We left the ship for three and a half months to be in Connecticut for the summer, visit friends and family, and enjoy our home on the water.  I’m glad we did.  The weather was glorious and we got to spend quality time with all of our kids, grand kids, and friends.

It also let me attend the send-off for my hero, my father, who passed peacefully after 94 ½ years.  In addition to being a great family man, he was the most ethical business person I’ve ever known and a mentor to many (especially me). Mom was a trooper all weekend despite losing the love her life and husband of 71 years. My son Patrick gave a heartwarming eulogy (on YouTube, though not great video quality at   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXjGcJZPy0U).   Debra organized an amazing “Heaven’s Gate Tailgate” after the burial to celebrate Dad’s love of ND Football and the great tailgate parties we had over the years he lived in South Bend – I don’t think he ever missed one.  At the end of the day, the whole clan had a “touch” football game that ran over 3 hours, just like when we were kids.  We senior citizens had to show the next two generations what we (thought we) were made of –  we were sore for weeks.

On our last night home in Connecticut, we had yet another spectacular sunset that made it hard to leave – even though we love our new home on the ship.  But it was time to go back to “work.”  There’s too much world left to see while we’re healthy!

 

Japan in September

We rejoined the ship in Tokyo on the 19^th of September and slept our way through jet-lag transition.  On our second night, we wanted to take two new “ship friends” to the Joker Bar – a tiny, tiny place for about 16 people whose bartender does an amazing magic show right before your eyes.  We went 3 years ago and had a fantastic time.  It was hard to find then, so we used some local experts to book us seats and give us good directions.  Click the video to see the results!

 

Next we moved on to Yokohama where we had the opportunity to play golf Japanese-style for the first time.  Golf is very popular in Japan, but as land is so scarce, there are few courses. Most regularly go to driving ranges with big nets to “golf.”  But there are some spectacular courses – and they do everything right. We were invited to play Hakone Country Club, a beautiful course in a valley near Mount Fuji.

There are refreshment breaks every 3 or 4 holes, and everyone stops for a big lunch after 9 holes.  The course is pristine; you can’t even find a broken tee to use on a par 3 hole.  But the caddie routine is what’s most different from the States.  A young woman, fully covered to avoid the sun, handles all 4 players and clubs with the help of a motorized walking-cart.  The cart is equipped with every possible need; ball washer, seeded soil for divots, ball retreiver. . . (well not every need – no beer).  She knew the distances to the yard, knew what club you needed after 2 holes, and ran about 12 miles to take care of us (because she doesn’t take the cart to the rough, and we weren’t in the fairway a lot).  A short video here gives you the idea.  It was a lot of fun!

 
Then on to Nagoya, Japan.  Since I’d been there in the past a number of times on business, we took a train to Takayama and stayed at a spa over night.  We’re not really spa people, but the small town was more typical of old-Japan than the big cities, so it was interesting.  Twice a year, they hold a parade with massive, hand carried or pulled “floats” that are 200 years old and weigh over 2 tons.  We visited a museum that displays a few of them. I wish we could have seen the parade live.  The weather wasn’t great because a typhoon had just passed to the North of us, but we had a nice walk through the village.  They were especially welcoming to people like me as evidenced in this short video:

 

We then sailed to Shingu, a small town on the coast that is struggling economically.  The area used to be the hub for very high quality cedar and cyprus lumber used for premium applications like the temples of Japan. But a new dam destroyed their preferred log transportation method and that, along with international competition, devastated their economy.  The community convinced the government to have the dam release water twice a day so they could establish a white-water rafting business.  But rather than use conventional rafts, they made log-rafts that are hooked together like train cars to go through the rapids.  We thought it sounded interesting, so we took the nail-biting ride over the narrow mountain roads to try it.  It was not as exciting as conventional rafting, but the people and scenery were great and we’re glad we went.  After the run, they did their best to give us a nice, authentic dining experience.

 

All and all, a good first week back on the job!