It has been said, "The best plans of mice and men often go astray." This day was one of those. I had thought with this being such a small port area that we would be able to do a number of things. But it was not to be and that turned out to be okay.
We arrived in Kagoshima right on time at 8am to an enthusiastic welcoming crowd. We watched a number of HAL shore excursions depart the terminal area while we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before disembarking the ship. At the very friendly tourist information center, we obtained a nice map and purchased for 1,000YEN a "Welcome CUTE" card which gives us unlimited access to the public transportation including the Kagoshima trams, buses, the Sakurajima ferry, and the bus on the Sakurajima Island where the volcano is located.
The international cruise terminal is located about 20 minutes from the downtown area, but HAL provided free courtesy shuttles that operated until 3:30pm we were told. However, we didn't note in the printed daily program that they actually ran until 4:30pm. Again that worked out okay. So off on the shuttle we went and at the drop off point we were greeted by local guides who could answer questions. We were directed to a local book store where we were able to find some items for our granddaughter. We then walked about a mile to the ferry so that we could take the 11:05am ferry which is the only ferry during the day that takes 50 minutes to cross the harbor. In effect, it's a mini-cruise. (Like we need another cruise!}. What everyone failed to tell us was that we needed to go to the ticket office to present our CUTE pass for the proper ticket. Eventually we figured it out, and boarded the pretty purple colored ferry with its two car decks and two passenger decks.
I should add that while walking around I noted many cute but small and boxy Japanese cars that are quite unlike any we have seen elsewhere in the world. And they were everywhere. Also there were multiple HONDA car dealers all along the main road into town, plus dealers for NISSAN, SUZUKI, and other brands I didn't recognize. I also spotted motorcycle dealers including Yamaha, HONDA, and Ducati. And there were a few Harley's being ridden around.
Coming back to our trip, the cruise was a nice way to see the harbor and the island from a water perspective. Upon disembarking from the ferry at the island we immediately made our way downstairs to the bus stop and noted there were at least two bus loads of people waiting for the 12:15pm Island View Tour Bus. Fortunately they added a second bus and all of us were accommodated. The bus was very crowded but made 3 stops where we could get off and take pictures. The 3rd stop at the Yunonohira Observatory at 337 meters or just over 1,000 feet in elevation was the most scenic stop. Unfortunately Mt. Sakurajima was covered in clouds so we couldn't see the summit from the observatory.
Back at the ferry terminal, we got off the bus and headed out to find something to eat. We found a WATSONS convernience store and procured some chicken, sticky buns, sushi, and sodas. Pat & Darrell, who were on our tour yesterday, showed up and encouraged us to walk a bit farther and enjoy a foot dip in the heated water and take in the views of the volcanic rocks along the beach. So we took their suggestion and headed there. At the foot bath area, we struck up a conversation with a Belgian traveling DJ and enjoyed that conversation. He may be playing Seattle during May. We'll try to look him up. Afterwards we made our way to the ferry and happened to be able to get on the same purple ferry for the 15 minute ride back to the mainland. We then walked pretty fast to the shuttle pick-up point and arrived there right at 3:30pm on the dot! There was quite a line there, and we were able to get on a bus around 4pm.
Back at the ship, we did a bit of shopping before boarding the ship and heading up to the Crow's Nest for the sail away. In the Crow's Nest we met a nice couple from Florida and exchanged some tips on cruising with emphasis on the portable WIFI device that I use. They encouraged me to write my tips up in my blog which I may do during the Pacific crossing. About that time my wife arrived and said our granddaughter needed my technical help in getting the DVD player to work in the cabin. So off I went to help her (it took about 20 seconds) and she was impressed. I then returned to the Crow's Nest to photograph the mountain which had finally lost its cloud cover as well as the drummers who were sending us off. I really appreciate when communities do activities like this to welcome or send us off. I know we bring a a lot of economic stimulus to their local economies.
Just after we departed the Captain came on the PA system with information about our course. He noted we may encounter gale force winds (8 on the Beaufort scale). By the way, he normally does these announcements before our departure, and I don't know the reason for the departure.
We had a very quick LIDO dinner (the captain was also eating dinner in the Lido) and we attended Phil's presentation on Japanese Tea Ceremonies. It was very good as usual.
Classique was the evening stage show by the singers and dancers. It's probably my favorite of all of their shows because of the classical music songs and dances plus the costuming is excellent. We've seen this show at least a half dozen times and probably more. I even went back to see the 10pm show. Jackie was the movie, but I didn't want to see it.
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