OCEAN DEEP
An 8-day trip in Japan with Costa Cruises brought about the right amount of rest and relaxation
Having been to Japan the year before, an invitation to return, this time with Costa Cruise’s Costa neoRomantica cruise was eagerly accepted. The eight-day trip would begin at Tokyo, making day stops at Kobe, followed by Jeju Island in South Korea, and a return to Japan in Fukuoka, before ending in Tokyo.
I eagerly packed my clothing, excited for the cool, autumn breeze awaiting. Even the usual Manila traffic on the way to the airport was easy to ignore, along with the agonizing waiting time at the runway as we waited to depart. When we landed in Haneda Airport, Wye Leng Wong, the PR representative for Costa Cruises greeted us and immediately took us to have ramen for lunch. The taste of authentic Japanese ramen is impossible to forget.
Following that, we drove into the Ginza district, where we stayed one night at the Villa Fontaine hotel. I was not up for much exploring, as I fell asleep right away and woke up at night, having missed dinner. I decided to go to the local Family Mart, where I greatly enjoyed the selections they had on offer, like the tuna onigiri.
I returned to the hotel for a pleasant meal before I fell asleep once again.
The next day, I woke up to have a quick breakfast at the hotel restaurant before I met up with the rest of the people who were taking the same trip as me. We went to Tokyo’s famed Tsukiji Market, a warren of interconnected streets selling fresh sushi and the like. We tried the fresh tamago, from the famed Marutake stall, recently featured on Buzzfeed’s premier food program Worth It, along with samplers of sushi around the road. I was quite wary of having raw fish so early in the morning, but I need not have worried because everything was high quality, the sort of thing you expect from Japan. I also purchased a small dish in my favorite color of “millennial pink,” from an independent ceramics shop that sold beautiful sets of plate ware.
Following this was a short bus ride to Asakusa Shrine. This Shinto shrine is one of the most famous in the city and was one of only two buildings in the area to survive Allied bombing during World War II. Designated as an Important Cultural Property, hordes of locals and tourists visit every day. It was very tempting on the walk towards the shrine to buy the souvenirs for sale but I put myself on a strict budget. Near the end of the shrine, I picked out
my omikuji or fortune. These little strips of paper can be found at shrines and temples across the country. During my last visit to Japan, I had relatively good fortune, but unfortunately, the one I picked on this trip warned me of negative portents to come.
Finally, we drove to the boat. Docked majestically at Oi Wharf, Costa neoRomantica has a passenger capacity of 1800 and is capable of a maximum speed of 20 knots. With 789 cabins (the most exclusive being the Grand Suite) and ten decks (plus two for crew use), the ship is swathed in luxury and its hospitality is among the best in the world. We checked in, found our rooms, had lunch at Giardino Buffet and participated in the ocean drill. After the boat’s anchor was lifted, we were on our way.
After a few hours of rest, we had dinner at Botticelli Fine Dining Restaurant. Decorated with detailed shots of Sandro Botticelli’s famed works, this is the ship’s area for main dining and features Italian and Asian selections. The friendly, mostly-Filipino staff was quick to offer a smile and a list of the recommended drinks. After dinner, it was time for bed, with the rocking motions of the sea lulling me to sleep.
CITY BY THE SEA
The next day, on the way to Kobe, I got up early to explore the ship on my own and peruse the gym. There were posters advertising spinning classes that unfortunately, were not available for this sailing. Nevertheless, I spent 45 minutes on the treadmill, aware that I would be doing nothing but enjoying the food for the next few days. After I took a quick shower, the boat arrived at Kobe.
The sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital of Hyōgo Prefecture, Kobe is situated on the main island of Honshu and is about 30km west of Osaka. The city is the namesake of Kobe beef, so we were all excited for a taste of this famed dish.
It has been just over 152 years since the city opened its ports to foreign trade, and some of the homes of foreign traders ( ijinkan) are still standing, such as the former Thomas residence, now commonly known as the Weathercock House, for the ornament on the roof depicting a weathercock that shows the direction of the wind. Located at the Kitano-cho district, this residence was owned by a German trader and his family. The home’s distinct architectural direction of brown brick combined with Japanese-style window frames makes it stand out. Inside, it is like stepping into a door that
opens into a more genteel time in the past, and you can really see how the Thomas family lived during the time.
Following this, we moved on to Meriken Park. This waterfront park in the port area is built on reclaimed land and is a great place for a brisk walk. Located near the water is a small memorial dedicated to the Great Hanshin Earthquake. Kobe was hit the hardest during this calamitous event, with a loss of life count up to 6,434 and severe structural damage all over the city. If you look closely at the waterfront, you can see a little bit of unrepaired section, which stands as proof of the earthquake’s terrible power.
We walked to the Kobe Port Tower, which was built in 1963 and stands at 108 meters tall. At the top is an observation deck that shows 360 degrees of this splendorous city, especially captivating at nighttime.
A DAY AT SEA
The next day was a full day at sea, which started with a tour of the boat. We took a visit to the kitchens, the other restaurants, and finally, ended at the Samsara Spa, famed for being the largest spa facility at sea (standing at 4,400 sqm) and for its wide range of spa treatments like a thalassotherapy pool, sauna, Turkish bath, UVA solarium, and treatment rooms.
For lunch, we availed of the steak at the Seafood & Steak House Restaurant, with its top-rated meat cuts and mouth-watering seafood. The delicious food was too much to handle, so I had a nap before getting up for one of the cruise’s themed nights, the White Dinner. Following dinner, we took in the Magic show, which was quite a hilarious experience, and very exciting for the kids to watch.
THE KOREAN WAVE
Day five of the entire trip had the earliest wakeup call, so I got up for another 45 minutes on the treadmill, before the entire group departed for Jeju in South Korea. This was the part of the trip I was most excited for, although I wish we could have spent a longer amount of time in Korea. The weather was quite brisk and cold, a departure from the quite mild breeze in Japan. In Jeju, our first stop was lunch, featuring the island’s specialty of abalone. This delicacy is picked by Jeju’s haenyo (women divers), who are known for their grit and determination. The abalone was delicious, along with the other food presented to us. As a fan of any kind of Korean food, I was happy with everything I ate.
We then visited the “Untitled, 17” café run by G-Dragon of the popular (if quite scandalous) Korean idol group Big Bang, located at Shinwa World, a popular franchise of the Korean theme park. Decorating the café are esoteric pieces of art that G-Dragon is known for, along with mementos from his career. We also walked to the theme park itself, although we, unfortunately, had no time to partake in any of the rides.
Our last stop of the day was the Osulloc Tea Museum, which detailed the history of green tea grown in Jeju and where I was able to buy some tasty green tea spreads. In the same complex is the Innisfree store. Innisfree is a popular Korean makeup-brand, and as
someone who loves cosmetics, I was able to tick off some things off my shopping list.
Finally, it was time to return to the boat, where we had a formal-themed dinner, followed by a music show with the boat’s musical talents.
QUAINT CITY STREETS
The final stop before Tokyo was at Fukuoka. We endured quite a long line at immigration, as we had just come from Korea the day before. Our first stop was Dazaifu Tenmangu, a shrine dedicated to Sugawara Michizane, a politician whose educational prowess has connected him to Tenjin, a deity of education. Thus, his shrines are popular with Japanese students seeking blessings for important school exams.
The large shrine begins at a torii gate in the entrance, crossing a pond and two arched bridges that represent the past, present and future. I partook in the water blessing ritual in the shrine before we walked closer to observe the blessings occurring housed within the honden (main hall). Standing on the right is a plum tree, which according to legend flew from Kyoto to Dazaifu to accompany Michizane into exile. Michizane favored plums, and on the grounds of the shrine are as many as 6000 plum trees.
On the road leading up to the shrine is a quaint shopping street selling artisanal Japanese souvenirs, treats and even a Starbucks designed by Kengo Kuma and Associates, featuring an artful interior of 2000 batons that create a woven lattice pattern and is eye
catching from any direction of the street outside. I was able to buy a beautiful pink scarf and try the delicious umegae mochi, a delicious red-bean paste pastry that was warming and filling to the stomach.
After this, it was a short car ride away to the Joten-ji gardens in Hakata. This beautiful garden was built in the middle of the Kamakura period by Enni, a monk of the Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism with the help of government official Muto Sukeyori and Sha Kokumeni, a wealthy merchant who traded with Song China. This connection with China allowed Enni to bring back water mill technology, which in turn allowed the birthplace of udon and soba noodles in Hakata.
The karesansui (dry landscape garden) in Joten-ji is the standout feature of the entire place. The white stones on the ground are said to represent the Genkai Sea, while the greenery represents China. The whole area is representative of the country’s aesthetic ideal when it comes to gardens, where the viewer is invited to see it one landscape at a time as if looking at a scroll of painted landscapes and finding something new to discover.
We then had lunch at Bayside Place Hakata, a commercial waterfront complex that featured a restaurant that served us the freshest sushi. This was perhaps the most enjoyable meal I had for the whole trip. We then climbed the Hakata Port Tower, a 100-meter tall tower with a panoramic view that gave us a view of the whole city, including the Costa neoRomantica, and at this point, I was a little scared that the ship was going to leave us behind. Fortunately, we were not the last to make it aboard and we went on our merry way.
WALKING AROUND A CROWDED CITY
We then departed the next day. It was quite sad to say goodbye to the friends I made, but I was also very excited to walk around Tokyo on my own. After checking in the hotel, we all split up and I made my way to Sugamo, using Japan’s excellent subway system. My purpose of visiting Sugamo was to try the ramen at Tsuta Japanese Soba Noodles, the first ramen restaurant to ever get a Michelin star. Unfortunately, the restaurant was closed for an emergency when I arrived. I decided to eat sukiyaki instead, which was a worthy replacement.
I knew transportation in Tokyo would be expensive, so I committed to riding the subway the whole day. I decided to check out the Yayoi Kusama museum in the Waseda University area (and fulfill my dream of pretending as if I was a Waseda student in a Haruki Murakami novel). This, unfortunately, also turned out to be
a waste of time because I needed to book online tickets to get into the museum.
I decided to go shopping instead. I went to Shibuya, to experience the iconic Shibuya crossing, a moment that I will never remember. Nothing beats being in that overwhelming crush of people walking back and forth. I went crazy in Matsumoto Kiyoshi which is Japan’s version of CVS, and purchased some highly recommended Japanese skincare products. In Shinjuku, I was able to see the first ever branch of Kinokuniya Bookstore, where I purchased A True Novel by Minae Muzumura, an adaptation of Wuthering
Heights set in Japan. In Ginza, I spent a pretty penny at COS. Finally, dinner was at a local yakitori spot on the street, very delicious and casual, and it hit all the right spots.
Our last morning in Japan was quite sad. I packed my suitcase (obviously heavier now) and flew out of Haneda. We had a stopover at Fukuoka, where I was able to buy last minute treats for friends and family, and on the flight home, I spent it dreaming of shrines and plum trees in Japan.