Cunard Japan Cruise: We Sailed All The Way Round — Here's What We Discovered

[00:00:00]Right, so here's the plan. 19 nights, a full lap of Japan aboard a ship fresh out of dry dock and looking frankly embarrassingly good for her age. This is Kunard Line Queen Elizabeth's grand voyage of Japan. And we want to take you along with us. We set sail from Yokohama, then swing south, slipping across to Korea for Busousan, then Nagasaki, Kochi, and Shimitsu before heading up north to the Chile Hakadate and Kushiro. Then back down to Sakai Minato and the birthplace of manga. It's the encyclopedia of monsters. I just thought I needed to get a little souvenir.

[00:00:40]>> Lovely.

[00:00:41]>> I'm such a nerd.

[00:00:43]>> Then the haunting, humbling Hiroshima.

[00:00:46]19 nights in Princess Grill. Is it as good as they say? 10 incredible stops.

[00:00:52]One very large postfacelift ship. What a voyage this was. This is the shrimp one.

[00:01:00]Oh, >> so tough.

[00:01:02]>> Let's go.

[00:01:08]Well, good evening and welcome to Yokohama in Japan. Welcome to Queen Elizabeth. Got on board today, didn't we?

[00:01:15]>> Yeah.

[00:01:15]>> Cheers.

[00:01:16]>> Cheers.

[00:01:17]>> So, this is our well almost 10 years to the month since we've been on Kunar Queen Elizabeth.

[00:01:24]>> Can't remember what voyage that was. I think that might have been the Iceland.

[00:01:27]>> Iceland might have been not entirely sure, but we're here and we're doing the I think it's called the Japan Grand Voyage.

[00:01:35]>> Yes, it's a nine night voyage and then a 10 night voyage back to back to make it a 19 night voyage. So, two completely different reefs.

[00:01:43]>> That's right. And it's Yokohama to Yokohama every time. And Queen Elizabeth has just had a major refit. There's lots of complete refurbishments of some of her amazing areas. and we've had a quick look around and she looks brand new.

[00:01:56]>> She looks absolutely amazing, doesn't she?

[00:01:58]>> So throughout this vlog, we're going to show you the new areas of the ship and how fabulous they look and of course some of the classic areas, how brilliant they look, too.

[00:02:07]>> Yeah.

[00:02:07]>> You know, in fact, in 10 years, she hasn't aged a day, which is what you can say probably for us.

[00:02:13]>> Definitely for us.

[00:02:16]>> Anyway, welcome on board as we toast our grand voyage of Japan. We're going off for the Santa party.

[00:02:23]>> We are indeed. We're on champagne. So, hope you follow along with us. Thanks for watching. Let's go.

[00:02:47]Our first full day on board was a sea day and we ambled up to the Princess Grill restaurant on deck 11 ready to be thoroughly spoiled with a grill's breakfast. Now, for those not fluent in Kunardis, the line runs four main dining rooms, sorted by which grade of stateateroom you've committed your life savings to. Started with the basics is the Bratannia restaurant, a genuinely majestic room that feeds the bulk of the ship, which is anything but basic. Then there's the Bratannia Club. Open seating at your own reserved table, breakfast through dinner for guests in Bratannia Club stateaterooms. We rather fortuitously were staying in a Princess Grill suite which along with Queen's Grill Suites comes with its own lounge, its own outdoor terrace and its own dining room tucked away on deck 11. Very exclusive. Very, we've made it. Well, we hadn't really, but it felt like it.

[00:03:56]Anyway, breakfast. The night before we'd been shown to our table for the entire voyage, complete with a view that frankly hit the jackpot. We were super pleased. Breakfast in the grills is a relaxed, unhurried affair. A proper menu, proper choice, and zero judgment whether you go for the smoked salmon or one of the delicious pastries that really should come with a health warning. This was so good we were there most mornings. Healthy some days, considerably less healthy others. With breakfast dispatched, it was time to see what a sea day actually had on offer.

[00:04:29]Well, a very good morning from Queen Elizabeth on route to Hiroshima. Let's have a little look around the ship. See what activities are going on at the moment. Cunard is always famous for filling sea days full of interesting things to do. So, should we go and have a look around? And in the Bratannia restaurant, you've got a watercolor class here in the Queen's room. Very busy. There is a welcome to Kunard event for all the Kunard first timers. And there's plenty of them on this voyage by the looks of it. So, it's a bit like a Kunard expo about all the facilities of the ship and everything that it offers.

[00:05:09]Casino is open >> and so are the shops.

[00:05:20]>> Team trivia in the garden lounge.

[00:05:24]>> Can't have a C day without trivia.

[00:05:26]>> And in the Royal Court Theater, a Qard insights lecture. This one is Grant Harold, the royal butler, giving us all the juicy gossip about King Charles.

[00:05:36]>> You know, again, doing cushions or something.

[00:05:38]>> And this one doesn't need any introduction. I suppose it wouldn't be a cruise without line dancing, would it?

[00:05:49]>> Activities Julie investigated. What came next was Kunard doing what Kunard does best, an exquisite lunchtime recital in the Queen's Room from a guest pyist.

[00:06:14]Then of course the main event of any sea day afternoon on one of the four queens.

[00:06:19]Afternoon tea is what Kunard is famous for. And in a grill suite, that means the Princess Grill restaurant, complete with the obligatory Cornish clotted cream applied with a reckless generosity. Afternoon tea is very well thought out here. You choose your favorites from a menu, meaning you get to eat what you really fancy, not what you're randomly served up. More of what you love. Less food waste. Splendid.

[00:06:46]Thoroughly overindulged, we just about managed a few restorative laps of the glorious wraparound prominard deck before getting ready for dinner. That evening, we splashed out on the extra charge bamboo specialtity dinner served in its own curtained off corner of the Leo buffet. And don't let the word buffet fool you. This was a proper sit-down affair. So, with the bamboo menu, you get all of the appetizers and you get to choose one man. as an extra.

[00:07:12]You can have the platter, but we're not going for that tonight because it's um we're not that hungry to be honest.

[00:07:29]Riding a sugar high of heroic proportions, we made for the theater and the Voyager's first production show.

[00:07:35]Brilliant stuff. And then because no Kunard evening is complete without it, we finished up watching the ballroom dancing in the Queen's room. People watching us still somehow the best entertainment on the entire ship. Don't you agree?

[00:08:15]welcome to Hiroshima. Today we're not going on a tour. We're just going to walk to the tram station and just find our own way in and find our own way around. So, let's just see what we can discover in Hiroshima today. Well, we made it to the station, the tram station. And uh thank goodness for Google Maps. Well, I could say they tell you exactly which tram to go on and which stops to get off.

[00:08:42]Here it comes.

[00:08:45]According to uh Helen's logic, which is always right, we pay when we get off over there at that machine. They put some coins in. Not tap on tap off. Coins us. There's the prices. 240 yen.

[00:09:05]Well, there we are. We got off at Honduri near to the the peace memorial which is just across the road down there. Look at the size of this pedestrian crossing. Look at it.

[00:09:25]Something very moving about that, isn't there? So, why was it the only building that was left standing?

[00:09:30]>> Well, the blast wave from the explosion hit this building almost vertically from above and because the walls are so thick, there was no outward blast. So, miraculously, it survived. Do you know why they managed to rebuild Hiroshima and it wasn't destined to end up like Chernobyl?

[00:09:47]>> Why? Well, basically what happened was the bomb was detonated about 600 m from the ground and because of that a lot of the radiation was carried upwards by the blast and the nuclear winds up into the atmosphere.

[00:10:03]>> So it didn't soak into the ground. Well, it says here after the explosion it was predicted that no blades of grass would grow the next 75 years. However, by the early 1960s it was restored.

[00:10:14]>> Radiation level returned to normal just one year after the bombing. Wow.

[00:10:18]>> So, the grass started to grow and then they started to rebuild. I think it was 1949 that they started to rebuild.

[00:10:23]>> Helen, what are we looking at here?

[00:10:25]>> This is a memorial to a little girl who was two when the atomic bomb struck and she survived. But at age 12, she developed leukemia and when she was having her treatment, she decided to build a thousand cranes. The origami crane thing. Oh, yes. And a thousand of them to be able to make a wish. You can see it's little on the origami crane.

[00:10:45]Origami crane.

[00:11:00]Right now, we're going to try and find a way to the castle, which was absolutely flattened with the bomb, obviously, but they've completely rebuilt it.

[00:11:08]>> Shall we go in? Yeah.

[00:11:10]>> This is the only way you can get in. Wa!

[00:11:12]Look at the big fat fish.

[00:11:15]That's the castle tower. Yes. Do >> you want to go in? Does look beautiful.

[00:11:19]The castle inside is not how I think it was originally structured. Just a small hunch there, Helen. Lots of samurai things though. Lord of Hiroshima Castle.

[00:11:32]There is lots of samurai swords in view.

[00:11:35]1347.

[00:11:38]Wow. Oh, at the top of the castle. Look at that. It's lovely, isn't it?

[00:11:47]It's frowned upon to cross a street without the little great man showing in Japan. Our final stop today is this park that Helen wanted to come to. This garden was designed in 1620.

[00:12:00]Completely leveled by the bomb. Large number of survivors took refuge here immediately following the bombing but died before receiving medical care. Oh my goodness. The remains were interned within the gardens.

[00:12:18]Wow. I tell you what, this reminds me of Helen. Hobbitant.

[00:12:24]Much like Hobbiton. Probably uh for the wrong reasons. I better look where I'm going here cuz this I'm going to end up in the drink with the turtles.

[00:12:44]Now the bottles of water and the money represents offerings to the dead or spirits. In Japanese Buddhism and Shinto traditions, leaving water and money to the spirits of the deceased is supposed to quench the thirst of wandering souls, especially those who died tragically or without proper memorials. It's a gesture of compassion and remembrance. We've showed you quite a lot of Hashima today and quite frankly, it's left such a mark on us. One of our favorite stops of this whole itinerary. Hauntingly beautiful.

[00:13:15]It really left its mark.

[00:13:22]Well, good evening everyone. Tonight is Japanese karaoke night.

[00:13:30]Ready for some Japanese songs?

[00:13:33]And not >> that's the uh it's the Japanese Michael McIntyre.

[00:13:44]Look at those English people there.

[00:13:49]>> Here we go.

[00:13:51]Oh, there's him.

[00:14:14]So Helen didn't enjoy that as much as I did.

[00:14:19]>> Look, karaoke is where it all began in Japan in the 70s. Karaoke bar in Tokyo would be like the ultimate, wouldn't it?

[00:14:27]>> So yeah.

[00:14:27]>> Well, they do rooms, don't they? You go in a whole, you get a whole room to yourself.

[00:14:31]>> Yeah. be fabulous. Mirror ball, flashing lights.

[00:14:38]They take it very seriously. That room was packed.

[00:14:42]>> Very good as well. That lady, >> that room was packed. What? The guy, he was a nutter.

[00:14:46]>> Yeah.

[00:14:47]>> So, uh, in following our traditions here on Cunard, Cunard was the very first place we had a cosmopolitan and the rest is history. says our livers. Um, so we're following up today with our first classic cosmo of the cruise in the beautiful Commodore Club before we go to dinner because tonight's dinner chat bri for 2. Oh my. And look, proper cunard fashion. There's a musician in here. There's musicians everywhere, isn't there, on this ship.

[00:15:22]>> Was it 7:14?

[00:15:24]>> There's literally musicians everywhere on this ship. It's fabulous.

[00:15:28]Ah, give me all the Qard feels, Ellen.

[00:15:41]Well, good morning. Good morning from the sea.

[00:15:48]And would you look at that?

[00:15:51]It is like glass.

[00:15:55]Okay, slightly modeled glass.

[00:15:58]Not something Lik would produce, but it's glass. So, we've got a very scenic sail through some narrows coming up.

[00:16:05]Then it's out to sea. South Korea really isn't that far from the the tip of Japan at the bottom here. So, let's just hope it stays like this. The Canmon straight is a slender, hardworking ribbon of sea that squeezes between Honu and Kyushu, narrowing to a mere 600 m at its pinch point. Given a gap that modest, the Japanese have with characteristic thoroughess refused to settle for just one way across it. There's the handsome Canmon bridge we majestically sailed under, a road tunnel, a Shinkanzen tunnel, an old railway tunnel from 1942, and best of all, a pedestrian tunnel that lets you walk the 780 odd meters beneath the seabed itself, crossing from one island to another entirely on foot.

[00:16:50]Someone even thought it was a good idea to put a replica of St. Mark Square in Venice here too. Why? Well, why not? A day sailing in fine weather meant afternoon tea on the grill's terrace. A splendidly posh white gloved affair with the terrace freshly refurbished and looking every inch the part and one that earns a firm visit with us thumbs up.

[00:17:15]That evening, the Princess Grill hit a home run as it served up beef Wellington, an all-time favorite of mine. Alaskan crab legs. Cue hilarious flashbacks to our tipsy crablegged afternoon in Jano, which you can catch in our Alaska series. And to finish, a baked Alaska with flomade mell cherries.

[00:17:35]Oh my, Grill's dining is certainly living up to expectations.

[00:17:57]Welcome to Busousan, which mustn't be mistaken for Boran, which is the soft herby cheese from France, which I've got to say is infinitely tastier than day, which is filthy cuz there's been storm warnings and all that sort of thing today and lots of public service tweets coming through from South Korean government onto our phone telling us to avoid going into the open public spaces and that sort of thing. Since we were due back on this very stretch of coast on the next leg of the voyage, we felt no pressing need to test the weather's patience or ours and opted instead for lunch at the Golden Lion, a considerably drier proposition.

[00:18:47]Well, good afternoon or good lunchtime.

[00:18:50]Welcome to the Golden Lion Pub.

[00:18:53]Typically British weather out there today. Cold, windy, wet. So, we thought we'd come to the pub like you do in Britain. They've got the Michelle Rue menu here. All those top things are complimentary and then there's a few charged for things.

[00:19:07]>> I did like the burger. That was good.

[00:19:08]That we ordered a couple of beers and settled in with a kind of anticipation usually reserved for exam results.

[00:19:15]Scotch egg and ham hawk fritters starters to share followed by fish and chips and pie of the day. Nothing says seafaring resilience quite like a plate of pub classics and a pint.

[00:19:25]>> Cheers.

[00:19:27]>> Cheers.

[00:19:27]>> Good health to you.

[00:19:30]Bidding the pilot a fond oroire, we slipped away from a bus doing its best impression of a car wash and pointed ourselves back towards Japan, indulging in some Spanish guitar from the civilized shelter of the winter garden.

[00:19:43]Right up until the seasick pills kicked in and reduced us to two very useless, very horizontal passengers.

[00:19:57]Welcome to Nagasaki. We're just going to find a tram cuz the tram system in Japan is excellent in the cities. Very reasonably priced. So, come along with us.

[00:20:10]>> The next stop just going into the family mart to get some water. What are all these? These are protein drinks. So, lots of vitamin drinks. Do lots of coffee here. Look at that wonder morning shot. Have a bit of that. Family's boss. The espresso 50p.

[00:20:36]It's amazing. I just love these shops. I know. It's really sad. We're going up now to the peace park. Oh, look. Try actually get off this.

[00:20:46]>> So becomes a airport style travelator.

[00:20:50]Don't stand on the yellow lines.

[00:20:53]>> That was much better than having to fly upstairs.

[00:20:57]How very Here we are. How wonderful of the Japanese. And here we are in the peace park. Did you know, Helen, that the bomb they dropped on Nagasaki was actually larger than the one they dropped on Hiroshima?

[00:21:09]>> It was 3 days later, wasn't it?

[00:21:11]>> 3 days later, and the Japanese refused to surrender immediately. They dropped another and it was bigger than it was.

[00:21:17]The fact that Nagasaki surrounded by hills contained the blast. So the devastation was worse in Hiroshima, even though it was a smaller bomb cuz it's very flat. went out and out and out.

[00:21:27]Whereas here, the hills contained the blast. These must be some of the foundations of some of the buildings that were completely totaled. Absolutely nothing left.

[00:21:39]Everything is just so sad and poignant.

[00:21:43]Can't begin to imagine, can you? You really can't.

[00:21:47]Totally disrespectful heaven. But why is that guy totally jacked? Why not?

[00:21:53]>> If you're going to build a statue while a person drapes down a cloth, why not >> pass on the eye tell you why he's because it says divine omnipotence and love are embodied in the sturdy physique >> and gentle countenance of the statue.

[00:22:07]Furthermore, the folded right leg symbolizes quiet meditation while the left leg is poised for action in assisting humanity.

[00:22:16]>> His right hand is pointing up. That's pointing to the threat of nuclear weapons. And the left hand is outstretched symbolizing tranquility and world peace.

[00:22:26]>> Erected by the citizens of Nagasaki in 1955 on the 10th anniversary of the devastation of the city. And that's where we're heading next. Cathedral.

[00:22:37]This is at the back of the park. So there's a view. It's not far away. Here we are. This lovely, isn't it?

[00:22:47]These must be the original relics from the cathedral that was bombed. Can't imagine it, can you? This is where we're heading.

[00:22:57]The onelegged Tory gate.

[00:23:00]Onelegged Tory.

[00:23:02]It's like Boris Johnson with his leg chopped off.

[00:23:08]There it is.

[00:23:10]There. Let's go and learn about it, shall we? If there's anything to learn about. Oh, that's how it looked originally. This arch was built in October 1924. Was the second Tori arch at the San Shinto shrine. The explosion of the atomic bomb at 11:02 a.m. slapped down one of the pillars located only 800 m southeast of the hyper center. The upper parts of the arches were scorched black by the fierce radiating heat. One of the pillars and its upper parts were destroyed by the blast and the top part of the cross being shifted in the opposite direction as a result of the blast pressure. Wow. An explosion of a single atomic bomb reduced the surrounding neighborhood to ashes and rubble. But this arch endured the blast and continues to this day to stand on only one pillar as though testifying to the atomic bomb devastation. This looks like other parts of the gate. Look part of the temple. Anyway, is that the other half of the must be the other half of the gate.

[00:24:09]Gosh.

[00:24:11]Wow.

[00:24:14]Now, these two trees, the camper trees are in the shrine. And while the shrine was destroyed by the bomb, the two trees were instantly stripped naked and split down the trunk by the blast and scorched black by the heat rays. Although considered dead at the time, they came back to life into our natural monuments designated by Nagasaki city. Look at them. Unbelievable.

[00:24:37]They survived the bomb. They are colossal.

[00:24:41]>> Imagine that. They survived >> when everything else was flattened.

[00:24:45]>> The atomic bomb museum. So that's where we're going next.

[00:24:50]>> Much like the visit to the museum in Hiroshima, the museum in Nagasaki was heartbreaking and disturbing, but a necessary reminder of the devastation of nuclear war.

[00:25:00]Our final stop of the day is the Hyper Center Park. This is where the bomb dropped. It's called the hypo center.

[00:25:08]And over there, directly underneath where it went off the ship late afternoon and with limited options to satisfy our hunger after all that walking, we grabbed a very satisfying burger by the aft pool and a beer to cheer us up after a somewhat harrowing day in the beautiful city of Nagasaki.

[00:25:33]Welcome to a bit of a blustery sail away. Got some sparkling wine. Been >> a lovely afternoon.

[00:25:41]>> Oh, it's been perfect, wasn't it? We're going to sail under the bridge. We came in this morning under and then goodbye to Nagasaki.

[00:25:49]Isn't it just fabulous?

[00:25:52]I love it. But never tire of watching a pilot get on off a ship.

[00:25:57]Amazing. Lovely little boat that is.

[00:26:02]And off he drives into the sunset going back to NASA. Oh, he's waving at his leg. A goodbye.

[00:26:13]Goodbye.

[00:26:15]And what a better way to finish another lovely day in Japan than with a bit of classical music in the atrium, followed by a fabulous production show in the Royal Court Theater.

[00:26:38]Good morning and welcome to Miyazaki, which is slightly different to the rest of Japan. Fewer vending machines, more palm trees, and very laidback. It's the sun-kissed coastal gem that flies under most tourist radars. Here, ancient legends share space with surfboards where constant swells, warm water, and an easygoing atmosphere make it a surfer's paradise. Mia Zaki, it's ground zero for Japanese mythology. According to ancient Shinto beliefs, this is where it all began. Where the gods descended, emperors were born, and legends were carved into the land. And the very first emperor came down from the sky. Here in Miyazaki, mangoes are the real luxury treat. The region is famous for its taio no tomago or egg of the sun mango. These mangoes can sell for hundreds of dollars each at auction. They're grown with the kind of pampering usually reserved for raceh horses or superm models. We've got an excursion this morning taking us around the highlights of Miazaki. So, oh, I think we better get ready. The balcony is far too nice, but we must tear ourselves away, Helen, because the shoreline is calling us. And so is Miyazaki. Let's go. Morning.

[00:27:55]Welcome to the Udo sign. We've got 300 steps to go upwards and then I don't know indeterminable amount going downwards and then we walk along a cliff and then we get to the shrine.

[00:28:10]Dotted along the path to the shrine, you'll find a small army of stone rabbits which is either enchanting or faintly unsettling. They're a nod to the legend of the white rabbit of Inaba. And over the centuries, they've been promoted, as these things happen in Japan, to unofficial deities of guidance, protection, and good fortune, with a particular specialism in love and safe child birth. Naturally, visitors stroke them, photograph them, and occasionally lob coins at them for luck.

[00:28:37]The shrine they're leading you to, Ulojinga, is dedicated to Yamasa Chihiko, a deity with solid credentials in Japan's creation mythology, and it announces itself with a kind of vivid vermillion paintwork that makes you reach for your camera before you've even worked out what you're looking at.

[00:28:55]Here's the bit that generally stops people in their tracks. The main shrine building doesn't sit beside a cave or near a cave. It sits entirely inside one. It's half temple, half mythical hideout, and easily one of the most theatrical pieces of shrine real estate in the whole of Japan. Right at the heart of it is the shrine to Yamasachiko.

[00:29:15]And then just outside the cave mouth comes the bit made for tourists with more optimism than aim, the unama throwing ritual. Small clay balls, a rope ringed rock on the outcrop below, and a strict house rule. Men throw right-handed, women left. Land one inside the robe and you're promised good luck, especially in matters of the heart, which makes this quite possibly the only wishing well in the world. It also demands decent hand eye coordination.

[00:29:45]Here we are at our next stop. This little tour, believe it or not, it's just like a roadside cafe where you can buy famous mango ice cream and other delectable snacks. Oh my goodness, it's vending heaven. Got shrimp ice cream.

[00:30:03]>> No, thank you. We're going to get the mango, aren't we?

[00:30:07]>> Oh my goodness. Thank you. Thank you.

[00:30:09]>> Is it nice your mango ice cream?

[00:30:11]>> I like it.

[00:30:13]Look at the devil's washboard.

[00:30:30]So, we're walking across to the Aoshima shrine. Striking vermilion shrine surrounded by palm trees and a subtropical jungle.

[00:30:39]>> These palm trees are only found on this island.

[00:30:44]>> Nowhere else in Japan.

[00:30:45]>> Did you know it's dedicated this shrine to the gods of love and marriage?

[00:30:50]According to legend, this is where Yama Sachik Chick, a mythical hunter, met and fell in love with Toyota Mahimei. Yes, >> a sea princess.

[00:31:04]>> That was where we just were, the cave that he built for, >> right? And the shrine is their love nest. And because of the backstory, the shrine has a popular spot for couples and hopeful romantic, especially those praying for love, marriage, or a gentle nudge. Visitors can write their love wishes on wooden emo plaques, just like we've seen before, and tie them onto the dedicated racks.

[00:31:27]>> And the whole island is surrounded by this devil's washboard.

[00:31:30]>> The devil's washboard. Yes. Or the ogre's washboard, they sometimes call it. Long perfectly parallel stone ridges that rise out of the sea. Formed by the erosion and ancient tectonic activity, the washboard adds a layer of weird wonder to your visit. Especially when the tide is low. Well, it is low, isn't it? Look.

[00:31:48]>> Oh, yeah.

[00:31:49]>> I'm very lucky. Back at the ship, we had a chance to sample the local spirit.

[00:31:54]Shou.

[00:31:58]>> What'd you get? What did you get, too?

[00:32:00]>> This is lemon. And this is lime.

[00:32:02]>> All right. Okay. Should I just have a little sip?

[00:32:09]>> I like it.

[00:32:11]>> Oh, that's nice. I like that one.

[00:32:14]>> It was the perfect preamble to afternoon tea in Princess Grill.

[00:32:21]Cunard have always been famous for their afternoon tea, and in the grills, well, it really takes it up a notch. If we had the time and bigger trousers, we'd be doing this every day.

[00:32:39]Despite the rain setting in, the local people came out in force to send us on our way with traditional music and costume. What a wonderful display.

[00:32:51]>> And it seems that everyone joins in regardless of age.

[00:32:57]And a fabulous visit today to a less trodden part of Japan.

[00:33:08]Wow, look at that. The next morning, we arrived at Kochi, our only stop on the smallest of the Japanese islands, Shikoku.

[00:33:16]>> We really hope you enjoy a wonderful day in Kochi. Have a great day.

[00:33:22]>> Good morning from Kochi. We're going to do Kochi on our own today. Queen Elizabeth is looking absolutely stunning and so is the weather this morning. Here we are, Kochi. Going to walk to the castle and picking up a free map. Always handy.

[00:33:38]>> But on the way, we're going to stop at the Haraba Haraya Mashi Bridge.

[00:33:43]>> Yes.

[00:33:44]>> Which apparently is one of the top three most underwhelming tourist attractions in all of Japan. So, I'm so intrigued.

[00:33:53]Here it is. Just give yourself a look of disappointment. I actually think it's quite sweet, actually. Well, it might be disappointing, but all these groups of people taking pictures on it. I don't think it's that disappointing. Do you look at it? How can you not love a cute little bridge, right? Going to walk across it. This is the big moment for me in our six weeks in Japan. This is a highlight. Walking across the iconic bridge. Oh, there's a one of those giant cats of good fortune.

[00:34:29]Oh, go in this market, shall we? And just wander around.

[00:34:35]>> This is nice, isn't it? This is more like it. This is what Helen likes. Fresh produce.

[00:34:40]Just come out of the market. The castle's there.

[00:34:49]Well, we've made it to the castle. You got to take your shoes off. Have you got to have you got to take your shoes off?

[00:34:58]>> There you go. Back to everyone. Their shoes nicely locked away. No shoes will be thieved today. Helen, we are in the castle. I've got an English guide here.

[00:35:10]Kochi Castle went up between6001 and 1611, which by Japanese castle standards makes it practically vintage. Most of the country's great fortresses have been rebuilt in concrete at some point, but not this one. Kochi is one of just 12 castles left in Japan with its original main keep still standing and the only one that's also hung onto its palace. A keep and a palace together. Oh, the full set. Proceeding to the top. Castle keep.

[00:35:39]Look how steep the stairs are. They are extremely steep. They're like ladders basically. So, you got to really got to watch your head because these beams are low. Well, we've reached the top. We're going to go out on the little balcony here. It goes all the way around.

[00:35:59]Back at ground level, we decided the only sensible next move was a tram. The Tossada network has been rattling around Kochi since 1904, making it one of the oldest electric street car systems still working anywhere in the country. A genuine antique that will actually get you somewhere. It rattled us conveniently back towards the shuttle bus stop, saving our legs the final indignity.

[00:36:21]Not quite ready to surrender the day and head back on board, we found a brewery sitting right there on the hill opposite the ship, which felt less like a coincidence, more like the Japanese gods rewarding good behavior. Well, we are here after walking around Coach all morning. It's 1:39 and I am ready for a beer. Okay, here we are. Ordered a beer flight.

[00:36:46]>> Look at the view. That is a view, isn't it? I've just I don't know how many K we walked today, but I've got lots of lack of calories. Isn't that gorgeous? We try number one first, shall we? Which is what?

[00:36:59]>> All aboard.

[00:37:00]>> All aboard. Hopefully not yet. Some lovely gentle just given us some of these snacks to have with our beer.

[00:37:09]>> They're very light. They're sort of obviously cornbased or something. Should we try the bird? What does it look like?

[00:37:18]Oo, it's like a massive massive >> Cheeto as well.

[00:37:26]>> If you come to Cotchi, don't forget to come up here. What a brilliant end to the day at Cotchi.

[00:37:46]If there was an award for country with the friendliest shoreside sendoffs, Japan wouldn't just win it. It would win it, thank everyone individually, then insist on waving until you were a speck on the horizon. The sheer relentless enthusiasm with which this country ushers you in and out is faintly exhausting in the way only genuine kindness can be. Japan, frankly, is showing off, and we love it for that.

[00:38:10]Back on board, the woman with the giant head, a fixture of the day, now presumably retired to wherever gi-aded mascots go at night, steered us seamlessly into another action-packed Cunard formal night. We began with cocktails in the midship gin and fsbar before heading to dinner in the Princess Grill.

[00:38:29]It was red and gold galanite, a theme for which Helen and I prepared with our customary military precision by packing absolutely nothing red or gold whatsoever. So instead, we did the sensible thing. Sat quietly in the corner and ate as much as humanly possible. Cuz in the grills, this is not merely permitted. It's practically encouraged. From there, it was onto the movie Madness Trivia in the Winter Garden, where our combined cinematic knowledge produced a score so spectacularly bad it deserved its own razi. Then we call a guest entertainer in the theater giving a xylophone the beating of its life before winding the evening down marginally less manically watching the ballroom dancing in the queen's room. And that's where we leave part one of our grand voyage of Japan.

[00:39:15]Part two and the rest of our Japan adventures await your eyes and ears. So we'll see you there.