The Shinkansen takes around 3 hours to get from Sendai to Shin-Hakodate.  A car, perhaps 8.5 hours.  Our cruise ship leaves Sendai at 3PM and is expected to arrive in the Port of Hakodate at 7AM, or 16 hours later.  Our ship would need to cruise at 22 MPH.  The Riviera's top speed is 23 MPH. The largest cruise ship today is the Icon of the Seas.  She has a top speed of 28 MPH.  The Titanic could just about reach that speed. The Oceania Riviera was supposed to depart at 3PM, but instead left at 2:50.  So this is the only photo I took. Sendai is a special place for me.  I have stayed at the Sendai Westin at least ten times.  Photo to the left, sunset from the Executive Club.  The room price now is around $350/night.  I remember a few months after the 11March2011 Great Tohoku cataclysm, with the Fukushima damaged nuclear reactors only 50 miles away, I only paid $45/night. 2012 :  In April, 13 months after the Great Tohoku disaster...

After the cruise, we spent two nights at the Sheraton Yokohama Bay.  A pattern is forming: Breakfast comes free with the room, and the buffet is grand and wonderful.  We eat so much that lunch is mostly unnecessary, Then there is the cocktail hour with appetizers.   We thus in four days including the first day of our train trip have yet to eat in a restaurant. There are variations to the above, but the following photos showcase cuisine more than travel scenes.  Our room was not ready when we checked into the Sheraton Yokohama Bay, so had a snack in the executive lounge.  No alcohol served until 5PM. A large underground shopping area is located below our hotel.  We went for a walk and saw the typical $131/pound wagyu beef.  We bought some o-toro and hamachi sashimi, onigiri and potato salad, plus beer and sake to have a light lunch in our room. We returned to the Executive Club at 5PM for cocktails and appetizers. Breakfast the following morning, f...