I asked Google AI what is the most popular cruise ship in Japan: Several major international cruise lines operate an extended season of sailings around Japan, attracting both Japanese and international travelers.   Diamond Princess:   This ship is arguably the most famous international vessel to homeport in Japan. Princess Cruises has a significant and long-standing presence in the Japanese market, offering a vast number of itineraries and sailings around the islands. So I searched further and found:   The Best Japan Cruises 2026:  An Insider's Guide to Unforgettable Cultural Experiences. Want to experience authentic Japanese culture and festivals—but not sure where to start? Wondering when’s the best time to cruise Japan? Curious if you’ll actually get to explore those historic sites you’ve been dreaming about? There first is a list of the top three cruises for 2026: #1  Diamond Princess          Japan's Top 3 Festival Cruises...

One of the special attractions about Japan is their animal restaurants.  For example, we never saw a capybara when we visited the San Diego Zoo last month, but heard about the   Yokohama Capabara Cafe and Petting Zoo .  Has an admission fee of 4800 Yen.  The exchange rate today is 157Y to the $, so the actual cost is $21 just to enter.  Checked and learned that this attraction is has permanently closed.  Owner Shiramizu passed away and the capybaras were re-homed. Here is a  video featuring all kinds of animal cafes in Tokyo .  Some of them reported by Google AI: Hedgehog cafes :   Cafes like the   Chiku Chiku Cafe   allow visitors to hold and feed hedgehogs. Other locations, like the   HARRY cafes , have expanded to include hedgehogs and other small animals. Owl cafes:   In some Tokyo cafes, visitors can interact with and pet owls, including large and small varieties. The experience often involves gentle touching and hold...

  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 ....

We are a few days away from our exciting adventure to the Orient.  One stop will be Taiwan.  However, Japan-China relations just deteriorated. Japan's first female Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi met with Chinese President Xi Jinping on 31October2025.  All went well. But on November 7, Takaichi veered from Japan's policy of " strategic ambiguity " about Taiwan, suggesting that an attack on Taiwan could amount to a "survival-threatening situation" that would permit Japan to exercise collective self-defense. This drew the ire of China, which has maintained that Taiwan is part of China, and that they will someday, by force, if necessary, regain total control,  as was done with Hong Kong.  We also will visit that city, twice on this trip. Takaichi refused to retract her remarks. Usually, most of what happens is just tense talk, but this time, China urged their citizens to hold off on any trip to Japan this year. If the Chinese take this seriously, Japan will be si...