Taiwan Straits - I must set the time line; North Korea just conducted its first nuclear test. Tension was high as Japan and South Korea immediately started to talk of needed arms build-up and China was cautiously eyeing its unpredictable neighbor to the east. The Seven Seas Mariner was in Dalian, China’s closest large city bordering North Korea where though the streets seemed to be “business as usual” there was a palpable sense of waiting for the next shoe to fall.

Days went by and our cruise continued; Beijing, Shanghai and then on to Hong Kong. The night we sailed from Shanghai we entered the Taiwan Straits, the body of water separating Mainland China from The Republic of China, a.k.a. Taiwan. Deep in conversation with our Computer Instructor, I was stopped mid-sentence when I noticed the horizon was filled with what looked like rectangular bricks of intense bright light. Not one or two, but twenty or thirty on both sides of the ship. We were surrounded. We were not the only ones who dashed outside for a better look; the decks were filled with guests, crew and officers who could not figure out what these hovering blocks were. The lights never appeared separate but rather held together as though they were one huge bar of light. And the light itself never twinkled, pulsed or flashed as lights on a boat or ship. But what was really strange was the way they moved – they looked like they were coming toward us horizontally at a very high speed. Both the port and starboard sides of the ship were being rushed by blocks of unwavering light. And as soon as they came – poof – they were gone!

The next morning I prepared my bags for my trip home. I quickly downloaded my photos from my digital camera. As I scanned the images I blurted out – that’s it! Earlier in the cruise while in Hakodate I took a picture of a squid boat. These unusual boats have row after row of huge lights contained in thick glass, globe-like bulbs. The lights are used to attract up the squid. Once caught the lights go out. Remembering how the UFO’s the previous night seemed to hover like blocks of bright light – bingo! – they were squid boats. So the mystery was solved but they became known as the Unidentified Floating Objects!

Talk about influence! The first time I ever visited Japan I was fascinated by the toilets; not just the traditional “pit toilet” but the super-automated, high-tech Western toilets. My first encounter was pretty funny – not knowing how to work the complicated control panel I ended up spraying, flushing, douching, and blow drying all to a musical tune. To avoid this cultural embarrassment as well as others foreign to those of us not familiar with Japanese ways, I put together a talk for our guests; “Japan: Observations of a First Time Visitor.” In the talk I mention what I learned “the hard way” from eating rice properly to toilet technique.

After our first few stops in Japan, I was besieged by guests who had to tell me their toilet story and to share their pictures. I can only imagine what the locals must have thought; hundreds of tourists from this beautiful cruise ship come to Japan and what do they want to do? Take pictures of toilets! In this day and age of global contact who’s to say how this will one day be interpreted.

When calling on Japan, most cruise ships sail as far north as Tokyo. Few venture to explore the northern cities of Honshu and Hokkaido. As the first leg of the Asia-Pacific cruise, the Seven Seas Mariner begins its Pacific crossing in the north starting from the whacky little town of Whittier, Alaska. From there she calls on Kodiak, Alaska’s largest island, and Dutch Harbor. Sailing north of the arcing Aleutian Islands, she officially arrives in Asia via Petropavlosk, Russia on the Kamchatka Penisula. From there it is a two day sail south to the north islands of Japan. This approach affords guests a chance to experience an area of the world few travelers see.

On the island of Hokkaido, the city of Otaru is the port for Sapporo. Most people remember Sapporo from the 1972 Winter Olympic Games. Keeping that in mind it makes sense that the hills of Otaru are covered with ski runs! Otaru is called Little Sakhalin for its proximity to the Russian island. The harbor is filled with Russian ferries and fishing boats. Russian patrons were equally well represented in the department stores and groceries. Just north of Hokkaido are the Kurile Islands, also belonging to Russia they were of strategic importance to both sides during World War II.

Otaru is an old city founded on its fishing fleet. Ornately decorated brick warehouses line the canals leading from the harbor. In the late 1800’s they were used for the processing of herring. Though herring is still a major part of the city’s economy, many of the old buildings are being renovated as part of gentrified pedestrian promenade that includes colorful shops, galleries and cafes. Though the northermost city in the country prices were much more reasonable than the uber-pricey capital city of Tokyo. Otaru hopes to attract more tourists in the future as it promotes itself as a four season resort. Guests onboard the Seven Seas Mariner were very pleased with the clean and relaxed atmosphere of the city. With such great comments I hope Otaru will be included on more cruise itineraries.