September 2023: Our Exciting Cruise To Japan
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Visiting Tokyo has always been a dream of mine, but I had never imagined taking a cruise to Japan. Here is our Celebrity Millennium cruise to Japan recap for September 2023.
The Itinerary
Our 14-night Bering Sea and Japan cruise on Celebrity Millennium sailed one-way from Vancouver to Tokyo with the following revised schedule:
- Day 1: Embarkation at Vancouver
- Day 2: Victoria, BC (replacement port)
- Day 3: At Sea
- Day 4: At Sea
- Day 5: At Sea
- Day 6: At Sea
- Day 7: Dutch Harbor (unscheduled stop)
- Day 8: International Dateline
- Day 9: At Sea
- Day 10: At Sea
- Day 11: At Sea
- Day 12: At Sea
- Day 13: Sapporo, Japan
- Day 14: Aomori, Japan
- Day 15: At Sea
- Day 16: Tokyo, Japan
Yes, those are a LOT of sea days!
Luckily for us, we love sea days, so a long cruise to Japan wasn’t a problem at all. We found plenty to do on the Millennium, a familiar ship to us since we had sailed on her twice last year, once to the Caribbean and then the next month to Alaska. It was like coming home, and we were excited at the possibility of seeing familiar crew members onboard.
If you’re like me, you’ll do the math and realize that a fourteen-day cruise doesn’t end on day sixteen. Well, it does if you cross the international dateline. Turned out we lost a day when we made that crossing (which we got nifty certificates for from Celebrity).
Also, we were originally scheduled to stop in Ketchikan, Alaska, but were unable to do that because of high winds. Victoria, British Columbia, was substituted instead. We have visited Victoria before and enjoyed Butchart Gardens there, so we decided to stay onboard that day.
On Day 7, we made an unscheduled stop at Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska for refueling and a minor repair. You might have heard of Dutch Harbor as the locale for the TV show The Deadliest Catch. It was beautiful countryside but we weren’t allowed to disembark the ship due to no customs officials at that port.
Our Cabin on the Millennium
Thrilled to be in The Retreat again, we stayed in stateroom 6121, a 254-square-foot sky suite with a 57-square-foot veranda. Studio style, the stateroom has an open living/sleeping area with a nicely appointed bathroom.
The veranda is nice for enjoying a cocktail or continental breakfast with two chairs and a small table, and ours was large enough for a cushioned loveseat as well. Too bad that the weather prevented us from enjoying the balcony very much on this cruise.
The Excursions We Took
Being an ocean crossing with few excursions, this trip was a bit different for us. We have been known to stay onboard throughout a cruise before, twice in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then again during our recent cruise to Alaska a few months ago, our third trip there. Luckily, we did have three days for excursions, and we took advantage of two of them.
Day 13: Sapporo
We arrived in Sapporo to good weather and an amazing view of its beautiful suspension bridge.
For our first stop in Japan, Sapporo, we had scheduled a four-hour excursion through Celebrity to Mount Usu and Lake Toya in Hokkaido. The cost of the tour was $127.99 each.
We took a bus from the port of Sapporo to Lake Toya, a volcanic lake, which was incredibly beautiful and unspoiled. Its four islands spearing from the water are magnificent, and we were surprised to see no pleasure boats in the lake. The trip to Lake Toya took a little over an hour.
From a viewing platform below the Mount Usu Ropeway, we could see Lake Toya.
Mount Usu was formed about 20,000 years ago and used to be majestic like Mount Fuji. But about 7,000 to 8,000 years ago, its summit collapsed and subsequent eruptions left it in its current condition.
We boarded a gondola and ascended Mount Usu, amazed at the view revealed as we rose higher.
The ride to the top takes only about six minutes.
Steam could be seen venting from Mount Showa-shinzan, which is adjacent to and below Mount Usu. It is a very new mountain created from the eruption of Mount Usu between 1943 and 1945, remarkable for the swiftness of its rise.
Once we’d enjoyed all the vistas around Mount Usu, we boarded the bus and returned to our ship in Sapporo.
Day 14: Aomori
The next day, we arrived in Aomori in rainy weather. After a quick debate, we decided to go ahead with the tour despite the weather, and I’m so glad we did.
Our Aomori excursion took us to Hirosaki for a five-and-a-half-hour sightseeing tour to see the Nebuta Village and Hirosaki Castle, arranged through Celebrity. The cost was $120.99 each.
Nebuta Village
After a nearly two-hour drive, we arrived at the Nebuta Village, the home of many Hirosaki Festival floats. Inside the museum, various floats were displayed beneath a soaring ceiling, each one more magnificent than the last.
We were ushered to bench seats for a performance by a musician playing a shamisen, a three-stringed instrument similar to a banjo strummed by a large pick. The music was different from anything I’d heard before, a sort of hard-rock folk that was mesmerizing. This was followed by a demonstration of taiko drums, the traditional Japanese booming drums that everyone is familiar with, and volunteers from the audience were asked to try the drums for themselves.
After the performances, which were completely narrated in Japanese, we wound our way through adjacent rooms where various artisans were at work creating traditional Tsugaru clan crafts. We watched artisans creating lacquerware and wooden toys, such as spinning tops, and saw amazing handmade textiles.
Hirosaki Castle
Next, we boarded the bus to travel to Hirosaki Castle, originally constructed in 1611 but struck by lightning and burned down soon after, then reconstructed in 1810. The castle is surrounded by a breathtaking park full of cherry blossom trees and includes a moat.
The castle tower itself is rather small, three stories high and large enough for a steep staircase that allows you to climb to the top and view the area through arrow slits in the walls.
It was pouring down rain at this point but we still enjoyed ourselves, comfortable enough with Myron’s raincoat and my umbrella, courtesy of Celebrity.
How We Spent Our Sea Days
You would think that we would be bored with nine sea days in a row, but we weren’t. The casino was open every day and we spent time there, plus we enjoyed spa treatments like manicures, pedicures, and massages courtesy of the manager’s specials. We also took a two-part cooking class, which was a lot of fun. Of course, we took advantage of some of the ship’s activities and enjoyed a guest vs. officer competition that was a hoot, attended an art auction, and spent a bit of time taking photos and videos for this website.
As always, we ate too much and drank a little too much, but that’s part of cruising. Luckily for us, we didn’t gain the average pound a day from this cruise because we walked the ship so much and had such walking-intensive excursions, both during and after the cruise, so that’s a good thing.
Enjoying Spa Treatments
The Mandara Spa on the Millennium is exceptional, offering hair, nail, and skin treatments, massages, and medi-spa treatments. It also features a fitness center that was very popular during this cruise, and a Persian Garden, which is an abbreviated version of Celebrity’s thermal suite. We didn’t take advantage of the Persian Garden, but we did enjoy some of the spa treatments. So nice to be pampered!
Taking Classes
We were excited to be able to take a two-part cooking class offered in the specialty restaurant Tuscan Grille, which kept us busy two of the mornings at sea (and provided us with lunch as well). In the first session, we learned how to make lobster ramen, and in the second session, we made pasta carbonara. We had a great time during the classes and got to know some of the other passengers, which is always fun.
Eating
Of course, we ate too much, but I have to blame Luminae, the suite restaurant, for most of that. We were pampered and spoiled by our waiter, Arie, and served fabulous food for the entire voyage. We also ate at the specialty restaurant Tuscan Grille one evening and were lucky enough to score a table at Blu another evening.
Whenever we were in the mood for something different, we ate at the buffet, Oceanview Cafe, and took advantage of its amazing abundance of choices.
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Post-Cruise Exploration of Tokyo
No cruise to Japan would be complete without exploring Tokyo, the most highly populated city in the world, so we arranged for a three-day post-cruise stay. After doing some research on the most touristy areas, we booked a hotel in the Ginza district, the Aloft Tokyo Ginza.
Although I wrote in depth about our experiences in Tokyo in other posts, here’s a brief recap of our experience.
On the first day in Tokyo, after leaving the ship, we took a taxi to the Aloft and settled in. The hotel was fantastic, modern and technologically advanced. We found ourselves wishing that hotel chains in the US would adopt some of the same technology like soft-close doors, elevators that take you to your floor with the swipe of your keycard, and Washlet toilets.
Then we did what we usually do in a strange city: explore the blocks surrounding the hotel on foot. We found a great ramen shop nearby, where I ordered vegetable ramen since I don’t eat seafood.
Full-Day Tokyo By Bus Excursion
On the second day in Tokyo, we had arranged for a full-day sightseeing tour of the city by bus. Normally, a four-hour tour is more in our comfort zone than an eleven-hour tour, but we only had two full days to explore Tokyo (just the largest city in the world – no biggie!) and needed to maximize our time.
Our tour took us to the Meiji Shrine, the Imperial Palace, the Senso-ji Temple, Tokyo Skytree, and a short Tokyo Bay cruise, with drive-bys of other famous sites.
Meiji Shrine
Visiting the Meiji Shrine was our first experience with a Shinto shrine, which was quite interesting. There are customs to follow, which we had to learn. We tossed a coin and made our requests, then enjoyed the beautiful area around the shrine.
The shrine and grounds are quite beautiful and are well worth the visit.
Imperial Palace
The Imperial Palace was our next stop. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed inside the palace but could only view it from a distance. The grounds and buildings we could see are quite beautiful, well befitting the home of an emperor and empress.
The palace itself is only open two days a year to visitors, January 2 and February 23, when visitors can come to see the imperial family, who make a balcony appearance. Guided tours of the outer palace grounds are offered throughout the year and take about 75 minutes.
Senso-ji Temple and Asakusa Neighborhood
Next, we made our way to the Asakusa neighborhood, Tokyo’s oldest, to visit the Senso-ji Temple. Unfortunately, we didn’t have time to go inside but took pictures outside. The neighborhood itself and its shopping areas were interesting, giving us glimpses into life in Tokyo.
Shopping in Asakusa is what you would typically expect from a tourist area. The usual souvenirs and trinkets can be found, along with local treats you can buy to take home as gifts. You can even buy geisha outfits there, which we saw many women wearing.
Toyko Skytree
Next up was the Tokyo Skytree Tower, the tallest freestanding tower in Japan at 634 meters. We were able to skip the lines and ascend to the Tembo Deck at 350 meters, and the views of Tokyo were breathtaking. At that height, you get the impact of the full magnitude of the size of Tokyo. It is simply immense.
We highly recommend visiting the Tokyo Skytree to see these views. If you can skip the line as we did, the trip won’t take long but will be worth it.
Tokyo Bay Cruise
At the end of the day, we took a twenty-minute cruise in a large tourist boat from one side of the bay to the other. Seeing Tokyo from the water is an interesting perspective.
Full-Day Mount Fuji Excursion
On the third day in Tokyo, we left the city for a glimpse of the elusive Mount Fuji and to visit Hakone.
Mount Fuji
We’ve all seen the gorgeous photos of a snowcapped Mount Fuji, rising majestically on the horizon, but that’s not the reality when you’re on a tour. Instead, you’ll see part of the mountain fairly close (if you’re lucky). During the 45 minutes or so that we were at the fifth station of Mount Fuji, the clouds came and went, teasing us with only partial glimpses of the summit.
Also, it was chilly at that elevation, something you need to be prepared for. I was in short sleeves, which was perfect for the rest of the day’s tour, but a little cold at about 55 degrees Fahrenheit while at Mount Fuji.
Owakudani Valley
Also known as the Valley of Hell, the Owakudani Valley is smoking. Literally. Being close to an active volcano is a relatively safe thrill, like riding a roller coaster, but signs around the area tell you what to do if an eruption occurs, which is a sobering reminder.
Although the sight is interesting, it’s tempered by the smell of rotten eggs from the adjacent sulfur mine and is overpowering. Honestly, I could have skipped this stop.
Hakone Ropeway
Our second gondola ride was the Hakone Ropeway, which gives you gorgeous views of the Hakone Valley as seen above. Here you can see how mountainous the area is, filled with dense forests.
Cruise on Lake Ashi
Later in the afternoon, we boarded a pirate ship like the one above to cruise across Lake Ashi. The scenery was very pretty along the lake, although the boat held 400 people and was incredibly crowded, which made it hard to maintain a post at the railing to take photos. I did get a nice shot of the Torii gate that protects the Hakone Shrine, seen below.
Hakone Shrine
To reach the Hakone Shrine, you must be able to climb about 90 steps, which was a lot for me at once. We didn’t have much time at this stop, so by the time I reached the top where the shrine was located, I was too winded to do much more than make a wish at the shrine and head back down to the bus. No pictures here, unfortunately.
Taking The Bullet Train
Our last stop was the Odawara train station, where we boarded the bullet train to return to Tokyo. It was amazing – a thirty-minute ride on the train as opposed to two and a half hours by bus. We switched trains at Shinkuya Station, one of the busiest train stations in Tokyo, to board another train to take us to the Tokyo station in Ginza, the neighborhood we were staying in. The transfer took us a good fifteen minutes as we wandered the station, trying to be sure we got on the right train.
From Tokyo Station we walked the mile through the city back to our hotel in the dark, but felt completely safe, surrounded by commuters walking home from their trains. In fact, the entire time we were in Japan, I felt very safe.
Final Thoughts On Our Cruise To Japan
Taking a cruise to Japan checked two items off our bucket list: visiting Asia, and experiencing a transpacific crossing. Both experiences were well worth the eye-watering cost of the trip, and we would absolutely do it again – next time to cruise around Japan rather than to it, and do it during the spring to enjoy the cherry blossoms.
Happy cruising!
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