Super typhoon Trami

The bay which was flat calm on arrival is now a mass of heaving grey waves, topped by frothy white foam. The winds have increased in strength and it has been necessary to raise the anchor, which cannot withstand the new forces. The officers and seamen on the bridge of the Silver Shadow are now controlling it manually, constantly altering position so that the winds hit the ship with the minimal amount of effect. This is a battle against the elements which, whilst familiar to those living in tropical and sub-tropical latitudes, is stunningly unfamiliar to the British.

Diva is taking a warm bath using the Silver Shadow Bulgari toiletries.

After night fall, the scene is less clear but the ship lights illuminate the white tops of the waves. Spray hurtles past the restaurant windows. The Captain has announced that the situation is likely to last for several more hours.

In the morning, the sea is much calmer, the wind has reduced greatly, the temperature is in the low 20s and Silver Shadow is still in Nagoya bay.

Tai Chi on Deck 9.

Weather update

During the night, the Silver Shadow left Tokyo port and took shelter in Nagoya Bay. There was some ship's movement but nothing too uncomfortable. If the typhoon crosses the area (likely in the next 12 hours), there will be movement but it will be less uncomfortable than it would be in the ocean. 

There has been no official statement on how many guests have left the ship but the guess is a few 10s - maybe as many as 50. Some have gone home, including some first-time cruisers, which is sad. Others are planning to rejoin the ship later, which seems unreliable when the itinerary is so fluid. 

At the Captain's briefing, he was asked about the level of risk of remaining on the ship. He said 'none', reiterated his commitment to safety and stated that he wished to finish the cruise without damage to his life or his licence. One passenger asked if there were stabilisers and if there were plans to use them. 

The news on the whole was less gloomy, most passengers were reassured, but a few left the ship immediately afterwards. The Captain is still promising Hiroshima on the scheduled day.

photoblog 3

Temple, arrival in Tokyo, temple, lunch, costumes

Tokyo

Tokyo

As expected, the city is full of high-rise buildings, but these are interspersed with a few older buildings, some oriental and some western style. There is a lot of building work on the site of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

It is very disconcerting to be in a country where the script is unreadable, the language unintelligible and credit cards are mostly not accepted. Obtaining currency using a Western card is difficult. TSH and Diva hope that those who have left the Silver Shadow (without any Silversea support) know what they are doing.

The excursion took TSH and Diva to the area of the Emperor’s Palace, which is attractively landscaped. They saw the closed gate and the two bridges which form part of the ceremonial entrance. The Palace itself is hidden from view by dense trees.

They also visited temples and shrines, which were very crowded, mostly with foreigners. These are the commercial temples – local religious people go to much quieter places. Some non-Japanese people had hired traditional Japanese dress. The guide explained that Buddhism had never driven out the older pagan Shinto religion - most shrine areas contain shrines of each kind and most people have allegiance to both religions.

Lunch was taken at the traditional restaurant of a sake brewery. It consisted of many small bowls of unfamiliar food, including raw salmon and tuna. Diva ate the salmon and TSH managed some of each.  A picture will be included in an upcoming photoblog. There were fine views of the city from the 21^st floor restaurant, including some of the city’s waterways and railways.

Shelter

During the night, the Silver Shadow left Tokyo port and took shelter in Nagoya Bay. There was some ship's movement but nothing too uncomfortable. If the typhoon crosses the area (likely in the next 12 hours), there will be movement but it will be less uncomfortable than it would be in the ocean.

There has been no official statement on how many guests have left the ship but the guess is a few 10s. Some have gone home, including some first-time cruisers, which is sad. Others are planning to rejoin the ship later, which seems unreliable when the itinerary is so fluid.

At the Captain's briefing, he was asked about the level of risk of remaining on the ship. He said 'none', reiterated his commitment to safety and stated that he wished to finish the cruise without damage to his life or his licence. One passenger asked if there were stabilisers and if there were plans to use them.

The news on the whole was less gloomy, most passengers were reassured, but a few left the ship immediately afterwards. The Captain is still promising Hiroshima on the scheduled day.

Super

So its a super typhoon. And if the authorities close the Port of Tokyo, the Silver Shadow will have to go sea. Into it. Some guests have already left the ship.

The captain's session in the theatre, whilst very sombre, was enlivened by the usual interventions. 'Will Silversea pay if I leave the ship now?' 'If we go to sea, where will we go?' 'I was a US naval officer and encountered 100 ft waves. I do not recommend them to the rest of you.' The Captain received applause for his reply to the last one. 'If any passenger feels they can help, I will welcome them onto the Bridge'.

One guest wandered into the theatre towards the end (straight from the bar?), grabbed the mic and said 'What's going on here. Could you start again?'

The captain says he has sailed the Silver Shadow into similar conditions before. He has plenty of ballast and will go very slowly.

TSH and Diva are very disappointed that, having already had Seoul cancelled, they have now certainly missed Osaka, Kyoto and Hiroshima whatever happens. But they will tough it out whatever happens.

Aomori

Aomori, at the northern end of the main Japanese island of Honshu, looks like a more prosperous city than the Japanese cities so far visited.

Along the roadside were many paddy fields, showing yellow as an indication that they were ripe. Some of them were being mechanically harvested as the bus passed by.

The first visit was to a giant bronze Buddha. It was in a woodland setting, surrounded by a variety of shrines and temples. These included a building with Buddhas and emblems for each of the Chinese astrology signs. TSH is a boar and Diva is a hare.

The second part of the visit was to a very modern water-front museum dedicated to a local festival called Nebuta. It contained a number of large floats from previous years, as well as models explaining the construction of the floats – everything is made of paper and wire, with electric light bulbs inside.

Wild animal spot: a white crane among the paddy fields.

The captain has described the weather at different times as ‘unsatisfactory’ and ‘miserable’. Although, for the location and the time of year, TSH and Diva are well satisfied and consider it has been much better than they expected. But there are rumours of a typhoon heading for the Silver Shadow.