Sakaiminato, Japan. Didn’t ring a bell and, even though we visited it, it still doesn’t. We were like “what’s the point of visiting an aging fishing village.” But it was relaxing to walk through the downtown area with the 30 minutes we had there…

Backing up a bit.

It was a long way from Busan, South Korea, back to Sakaiminato, Japan. We arrived at port at about 1PM; so we had plenty of time to just hang out on the ship in the morning. It had been windy all morning but when we got to the port, the winds were gusting to 40 mph directly off the pier. It was amazing to watch the ship come straight in to the pier and hold steady just a few feet away from the concrete while 4 lines were thrown ashore. As soon as those were in place (but not tight), the ship, with the support of a tug boat spun the stern in to get all the rest of the lines on.

We found out that the reason for going to South Korea is a Japanese law similar to the US Jones Act. The Jones Act says that if an itinerary begins and ends in a U.S. port, foreign-flagged cruise lines must call on foreign ports of call as well. The same kind of legislation is found in Japan. So we left Japan and then reentered after stopping in South Korea. The Korean immigration was rapid and effortless. The Japanese? Not so much. We had to appear in person at a desk onshore. Our passports were then inspected, fingerprints were taken (again), and then a photograph was taken. One more review of our passport and then we were released.

Anyway, with all of that going on, we didn’t clear immigration until 3:30 PM. So off to town we went. You can tell from the photo of Mae that we were less than impressed.

But once we got back to the ship, we got ready for the White Night. White Night is another signature event that takes place on Azamara cruises. They clear the whole pool deck and bring in tables with white tablecloths. Food is prepared on the deck and includes lobster, shrimp, lamb, beef, sushi, and all the accompaniments. All the passengers wear white clothes and eat, drink and dance the night away. It’s always a blast.