March 24, 2024

The ship is tying up on the opposite side of our room today in Tokyo. I had to go out and walk across the ship to get photos.

Kyoto was the capital from 794 until 1868. Tokyo means Eastern Captital. The Edo period lasted for nearly 260 years until the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when the Tokugawa Shogunate ended and Imperial rule was restored. The Emperor moved to Edo which was renamed Tokyo. Edo means mouth of the bay. Japan’s largest city since the 17th century. The ruling class renamed Edo as Tokyo and seleted it as the capital of the new nation they intended to build. Kyoto remained prominent however as old traditions and customs were being followed there.

There are many photos and videos of this trip and others on Instagram of our voyage and more at R.C. Hand on Facebook and Instagram.

The weather is better than expected but cool. Some blue skies are showing through the clouds. It is expected to rain. We are on time for the Cherry blossoms.

We have a city tour of Tokyo this morning and tonight. We leave the ship for Osaka tomorrow on “The Bullet Train.”

We are excited to see old friends after a few years apart.