The trip to Japan came about after comparing and discussing our bucket list with that of our close friends and traveling companions, the Lindahls. Since many aspects of our respective lives are so uncommonly similar, it was no surprise that we all had the same desire to visit the islands of Japan, and its unique culture.

The manner in which we determined how we would proceed with the adventure essentially came down to what would be the easiest. A land based exploration would require the planning of multiple hotels, and the transportation options between said hotels. Add to that the daily pain of living out of a suitcase, packing and unpacking each day, all of which would add significantly to the overall stress of the trip. It’s something we always want to try and avoid.

Since we wanted to see as many regions as possible, land based travel between these regions would be tiresome. It was at this point that we started looking to see if a cruise around Japan would provide a compatible solution. On a cruise ship, we’d unpack only once for the entire duration of the trip, and hours every single day would be saved by not having to search out where we would get breakfast, lunch and dinner. After looking at a number of cruise ship companies, we found one that had an itinerary that visited the four main islands of Japan, and covered a large number of regions with a time frame that fit our schedule. It also put us in Japan at the time of the world famous cherry blossom season in early spring. Although the actual timing of the cherry blossom season varies from year to year, this cruise period was the only one that was close to the optimal time frame.

Unforeseen Cultural Complication

Although we were looking forward to enjoying the natural beauty of Japan, and experience the hospitality of the Japanese people, we were not expecting to run into a cultural obstruction. That obstruction was an annual event called Golden Week. It’s a national holiday that lasts around five days. But this year it had a unique complication that only happens once every generation.

This complication was the abdication of the sitting Emperor, Akihito, and the ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne of the 126th Emperor of Japan, his 59 year old son Naruhito. This ascension is another in the unbroken family line that stretches back 14 centuries. This event also heralded the beginning of the new “Reiwa” era. An era change takes place every time a new emperor ascends to the throne.

The effect that this ascension had on our visit to Japan was to extend the national holiday to a length of ten days. So for ten days of our trip, we not only had to deal with the influx of foreign tourists visiting for the cherry blossom season, but all the Japanese people who were also on holiday, and visiting all the locations that we wanted to see. To put it another way, it felt like being shrunk down and thrust into a giant bee hive.

The upside, at least, was that we had the honour of being in Japan on the very day the new emperor ascended. Sure, he’s no longer considered a living god, but we did feel honoured. We were told our personal invitation to his party must have been lost in the mail.

Ship Choice

As previously mentioned, only one cruise line met our time and itinerary requirements, and that was Azamara Club Cruises. Just why they call it a club cruise is a mystery, as it operates just like all the rest. Perhaps they believe it confers a sense of status and exclusivity.

The vessel we sailed on was the Azamara Quest, a small ship by current cruise ship standards, being only 592 feet long, with a guest capacity of 690 and a crew compliment of 408. Compared to the Silver Shadow that we sailed on in 2017, which was 610 feet long with a guest and crew compliment of 382 and 310 respectively, the Azamara Quest felt crowded. Especially in our room, which was essentially half the size of the Silver Shadow for roughly the same price.

Although the stateroom was small, only 175 sq.ft. compared to the 345 sq.ft. on the Silver Shadow, it did suffice. The only real downside was the shower, which was very narrow. We can’t imagine how the many overly large passengers could fit into the shower stall. It must have made for a rather wet bathroom.

On the flip side to the small room and crowded feel to the ship, was the cuisine. We all agreed that the quality and variety of food on the Azamara ship was better than that of Silver Seas. And that’s saying something, since the food on Silver Seas ships was very good. The service from ship staff was also very good. Sure there was complaining by those who can never be satisfied, but for us we thought they did very well.

Our Shock Upon Boarding the Ship

One thing we didn’t think about when planning this voyage was that of illness. Having just recovered from eight weeks of influenza, the last thing I was expecting was to walk onto a sick ship. But that’s what we did.

There was an outbreak of Norovirus on the previous voyage, and although the ship had undergone a thorough disinfecting, there was still a risk that the virus lingered. The effect this had on the cruise was most keenly felt in the dining areas. The buffets were restricted to ship staff serving the food as the management didn’t want guests handling any of the serving implements. Along with this, the housekeeping staff constantly washed all the handrails, door handles and other surfaces that might come in contact with guests. As a result of their efforts, there were only two or three instances of infection at the beginning of the cruise, and by the forth day there were no further cases.