountain overlooking the city. Those who took this cable car to the top returned with some spectacular photos. Lesson: do more research on what is available in a port city.

After our return to the ship we got together with Dottie and Maureen for cards. We played Oh Shit again but also did one game of Oh Hell (do you see a theme here?).

After dinner we danced a bit then saw Jonathan Timpanelli’s variety show in the theater. We also saw him on the TC2. He is very good.

On Day 11 we set foot on land for the first time since we left Seattle. The port was Otaru. We got off the ship, after a lengthy process of officially entering Japan (including fingerprinting). We then walked into what I believed was the center of the city. Only it was more of a main drag than a city center. Not very interesting. We did go into a 7-Eleven (there are many here) and a couple of video arcades, both of which were interesting. In Japan you can buy hard liquor (mostly Japanese whiskey) in a 7-Eleven. The arcades were huge and had slot-type machines unlike any I have ever seen before – some that looked like combinations of video and pinball games and others had traditional reels but with a button for each reel to let the player stop each reel independently.

We found a large shopping center and spent a couple of hours browsing but bought very little. I did figure out the exchange rate – about 145 yen per dollar. Having a bunch of crisp 1000-yen bills in my wallet made me feel rich, but the 10 notes had a combined value of about $70.

The Japanese are very big on self-service, including a wide variety of vending machines which are everywhere.

Otaru was not picturesque or very interesting. It does have a music box museum which some of the passengers visited and enjoyed.

After dinner we sat for a show by Azar, a magician and mentalist who performed some baffling feats. He correctly guessed the name of the first love and the name of the pet tortoise of two different passengers. But the most baffling was the trick he performed with our friend Shelly. She had a dollar which she folded and initialed. He never touched the dollar. She took it with her onto the stage. He then randomly picked two passengers (by tossing a beach ball in the audience) and each gave him a 4-digit number. He then had Shelly randomly produce a 6-digit number on his phone’s calculator. When all were added together they produced a number which he had already written on a sheet of paper. But the number also matched the serial number on the dollar that Shelly was holding. I have no idea how it was done. Baffling.

Then we danced. The ship’s 9-piece band is terrific. The lead singers are from Brazil and the Philippines and they both have wonderful voices and a wide-ranging repertoire. Really talented.

Yes, after 9 days at sea – most of them cloudy and cool and two of them very unpleasant – we finally had a beautiful day in calm seas. And we sighted land! We sailed through the Tsugaro Strait (and passed close to Fukashima, site of the 2011 nuclear plant disaster).

The casino was unkind. I lost more than I should have. Down $200 for the trip. But I can’t feel too bad – we had lunch with a woman who has lost $15,000 in the first 10 days. Ouch!

I tied for first in two general knowledge trivia contests but lost both on tiebreakers. We played some cards (I didn’t win), did some blogging, had a nice dinner where we were serenaded by two talented servers (there are a lot of fine voices on this ship), did some dancing and then saw Eileen, the “Queen of Hearts.” She put on a very nice show.

We finished the evening in the casino where I completed my losses. Marlene lost, too, though she began the day by winning $100. Put it all back. And more.

Three more days at sea, en route to Japan. We haven’t settled into a daily routine, but some common activities are casino, cards and eating. Can’t cruise without eating.

Day 7 was notable for a number of minor emergencies. First the captain informed us that “everything was under control” which, of course, begged the question “what was out of control earlier?” Rumor has it that there was a small fire. We also diverted, in a minor way, just after midnight, to intercept a cargo ship that had asked us to take on a sick crewman. But when we rendezvoused, the cargo ship decided no help was needed after all. The third emergency was Marlene’s and mine: we got locked out of our room. Apparently, the lock has a battery which ran out. It took about 30 minutes after reporting the problem to Guest Services to get a crewman to fix the problem.

Again, the seas were pretty rough (4 to 8 foot swells) and the day was cloudy and cool. I spent the morning at breakfast, then did the blogging for Days 4 to 6. I did get to a general knowledge trivia contest and did ok but did not win. I did, however, learn that Beatrix Potter’s second Peter Rabbit book was The Case of Squirrel Nutkin. Such are the benefits of trivia. After lunch we did a little shopping on board, I won $10 in the casino (still down $70), and we played cards (more Oh Shit; I didn’t win). Dinner was with Dottie and Maureen and new friends Shelly and Mary Ann. We then attended the Love and Marriage show, which is a cruise staple. It was entertaining, though less so than the one on the Carnival Pride in April.

Day 8 was a bad day. The weather started dreary and foggy and became rainy and windy. The seas started rough and got rougher. By evening they were running 8 to 10 feet – very rough. The waiters had a difficult time serving dinner without dropping the trays. Not pleasant at all.

Marlene was also not pleasant. She didn’t accompany me to trivia (general knowledge – I tied for first place) and sent me a text message that she wasn’t feeling well. When I got to the cabin around noon she was sleeping sounding, so I quietly left and went to eat lunch alone. When I returned she was still sleeping and I fell asleep beside her. When I woke she was up and stomping around the cabin, clearly angry. She left without saying a word, but I later learned that she was angry that I didn’t wake her for lunch. She pretty much gave me the cold shoulder the rest of the day, all night and into the next morning. We did have a quiet dinner (in a dining room that was rocking uncomfortably) but after dinner she sat by herself to watch the show (Vintage Pop – a very entertaining revue of music from the 30’s and 40’s with some newer songs mixed in). I went up to the cabin after the show, fell asleep and woke to find Marlene sleeping on the sofa. Yes, still angry.

Not a fun night or morning. But we made up after breakfast on Day 9, so all is well.

Day 9 (Saturday) included some time at the casino (won $40 early but lost $50 later, so down $80 for the trip), cards (I won one game), dinner with Deb and Evie (and got a photo with the captain) and some comedy with PJ Walsh. He is a funny guy who, while in the navy was the White House dental technician. Yes, he cleaned Bill Clinton’s teeth. Quite a claim to fame. We also saw Paul Conyers who is 6’7″ and has some funny things to say about being tall.

The weather was very nice for a change (one of the few days we have seen the sun). We got a very nice sunset.

One more day at sea, then Japan. I am not sure what we will do there – we haven’t booked any excursions – but it will be the first time I have set foot in Asia. Should be interesting.

I have been remiss in providing photos of the ship. It is not stunning but is nice. The cabin is spacious by cruise standards and the bed is very comfortable. The TV selections, as with the Carnival Pride in April, are poor. But who wants to watch TV?

Yes, 3 more days cruising the Pacific Ocean. And there will be 3 more before we set foot on land, in Japan. Or maybe 4 – the International Date Line comes first and that confuses the heck out of everyone.

Day 4 was a no good, very bad, terrible day. Sunday and we went to brunch. But seas were running 8 to 10 feet and the ships was rocking badly, which is not good for a guy like me who is susceptible to seasickness. Couple that with the development of a full-blown head cold and I did not feel like eating much. I had orange juice and a croissant and went back to bed. And stayed in bed until dinnertime. Didn’t eat much then, either. But Marlene was her usual gregarious self and made friends with one of the entertainers on board, Richard Steele. I did rally enough to attend the comedy show that night. Two comedians who were reportedly quite good. But I slept through much of it.

By Day 5 (Monday) I had recovered a bit. And so had the ocean – waves were down to 2 to 4 feet. Marlene and I spend some time at the casino. I won $60 in the morning and lost $60 after noon, so I am still down $40. We did meet a really interesting fellow in the casino – JR. He is a retired butler who served 5 presidents in the White House. He had some really interesting stories. We also spent some time in the hot tub and met two women – one from Canada and one from Florida – and had dinner with them. We made plans to jointly rent a taxi in Tokyo to get a private tour.

We participated (though we arrived late) in a “guess the song and artist” country music trivia contest. It was entertaining because the emcee got the audience involved in the answers, including getting two men up to pantomime “The Devel Went Down to Geogia” song. Pretty funny.

I took a few photos of the atrium (I realized that I haven’t taken many photos of the ship yet) and our balcony. We went to the Richard Steele show at night. Very entertaining. A combination of magic and comedy.

On Day 6 I was nearly fully recovered but we did very little other than play cards. We got our caricature drawn in the morning, then spent some time in the casino. I won $65 but gave that all back – and more in the afternoon. Down $80. The seas were running 4 to 8 feet and it was quite chilly – in the high 50s – so we played cards with our jackets on. The card game is “Oh Shit” which is a rummy game with progressive wilds – 3s are wild when playing with hands of 3 cards, 4s when using 4 cards and so on. I lost every game.

We apparently crossed the International Date Line the evening of Day 6. One of our fellow passengers invited us up to the top deck so we could watch the line in the ocean as we crossed it. Yeah. We didn’t bite.

We have been pushing the clock back one hour every day. We are now 9 hours earlier than Fort Myers. Or 15 hours later after losing a full day. Very confusing. But we will get the day back when we return to the US.