Japan 2023

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In November of 2023 I took a trip to Japan for a few days in Tokyo and a nice cruise around Japan.

Ship: Celebrity Millenium 

For all those interested, I will be doing this cruise in 2025. Click here to review the 2025 itinerary for Japan

Right now, I have an exclusive rate for a balcony, an additional $200 on board credit, free classic beverages package and wifi. Let me know if you'd like to join me.

Lets begin the review!

I flew round trip Jacksonville with one stop each way.  Once I got to DC I was already regretting  booking economy flights.  I went to the United desk and asked if I could upgrade to business.  After a couple minutes waiting, I was shocked to find I could for an additional $900.  An absolute STEAL.  I immediately paid and it was the best choice I have made in a while.  I highly recommend business class for your flight.

Once I arrived in Tokyo it was the the next day around 6PM.  I went to my hotel, APA Hotel in Sumida, a slower neighborhood in Tokyo.  It was a comfortable and acceptable hotel, I will find something better next time though.  I will say though this APA hotel was really good.

I didn't do much the night I arrived, the time change and travel made it easy for me to grab a drink and something to eat at the hotel and rest for the big day I had planned in just 12 short hours.

I woke up at first light and went to 7/11 for a coffee and a snack, 7/11s are really nice in Japan.  I walked around the local area and took in a few temples and the river.  A nice morning to enjoy Tokyo.

I booked a private guide for the day, it was a Tokyo walking tour with lunch. It was $125 for 4 hours and It was a private tour!  We walked around Shinjuku city, which is a lot like Times Square.  There were some neat back alley eateries and bars, we went to a viewing platform and a very large shrine, Meiji, the largest in Tokyo.

The next day I planned two tours, a 6 hour bike ride around Tokyo, this was awesome!  Saw a lot of the city up close, had lunch and met two people that were on the same cruise I was on.  If you are up for it, I would strongly recommend a bike ride!  After, I met up with the same guide I had for the walking tour and we did a night time tour.  I was exploring on my own before meeting the guide and came across a small farmers market with local foods and wines right in the heart of Shinjuku!  It was great. The guide arrived, we planned the evening with a few of the wines in the market and headed on our way.  The highlight had to be the Golden Gai area, which is a series of small restaurants and bars.  Very cool to experience.

After what seemed like a blur two days in Tokyo, it was time to head out to Yokohama for the cruise!  I wandered around Yokohama, went to chinatown, took in the bayfront park and just enjoyed the day.  I elected not to do a tour, which I somewhat regret.  It would have been nice to have more of a planned day.  Around 2pm, I boarded the ship.

The first stop was MOUNT FUJI! A sight I have always wanted to see, I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the beauty from the ship that morning before heading out the the museum and viewing center on a Celebrity excursion.  I will admit the excursion wasn't that great but it did deliver on Fuji.  There was another excursion that included a lake instead of the museum, I would have liked to have done that one, but it was sold out.  Advice: BOOK EXCURSIONS EARLY.

The next port was Kyoto (Ship docks in Osaka) We were overnight in this port, so, I really wanted to take advantage!  I booked a bike ride at 1pm in Kyoto and a night walking tour dinner and bar hopping, both with viator.  Sadly, we docked about 45 minutes late and I could not make the bike tour. (Kyoto is about 35 minutes by train from the port, so, I had to improvise!  I ended up going to Osaka castle for the afternoon, which was really cool.  A great museum and park.  Pretty interesting to see and the views from the top of the castle were great. After, I took the bullet train to Kyoto and took in some of the sights before the night time walking tour.  The guide said we may see a Geisha, but that never happened, we walked around old Kyoto, had Japanese tapas and went to a cool rooftop bar and lounge, it was really fun and Kyoto is a beautiful city.  The next morning I did a Kyoto private tour with some people from the ship.  Saw a lot of the same stuff as the night tour, but it was a nice tour and saw some extras in Kyoto.

After a day at sea, the next stop was Jeju island, Korea. It was really interesting being back in Korea, I visited a farm and had some lunch, upon return I took in the local farmers market.

In Hiroshima, I visited the Peace museum, which I recommend to all.  This was a very somber experience, however, very important and historical site.

In Kagoshima, I went to the Kamikaze museum.

Kochi was our last port, it was cool!  There is a castle still standing from the futile period which I visited, lots of stairs to get to the top, so keep that in mind.  Great port area and absolutely beautiful scenery!

I cant wait to go back to Japan.  Is an amazing country and every port was clean, interesting and historical.