OUR UPCOMING DREAM TRIP THROUGH THE ORIENT

 Well, the day for our next adventure has arrived.  We leave on ANA for Tokyo, spend a few days in Yokohama, then board the Diamond Princess.

From Conde Nast:

Once again, Japan tops the list of the world's best countries, according to our Readers' Choice Awards, which means our readers believe that the best time to visit Japan is simply “always.” It makes sense: With an abundance of trailblazing restaurants, mouthwatering street food spots, unique shopping experiences, rich craft and heritage histories, hikes out in nature, and hotels that represent the pinnacle of hospitality, there's a curated escape to Japan for every type of traveler. After all, there are over 14,000 islands in this archipelagic country, so you're bound to find one strip of land that will fulfill your travel needs.

We do return for our final three days in January to stay at the Tokyo Westin Hotel, which keeps my bottle of Nikka Yoichi 20 year old.  Read about why this particular whisky is noteworthy.  It was discontinued after 2015, so any new bottle is hard to find.  Here is a site selling this bottle for $4,500.

According to that Condé Nast article cited above:

• Winter is the best time to visit Japan.  
• More specifically, between January 15 and March 15. 
• We will be back just after January 15.

• 
  Frankly, I like Japan much better after March 15, say the 25th, to the second week of April, for the Cherry Blossoms.
• Or in November for the Fall colors.  We just will make it on this trip.

• 
  January and February are the lowest cost months to visit Japan.
• This article begins to lose credibility when it says that summer is not a bad time to visit Japan.  I totally disagree, because July and August are way too hot and humid.  Plus, this is the rainy season, so the weather is hard to predict ahead of time.  But the author gets around my problem by saying that Japan is very well air-conditioned.

• 
  Actually, tourism to Japan has jumped (save for the pandemic period) only since 2011, when the foreign visitor count was only around 6.2 million.  Hawaii that year had 7.3 million visitors, with "only" around 10 million expected in 2025.  However, 40 million foreign tourists are predicted for Japan by the end of the year.  Here is a graphic.

• 
  First timers are urged to visit Tokyo and Kyoto, but also out of way places to avoid crowds.
• Trip should last 10-14 days.
• The article says pack light.  I say, bring whatever you want, find a hotel that will hold your large suitcase, and then move around on their trains with what you will only temporarily need.
• What is the tipping culture?  It is not customary, but can be placed in a sealed envelope.  Note that the Japanese people consider cash to be dirty and germy.
• The Dollar to Yen conversion today is 158Y to the $, extremely nice for visitors from the U.S.  In May the exchange was 146Y.  This is one reason why Hawaii has lost many Japanese visitors.

• Japan has 14,000 islands.

So much for Japan, for we will be there only for 8 of the 63 days we will be away.  We board our favorite ship, the Diamond Princess, on November 25 for a 28-night cruise from Yokohama to Singapore.

We then will spend seven days in Singapore from December 23, the first five at the Marriott Tang Plaza.  This the best time to be in this country, for the Christmas lights are better than anywhere else in the world, and the weather is perfect.  Then transfer to the Ritz Carlton for a couple of days because on December 30, we board their Luminara, which began operations this past July.

After a couple of days in Hong Kong, we fly on Asiana to Seoul, South Korea, to stay a the Josun Westin.  A few days later we fly to Tokyo and the Tokyo Westin Hotel.

Return daily for details of this journey.  The next major trip I take could well be my final one, except that we have already booked a Spring North American extravaganza:  Fly to Las Vegas, short stop in Denver, fly to Memphis to catch an American Cruise Line ship to New Orleans.  Then fly to New York City for a few days, followed by a Viking cruise to Toronto, after which we board two trains to Vancouver, Canada VIA and Rocky Mountaineer.  Finally, fly back to Honolulu.

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