Day-25: Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Beginning Location: East China Sea En-route to
Naha, Okinawa
Interim Location: Naha, Okinawa
Final Location: East China Sea En-route to Kobe, Japan
We slept a little later today as our arrival in Okinawa wasn’t scheduled
until early afternoon. That didn’t mean more sleep as we advanced the clocks an
hour as we moved closer to Japanese territory. As with so
We had been warned that while in Japanese territorial waters we would
not have Internet access as the Japanese government has restrictions on the use
of “C” and Ku” bands. No one seems to know why the prohibition exists but if
it’s to happen we’ll be ready. Sheila and I each closed out some of our Internet
work and messaging and we made Skype calls before moving on to the day’s
events.
Around 0930 we joined up with our Trivia team for the morning’s brain
exercise. Today’s score wasn’t so good, we achieved a score of 19 out of 27; it
may have gotten us 4th place but not enough for a winning position.
Some of today’s questions were:
- Name the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
- Name the Greek God of Youth & Music.
- Which of the following major city names is found on all continents except Antarctica? London, Paris or Rome
- Which of the following cities has the largest underground rail system? London, Tokyo or Paris
- Which actress is credited with naming the “Rat Pack”?
- What is the length of the Panama Canal? (+or- 2 miles)
Following trivia we attended the pre-Japan enrichment lecture “Little
Boy & Fat Man Go To War – Japan 1945 – A Necessary Evil: The Bombing of
Japan as a Final Solution”. The two gentlemen presenting the various topics tag
teamed the subject for about 90 minutes prepping us for our tours in Okinawa and
later in Hiroshima.
So after an uplifting lecture we returned to our room and after an hour
or so headed to lunch in the Terrace Café.
Around 1300 we docked in Naha. The ship used two tugs today; I suspect it's something to do with job security for the local pilots and watermen. 
Much had been made about the immigration requirements for our entry into
Japan. The requirements included the usual document review but this time we
would receive a temperature scan, finger print scan and be photographed before
being issued clearance to go ashore for our tour.
Turns out the immigration event was one of the least organized events
we’ve experienced. The Japanese authorities were
well equipped but the ship’s people management was pathetic. In the end people
were standing in serpentine lines for an hour in some cases to reach the lounge
being used for the immigration checks. At one point the line stretched from the
forward part of the ship, aft into and around the Grand Dining Room and back
forward to the immigration lounge. People were cutting in the line and in one
instance a crewmember brought about a dozen people from the rear of the line to
the front. People that had dutifully stood in line were miffed. So after about
an hour delay most of the tours were underway, but the grumbling will be heard
for some time to come.
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| Welcoming Committee |
Our tour today was entitled “Battle of Okinawa” and would last about 4
hours. The areas to be covered were heavily involved in fighting in the early
summer of 1945.
We drove through the City of Naha; of note was the baseball stadium home of what I assume to be the Naha Giants. 
We arrived
at what was the Imperial Japanese Navy underground bunker located on the south
end of Okinawa. The bunker was never destroyed as such it has been modified for
tourism with air conditioning and good lighting illuminating and cooling the
various tunnels and rooms. We were shown where the Admiral responsible for
defending the island directed his forces to surrender and then committed
suicide to retain his honor.
In the
museum, individual pictures of the 200+ teachers and schoolgirls are on
display, bringing home the craziness of the Battle of Okinawa. We departed the Himeyuri Monument and after a short retail stop continued though areas of Naha.
Finally, we visited the Peace Park, a site of one of the final battles
at Okinawa. The place today is a modern day memorial park including the names
of all who died in the Battle of Okinawa. This is not just about the people of
Okinawa as it includes the names of Allied soldiers and sailors as well.
The guide’s summary of all of this was that the people of Okinawa in the
mid-1940’s felt that they had been sacrificed by the Japanese central
government and military hoping to delay the expected invasion of the homeland.
Enough of that, we observed sunset en-route to the ship where we arrived around 1900 and within about 45
minutes were underway for Kobe, Japan.
Our room steward and stewardess (brother & sister team) stopped by
for the turndown service while I was in the room. We talked about the day’s
tour and they opened up about their own concerns even today for their friends
and family in the Ukraine. Alexandre mentioned that he had skyped with friends
and found that they had steered clear of the violence and that as best he and
Veronika knew, all of their friends and family were okay. We didn’t get into
the politics of the Ukraine, but it was interesting that these 25-30 year olds
were opening up about home and the possibility of unrest that could lead to
revolution in the current day and times.
We actually skipped dinner tonight having eaten a late lunch and having
had an appetizer tray delivered to the room.
Around 2130 we ambled down to the Nautica Lounge for tonight’s show. One
of the “enrichment speakers” is also a self-made troubadour of sorts. He
brought out his guitar and along with traditional folk songs and a story or two
he sang some re-worded tunes generally focusing on the “older generation”,
which by the way includes himself. A couple of his songs were “Oldest Swinger
In Town” and “Adventure Before Dementia”. It was a great show if you like the
troubadour type thing; it’s fair to say that we both enjoyed the music and
banter.
