Tokyo

Tokyo, Japan Feb 24, 2026 The final day of our cruise brought us to the port near Tokyo. The morning was busy as we prepared to abandon ship. The night before, we placed our luggage in the hallway for the crew to transport to the dock. Debby, Nancy, and I made our way to the International Café for one last breakfast before disembarking. Instead of 3,000 passengers cramming toward the exit door at the same time, the crew gave everyone numbers, dividing us into smaller groups. When our number was called, we would make our way to the door, exit for the last time, retrieve our luggage, and then head to the ground transportation area. The seven of us made our way toward the exit and waited in a long line of tourists needing transportation. The people coordinating the taxi service were very efficient, and the line moved quickly. When it was our turn, the seven of us—with a ton of luggage—were given taxis to take us to our hotel. Our hotel was about 40 minutes away. Morning traffic was busy, and the taxis were spread out a bit, but they managed to get us to our destination within about 10 or 12 minutes of each other. We checked in, but we weren’t able to access our rooms until 3:00 p.m. The hotel allowed us to leave our luggage there until check-in time, which was very helpful. After deciding what to do, we headed up the street, following our GPS map. The streets were busy with people and vehicles. We kept forgetting to walk on the left side and often found ourselves spread out across the sidewalk, having to move out of the way of oncoming traffic, bicycles, delivery vehicles, and pedestrians. Eventually we ended up in an area I’ll call “Little Times Square.” The gathering area was outside a large subway entrance and was crowded with people. Tall buildings displayed video screens showing advertisements and other visuals, similar to New York’s Times Square. It was on a smaller scale, but somehow seemed even more expensive. There wasn’t much to do except people-watch. We managed to find places to sit and rest from the long walk. At our age, walking all day isn’t quite as fun as it used to be. Eric and I went into an outdoor store called Arcteryx. They’re known for high-quality outdoor clothing, hiking gear, and backpacking equipment. We went inside just to look around. We found $1,200–$1,600 jackets, $800 shoes and shirts, and $400 T-shirts. It all seemed a little excessive! The narrow store had several levels and we ventured up three or four floors before deciding to leave. We found nothing within our price range. Around the corner we checked out another store that sold almost every kind of electronic gadget imaginable. Eric bought a couple of things while I browsed around. When we returned to the street, we found the rest of our group and decided to go back and check into the hotel. Eric made reservations at a Kobe beef steakhouse, and I decided to go with him. It was about a 15-minute walk toward the Times Square area. Kobe beef is a premium type of Wagyu beef from Japan. It is known for its exceptional tenderness, rich flavor, and impressive marbling. Apparently, it comes from a specific breed of certified black cattle. I suspect these cattle receive daily massages, foot rubs, relaxing hot-spring baths, and maybe even counseling sessions. That must be why Kobe steaks are so rare and expensive. In case you’re wondering, our dinners were a little over $500. Yes…we know. After dinner, Eric and I walked into the heart of the bright lights, towering video screens, and wall-to-wall crowds in the Times Square area. It was impressive to see at night. There were many more people than during the day, and the lights made everything even more spectacular. The next morning around 10:00, our friend Oki arrived to show us around town. Unfortunately, it was raining and cold. In fact, it rained all day and into the evening, making our sightseeing a little damp. Oki managed to find shortcuts through subway stations and underground passages that helped keep us somewhat drier. One of our stops was a local Japanese garden. It was large and beautifully maintained. Not many people were visiting that day, probably because of the rain. It was miserable weather, but we were determined to see the sights. We visited a few coffee shops along the way, mainly to sit down and rest. Each stop gave us a chance to warm up and dry out a little. For lunch we went to a food court in the basement of a large shopping complex. If you could name it, they probably had it. Mike Pinkerton had some spicy Korean food. I had a Big Mac from McDonald’s. Everyone found something they wanted. The only challenge was finding enough table space for all of us to sit together. After lunch, Eric and I ventured upstairs to visit a huge Apple Store. It was spacious and brightly lit. Devices of all kinds were on display for customers to try. Appointments were required for demonstrations or closer inspections. Prices seemed a little higher than in the U.S. The iPhone 17 we looked at was around $1,400 U.S., though I didn’t know the exact specifications to compare it properly. After everyone finished exploring the mall, we visited the Japanese garden again and then stopped at another coffee shop. At one point we even went into a stationery store to check out pencils and paper clips. After all, that’s why people come to Japan, right? That evening, Eric, Debby, and I had dinner with Oki and his mother. She invited us to a Japanese-Italian restaurant. We had oysters, mussels, scallops, vegetables, and several other things I couldn’t quite identify—but everything was delicious. We especially appreciated her generosity and the opportunity to spend time getting to know her better. She was a very kind lady and seemed to enjoy our company as well. She has been having problems with her vision, though the doctors aren’t sure what’s causing it. Her condition is reducing her eyesight and causing dry eyes. I showed her one of my handheld magnifying devices. She was amazed at how clearly she could see with it. When we left, I gave her the device so she could read her medication bottles and other small print. She was very thankful. Oki escorted us back to the hotel by taxi. The next day he came by again as we checked out, just to make sure we had rides arranged to the airport. Once again we needed three taxis for the roughly 40-minute trip. Those rides cost about $150 U.S. each. Nothing in Tokyo is cheap. We checked our luggage and made it through immigration to exit the country. We arrived at the airport early—just the way we like it. The 9-hour flight to Los Angeles was long but not too bad. We were served a couple of meals during the flight. We flew Delta to Los Angeles and then American Airlines from LA to Tulsa. Originally, we planned to stay overnight in Tulsa, but we decided to drive straight on to Arkansas instead. We were ready to be home. Looking back, it was a great trip. Debby and Nancy planned the entire journey, and everything went smoothly. We had a lot of fun and saw places we had only heard about before. And I got my fix of seeing Vietnam again. Now I’m satisfied.