Sweet and Sour but Safe, Tokyo to Osaka, Japan - February 26-28, 2014

It was sad to leave Gora Tensui Ryokan but before heading to the train, I thanked the manager and let him know how special this stay had been for me.

Originally, my intent had been to walk around the village sampling the local food but after the gargantuan breakfast I'd just consumed, it was unwise to do so.

Instead, I just enjoyed window shopping and people watching in the crisp air. It was sunny and beautiful. Older ladies in traditional dress and thong sandals with thick socks walked beside teens tottering along the snowy streets in high heels. Many people carried huge shopping bags of recent purchases from the stores.

By now, I was an expert at using the train ticket vending machines and effortlessly coaxed my proof of payment out of the slot.

Here is a movie of the trip back on the Hakone-Tozan train. I tried to capture examples of the winding ride, the tunnels and the switchback. Note the distinctive building with the red roof…first we approach and then we go away from it but on a different track. The variety of trees is also notable. You can see so many kinds together and the snow is also really special.

I was back to Odawara around an hour later. The lady at the bullet train ticket window offered me a reserved seat which was a little more expensive but worth it if the non-reserved section was full. 

There was a shopping center attached to the station so I poked around there while waiting for the bullet train back to Tokyo. In a drugstore, the shop clerks helped me find some shampoo and toothpaste for my friend Tomoka who misses her favourite Japanese brands while in Canada.

Japan is such a safe and trustworthy place. Check out the booze not locked up behind a grate or right beside the cash. And the snacks! I love little fishies with the heads still on!

Then, I went to the departure platform and found the section to wait for my car #11 seat 7E.

A father and his little boy of two or three had purchased a ticket to nowhere. Bullet trains are exciting to watch for people of all ages! In Odawara, many trains simply rush through without stopping. For this reason, families and photographers can purchase a pass to sit on the platform and watch without ever boarding a train.

The little boy would call out "kita!" (It's coming!) When the train headlight would appear far in the distance. The dad would position his iPad to film the train rushing past with the kid going bonkers with joy. Then the kid would say "Nozomi datta!" or "Kodama datta!" (That was the Nozomi Train! That was the Kodama Train!)

It was really cute and the dad seemed to enjoy it too.

After boarding, the conductor entered my car, he gave a deep bow before punching the passengers' tickets.

Once back in Tokyo, I caught the city bus back to the port. Two unaccompanied little schoolgirls boarded the bus in their sailor-suit uniforms. I swear, the older one was not more than six or seven and the younger one looked about five years old!

The older girl disembarked after a few stops leaving the little one alone sitting behind me. As the bus emptied out along the way to the port terminal, only a few passengers remained. Myself, an old man, the little girl and a few businessmen.

Ding! A businessman sounded the stop request bell and went to speak to the driver as he left the bus. He gestured towards the back of the bus where the little girl sat.

The bus driver called out something like "Are you okay, sweetheart?" and in the most adorable voice ever, she quietly answered. "Yes, I get off at XXX, street" which just happened to be the penultimate stop. I watched as she dawdled to the exit in typical five-year-old fashion. She was just so cute with her bus-pass wallet dragging on the ground from its coiled tether attached to her back-pack.

I have no idea what makes these kids so particularly sweet but they just are and they are perfectly safe even in a great big city like Tokyo. It is a place like no other and in my lifetime, I'll be sure to return many times.

Back onboard Azamara Journey, I was up top listening to the taiko drummers entertaining the crowd before the push-off. This time, they were doing pop songs from Queen and Michael Jackson rather than traditional music. When I got chilly, I came inside to check out the menus for the two specialty restaurants on deck 10.

I must say that the premium vodka and caviar was a little dear! One spoonful of caviar ranged in price from $50 to $175!

Just then, the captain made an important announcement and we learned about the propeller damage that would ultimately cut the trip short. Reactions ranged from anger to confusion and concern.

For me, it changed nothing. The cruise line handled it professionally and did everything they could to compensate us for the inconvenience. I have no complaints but a certain subset of the passengers took it very badly and became abusive to the staff.

We learned more about the damage the next day. As we arrived in Tokyo, the crew had noticed unusual vibrations.

They called in a dive team to take underwater photographs which revealed wire leads and fishing netting tangled around the port side propeller. Both the screw and the shaft were damaged and needed to be repaired in dry dock.

According to the Captain, the Japanese Coast Guard deemed the Journey seaworthy operating on a single propeller but we had to be tugged out of our berth in Tokyo.

We cruised at a slower pace to Osaka, which had two side effects.

Unfortunately, we could not out-maneuver some weather. Seas became rough and the ship got tossed around a bit.

Except for me and a few experienced sailors in the dining room, that night was pretty quiet at supper. It was difficult to walk around. More than once, we heard the noise of things crashing to the ground from trays and counters.

At one point, it felt like the sea had evaporated from beneath us. We just dipped suddenly as though we had gone over the first hill of a roller coaster. Lots of people screamed. I got a major tummy flip! The next day, Captain Jason explained that it was due to a quick turn in order to avoid traffic in the busy passage from Tokyo to Osaka.

Needless to say, I had a great sleep rocked on the waves in my luxury cradle.

The second result of the slow pace was a big delay. In reality though, there was a benefit. We got to see all the little fishing boats and the gorgeous Wakayama Prefecture coast during daylight. We even spotted a submarine cruising along the surface! That was unusual and very cool!

Mentally, I could feel the vitality in myself for the first time in a long while. This was the tipping point where I knew that I'd come through the worst of my depression. The propeller damage in my own brain had been healed by a little dry-dock away from work and lots of help from some loving tug-boats, my family and friends.