Kushiro, Japan

Wednesday, May 1, 2019         Kushiro, Japan                         Our final day in Japan

The Westerdam arrived at 8:15am, an hour and 15 minutes later than our 7:00am scheduled arrival.  High winds caused the captain to take the Westerdam back out to sea. A second tug boat was ordered up to be tied as an anchor to the back of the ship.   

This was a first time that we had ever seen this happen. I’m sure the captain was feeling the pressure from Japanese immigration officials to have all passengers go through an exiting immigration process in the afternoon.

This morning it was pouring rain…and it lasted the whole day.  We crossed the bridge displaying the  four Japanese women  statues in four seasons.

 Larry and I canceled our plans to go to the Kushiro Shitsugen National Park to see the national bird, the Japanese Cranes. Instead we took the shuttle into town to go to Kushiro Fishermans Wharf Moo and Egg, a shopping area full of Japanese souvenirs and displays. 

Despite the rain, we had a fantastic time in this multi floored area.  The locals had many cultural experiences prepared for the visiting passengers on the second floor.

( Japanense Calligraphy, Flapping Crane Origami, Japanese Archery Performance,

                                                           Kimono Dressing experience,  

                                                       a classical Japanese Dance Performance, 

as well as all kinds of handicarfts made by the locals who gave us lessons on making the same items. This was the most friendly group of people that we have met on our whole Japan trip. They welcomed us with cups of green tea. It was down right nice.

Interesting displays were scattered amongst the activities.

       Because of the weather, this is as close as we got to the Japanese Crane, the national bird.

                    Across the waterway from the shopping area we could see various vessels.

Larry and I enjoyed the whole day here. Being a genuinely kind  group of folks, it was extremely thoughtful of them to provide so much entertainment for us. We really enjoyed talking with them most of the day…. but of course, we were whipping out our translators quite frequently.

                                                        A large windsock on display

Our ship pulled out of the harbor at 5:00pm. Larry and I had a bit of a sad heart, saying good-by to Japan.  We have six cruising days across the northern Pacific before arriving in Kodiak, Alaska. NNNNNice!