The Diamond Princess arrived in Busan at 7:30AM, and it was raining, so I took this photo from inside my cabin. The rain later stopped. We docked next to the Regent 7 Seas Explorer,  the ship we were on a year ago from Dubai to Singapore .  I said: We boarded the Regent Seven Seas Explorer, and if there is a Heaven, this certainly is one possible scenario.  Check-in was flawless, and in consideration of all the visa and vaccination protocols, quick. Started with a champagne greeting With a welcome champagne, this was our skyline view of Dubai.  Note the Burj Khalifa, the tallest in the world.   But work has begun again for Saudi Arabia's Jeddah Tower, to be called  Kingdom Tower , and at 3281 feet, will be 564 feet taller. So, anyway, this is the same Regent 7 Seas Explorer next to us. First, a Japanese breakfast, to which I added an egg-over-easy and ham. Not long thereafter, lunch.  Again, wonderful, but filling. Dessert. I looked down to the dock area, and it looked like compoun

Sakaiminato is another city tourists never visit.  I never even heard of it until this cruise.   Not much to say about this city, but: Sakaiminato is formed of two kanji characters.  The first means border, and the second is port. Has a population of 32,000, but was 38,000 in 1980. 466 miles from Tokyo, and even with the bullet train covering a good portion, it takes 8 hours to get here by train. At one time it had a sister city, Wonson, North Korea, which was revoked in 2006. The most notable person from here is Shigeru Mizuki, manga creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro.  One hundred bronze statues of the characters line Kitaro Road. A ferry from this port is the only one which can take you to Russia from Japan. Read this vlog  describing what to do if you stay a night and day.  And the ideal spot they recommend is the Onyado Nono Sakaiminato Dormy Inn, which has an onsen and is located right by the train station.  Also offers free noodles in the evening, and, of course, a free Japanese breakf