As has become depressingly normal, we now begin a new travel adventure without having competed documenting the last one. When last heard from we were leaving our ship in Hokkaido and on our way to a week in Tokyo, which turned out to be the highlight of our trip. In fact, we enjoyed Tokyo so well that we are planning to go back next year. We had added it on to our boat trip around Japan in a classic ‘since we’re there we might as well..’ moment but unfortunately that was as far as our thinking took us, the boat trip captured the majority of our attention. Fortunately we had sufficient forethought to make a hotel booking but our, or at least V’s, normal research and planning for our week’s Tokyo sojourn was conspicuous by its absence. Nonetheless we had a fabulous time and unhindered as we were by any commitments, with the exception of a couple of restaurant reservations, we wandered, discovered and thoroughly enjoyed…

A quick word before I begin, apologies for my rambling discursions in my last two posts, I’m well aware of my tendency to drift rapidly off course at any given opportunity so to get back on course let me tell you a little about the nature of this trip. This is the second time we have travelled with Abercrombie & Kent, who charter Ponant ships for their expeditions, although I also travelled with Ponant on my Antartica trip in 2022. It’s unlikely that we will do another one of these trips, not because of any shortcomings of the voyages but simply because of our primary reason for taking them has been met to our satisfaction.

We are not cruisers by nature but we have taken these trips for two reasons; they allow us to access places and events that we would not ordinarily be able to access by any other means and they are created as expedition trips, not cruises. We have travelled with A&K to Greenland and the Arctic and now on this trip, to small ports and cities around the coast of Japan. In both instances, the ports and sites we visit would either be completely inaccessible or at the least, very difficult to reach. And because they are built as expeditions, they dive deeply into local culture, arts, music and history and require active participation…

Overnight from Hiroshima on April 1, we sailed to Uwajima, a very small town on a very small bay at the southernmost point on Shikoku Island and one of the most important locations for the Japanese pearl industry.

Before I talk about this, an aside. As you may have noticed, I have described a couple of the ports as being small towns, small ports. Because of the relatively small size of the ship we are able to travel to and dock in ports that see cargo ships but very few passenger boats since most cruise ships would not be able to be accommodated, simply too large. One of the benefits of this is that our ship is treated as a very big deal by the towns that we visit and we are often greeted by townspeople coming down to the dock to look at the ship along with delegates from the town and local school bands playing a welcome. When we leave there is always a farewell event on dockside, bands and dancers and everyone quite literally waving until the ship disappears from view. As a courtesy we are asked to reciprocate, so everyone crowds their balconies on departure and waves in return.

Now Uwajima, which in addition to pearls also has a local and very prized potato growing agricultural presence. Who knew, but apparently potatoes do feature in some parts of Japanese cuisine…

Much has happened since my last post. Apologies for the hiatus but we had a whirlwind couple of days on board and then for the last four days I have been entombed in my berth with a dry cough, chills and fever and since we are on a French boat, la grippe with a temperature of 101F. This morning I managed to keep down some toast and a latte, my first food in three days.

In the course of lying flat for the last couple of days I kept thinking that I should get up and put together a post but my head was so unclear and buzzy that I don’t think it would have made much sense. However I woke up this morning with a clear head and a slight tingling of appetite so I think things are on the turn.

The ship’s doctor, whose English matches my French, for emergency use only, has been terrific …

This is a long overdue post, not written at the peak of my form but written nonetheless. We arrived in Japan late last evening, Tuesday March 26 after 18 hours of flights, delayed flights and washing-machine turbulence from Toronto to Osaka via Tokyo. This trip, one to which we have excitedly looked forward, was preceded by 2 1/2 weeks in Portugal. We returned from that trip last Wednesday, unpacked, did our laundry and prepared to leave on Monday for this trip to Japan. In the interval I celebrated my 80th birthday…

Following our train journey on Sunday, tiresome to read about I’m sure, and tiring to experience, it was with real pleasure that we found our boat moored in the midst of a flotilla of tall ships on the Aarhus docks. The whole area was filled with masses of people, vendor’s tents and tall ships at their moorings. The harbour in Aarhus was the final destination of the annual tall ships race which begins and ends in different venues each year. This year’s race began off Bergen, Norway and after 8 day’s hard sailing, finished off Aarhus, the fleet then mooring in Aarhus where a Tall Ships Festival was underway. We joined at the tail end, many of the ships having already left by Sunday afternoon but Blue Clipper and a number of others were still at their moorings…..

V has raised a number questions about the voyage and the ship and I have received other questions from readers and friends; I plan to do a post in the next couple of days to try and answer as many of these as I can. In the meantime I thought I’d jot down some of the interesting incidents/experiences of the last couple of weeks.

Flying fish really do fly or at least glide. I’m sure everyone already knows this but it was truly facinating and amazing to see them actually do it…

When last heard from, we were approaching the Azores but unsure, with wind and weather, when we would arrive. The seas had been relatively calm and the winds, while helpful, were somewhat low so that it did not appear as if we would get to Porta Delga in the Azores until sometime on Saturday, 3 days later than our scheduled arrival. I called V on my satellite phone to let her know and promised to get back in touch if there was a change.

Later that Wednesday afternoon, 16 days out of Bermuda, the winds picked up, the swells grew…