The Four Seasons Road of Yamazaki River

Saturday, April 5, 2025

One hundred years ago someone had the foresight and vision to give a gift of great beauty to the future. Because someone wanted to share the fleeting beauty of a beloved flower with the unknown residents of a future that they would never belong to, they set in motion a plan to plant more than 600 cherry trees along the banks of the Yamazaki River in Nagoya. 

Forty years ago, someone thought to improve on that brilliant plan by adding a path along both sides of the river to improve access for those who came to enjoy the cherry blossoms, called sakura in Japanese. This project came to be known as the Four Seasons Road of Yamazaki River.

Cosplay is a very big thing in Japan, so I decided to cosplay as a tourist today.

Perhaps it was a reaction to the growing industrialization of the early 20th century. I don’t know when the river was channelized, but it could have been around that time. I don’t know if the river was losing its character and its pristine status as civilization tried to reshape it into something we would not describe as a river. I do know that today the river is clear and is full of large, healthy fish and turtles, ducks, kingfishers, and other birds. 

These turtles have cherry blossoms petals stuck to their shells.

I hope these planners imagined that in 2025 thousands of people would come to the Yamazaki River to see the cherry blossoms, to stroll along the pleasant paths, and to experience the joy of being part of something bigger than themselves. 

In fact, the Japanese have a word for this: hanami (flower viewing). The idea of “flower viewing” implies having a party or picnic under the ephemeral blossoms of a cherry tree. 

Eleven seconds of hanami:

Most of the trees survive today as grizzled elders that manage to delight us for maybe two weeks every year with a glorious display of springtime finery. It was such a treat to be here at just the right time this year to enjoy these stately old trees with so many other folks. There is something very powerful about participating in such a lovely and gentle tradition. It makes me think about what can happen when you plant even one tree.

🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸

Our second destination today was the Atsuta Shrine, a Shinto shrine founded in 113 CE to house a legendary sacred sword.

At the entrance to the shrine complex, Ken is dwarfed by a massive torii gate

As soon as we arrived we went to a small, casual ramen restaurant because we were starved. We had delicious bowls of curry and udon soup. There was a hideous black mushroom in my soup, but I tried it and it turned out to be one of the best mushrooms I have ever eaten. The noodles weren’t bad either, but they do make such a mess - don’t ask me how I know that. I thought the dessert I had was very tasty and provided a good cross-section of different Japanese desserts: ice cream with matcha powder, a cookie with a picture of cats on it, another cookie stuffed with anko (red bean paste) similar to taiyaki, and dango (rice dumplings) on red bean sauce.

There are five deities enshrined at Atsuta, but I don’t really know what that means. There was only one sheet of information in English. None of the signage there was in English. I’m not saying they need to provide English signs for me, but I have seen a lot of English at other shrines.

So, we walked around this extensive property without gaining a very good understanding of what we were seeing. The main sanctuary of the shrine was off limits to the public. We were allowed to walk up to the fence around it and look at it from a distance, but no photos were permitted there. 

The other buildings and structures were not particularly impressive, but they do show the typical type of architecture found at Shinto shrines.

I think this is where one of the deities is enshrined

What I did find impressive were the forested parts of the property. There were many very old trees here. They have not been disturbed. In fact, many of them have been protected and honored.

I was also impressed that so many people were visiting the shrine.

The place where you buy amulets, or omamori, was very popular. I don’t have a good sense of how much the Japanese believe in these things. I think many operate on the theory that “it can’t hurt.”  I bought a couple of omamori for souvenirs and gifts because they are cute, and because I wanted to help the shrine, which does not charge an admission fee. 

The one on the left is for safe travels.The swan amulet is for happiness.

It does seem as though many Japanese people observe the Shinto rituals, such as bowing upon entering and leaving the shrine through a torii gate, and performing a ritual handwashing upon arrival. You can often see some sort of life-cycle ceremony taking place, such as a wedding, or something marking a milestone for an infant or child. It is also my understanding that many of these same people engage in Buddhist practices also and it is generally considered to be OK to observe customs of or believe in both religions. We have discussed this a little bit with Terin, but I would like to know more about it, and why, apart from visits to temples and shrines, Japanese culture seems so secular.

Our final stop of the day was buying tickets for upcoming railroad journeys. We went to the ticket office at Nagoya Station to do this. It is an enormous, very busy station. Wikipedia says it is Japan’s largest station. It should be found under the word “sprawling” in the dictionary. 

Now jet lag is catching up with us, so we are going back to our hotel to have a little downtime - an important part of every vacation.

Today’s fabric is Sakura and Hokusai Waves of Medieval Japan by igor_vasiliadis on Spoonflower.

Why Do I Blog? (2025 )

Wednesday, February 26, 2025

I have several reasons for blogging. Here they are, in no particular order:

My blog is a diary

I blog for the same reasons people keep diaries. Keeping a blog helps me make a record of our travels. Writing about a trip helps me remember much more about the trip. It forces me to think about what I liked and what I didn’t like, and why. A diary is a place to process emotions and reflect on the day’s experiences and observations.

It is a finite project! Hurray for that!

My blog is a way to keep in touch with friends and family

I want friends to know about our travels (if they are interested).  I especially want our kids to know where we have been and what it was like. Some friends would like to plan trips to the places we visit and ma find our experiences informative. Some friends are unable to travel, but they enjoy reading about exotic cultures and distant lands.

To practice/improve my writing

Blogging is very good practice. It makes me think about how to be more descriptive, how to make it more interesting, how to weave the day into a story. 

I can try out different writing styles to see what works. 

I have to think about what should be fact-checked, which words should be spell-checked, what supplemental information is needed to provide context or background. 

Sometimes I come up with a word I want to use and realize I don’t actually know what the word means, so I look it up. That can be enlightening.

I think a lot about precision and accuracy. I try to keep bias and privilege from creeping in. I get practice being objective. I try to remember what I learned in anthropology classes in college. I found a good explanation of how an anthropologist approaches the observation of another culture at a website for the University of Arkansas Little Rock:

An anthropologist is a trained observer who knows the importance of collecting data, in listening and watching what  others are doing, in reflecting on what has actually as well as apparently occurred, in researching the context, in applying various explanatory models, and in adopting a broad perspective for framing an understanding. Whatever the topic of research, anthropologists share a particular holistic vision that requires using a repertoire of methods in order to forge a deeper understanding of situations. This holism characterizes the best anthropology and imparts the perspective for which the profession is valued.

I try to practice ethical writing by obtaining consent from people in photos (not always feasible) and giving credit to others when using their words or photos.

All of the above features of writing are skills that are continuously being honed. I am learning by doing and by thinking more deeply about some of the issues while doing.

I think reviews are important

I write blogs to review ships, restaurants, hotels, tours, etc. Many of our friends like to travel and it might be helpful for them to know about specific experiences and about what we liked and didn’t like. Sometimes it might sound like I am complaining or being nit-picky, but this is when I have my reviewer hat on. 

I find reviews very helpful. Often it is a little thing that helps me decide which hotel to stay at (or not stay at) because the big things are all the same. To me the little things are very important. It is probably no surprise to many of you that I am very detail-oriented.

Blogging changes the way you see the world.

This is why I keep blogging. It makes me really think about what I saw, what happened, what I felt, what I learned, and what was interesting. I have to think about my experiences in real time. I ask myself, “Is this something I could write about? Should I pay more attention to it?”

I look at things a little differently because I know I will be blogging later. It’s hard to describe, but it is real and it is worthwhile. 

Today’s fabric is Pen Pals on Purple - Large, by carabaradesigns for Spoonflower.

Farms, Ferries, Forests

Monday, February 17, 2025

Our day will be spent cruising the Amazon. Zaandam will not call in any ports.

We left Macapá last night and sailed overnight - slowly, due to the lack of lights and the potential for obstacles in the river. We continue sailing upriver today. The width of the river is amazing. At first all you can see is a forest on the distant shore. After a while, you start to understand better what you are seeing. You notice the many tributaries adding so much water to the Amazon, and you notice the ubiquitous wetlands. Occasionally, there are birds. You notice the frequent boat traffic. You don’t notice the absence of air traffic and motor vehicle traffic until it is pointed out to you. You notice the odd color of the water, and its opacity. You notice grassy wetlands and dense forest. The horizon sometimes reveals low, rolling hills, but there are no visible mountains.

There have been no bridges. Occasionally there is a fazenda - a farm. You might see a dock or two, suggesting a settlement of some sort nearby. The river is the life of this region.

Morning prospect

Amazon sunset, taken through a window

What else did we do today? It was hard to tear ourselves away from the fascinating Amazon scenery. Richard Watson spoke about The Indigenous History of the Amazon.

Richard said that at the time of the arrival of Europeans, there were an estimated 5 million people living in the Amazon Basin. These inhabitants comprised 100 different tribal groups, and spoke 300 languages. The original indigenous peoples were decimated by disease once the Europeans arrived. There are presently 1 million residents of the Amazon who identify as indigenous.

The first humans arrived in the Amazon 11,000-12,000 years ago. Despite the warm, humid climate, they left cave paintings and other artifacts, that can be seen today in Monte Alegre, in the state of Pará. The rock paintings in Serranía de la Lindosa, in Colombia, is considered “The Sistine Chapel of the Amazon.”

Ironically, deforestation has enabled the discovery of pre—historic earthworks through aerial photography and LIDAR. They are similar to Nazca Lines. There were large settlements that subsisted through agriculture. Over centuries, the indigenous farmers created Terra Preta, a dark, fertile soil, by mixing, charcoal, bones, compost, manure, and broken pottery into the Amazonian soil, which was not very suitable for agriculture. These darks layers can be seen today, as well as Terra Mulata, a brown layer. The depth of the Terra Preta layer can reach 6 feet. These  soils would have been created between 450 BCE and 950 CE.

In the period between 1540 and 1570 CE, missionaries arrived. The first fort was established at Belem. Enslavement of local peoples began, and enslaved people were brought over from Africa. In modern times, the indigenous people of the Amazon have faced threats related to naturalists seeking medicinal plants, the rubber boom, and the gold rush of the 1980’s.

There are believed to be about 100 uncontacted tribes in the Amazon at the present time. In this context, “uncontacted” means these tribes choose to continue their traditional lifestyle and choose to avoid contact with outsiders. The Brazilian government now officially respects this choice and has created a large protected zone that is off-limits to outsiders where the uncontacted tribes can maintain their traditional culture.

In the evening we went to a concert by a vocalist named Maria Campos. She was okay, but I didn’t really like her playlist.

Our towel animal tonight is this cute pup.

Today’s fabric is Amazon Green and Black, by Ray Troll for Spoonflower. Ray Troll is one of my favorite Alaskan artists, so I was delighted to find this fabric. Take a close look.

Not the One with the Trucks

Sunday, February 16, 2025

Finally! Today we will enter the Amazon! The one with the boats. The legendary Amazon River!!

And we are finally out of the rough seas that have been with us ever since we left St. Lucia. We didn’t get seasick, but it was difficult to walk around at times.

(We will also begin operating under water restrictions today. The Amazon River is too silty for our ship’s water desalinization and purification system to function. Zaandam will not be able to obtain more fresh water until we reach Manaus in five days. All passengers have been asked to be mindful of water usage during this period. Ken and I plan to do our part by taking fewer and shorter showers, limiting laundry, and reducing the frequency of flushing. TMI, perhaps?)

The Amazon River Bar is the estuary where the Amazon empties into the Atlantic Ocean. 

We will sail through Barra Norte, or North Bar. It’s the initial stretch of the great Amazon after leaving the Atlantic Ocean and entering the Amazon estuary. This northern route passes the north side of Ilha de Marajó, an island the size of Switzerland. 

When we reach the city of Macapá, we will anchor out in the bay for about three hours so that Brazilian officials can board the Zaandam and inspect the documents (passports, visas, etc.) of all passengers and crew. The documents have already been collected by the customer service staff, so we won’t have to do anything during this “service call.” No one gets on or off the Zaandam, other than the Brazilian authorities.

Macapá is a city of about 500,000. We can see an industrial-looking port in the foreground and high-rise apartments in the background. There are several ocean-going cargo ships anchored here. The river is so wide it’s hard to realize that we are in a river now.

Macapá is located extremely close to the equator. (Fun fact: the word “equator” does not need to be capitalized.) If you go to Macapá, you might be able to see the “Marco Zero” monument. The sun aligns with the monument twice a year and creates a line of light on the equator.

We will cross the equator somewhere near here as we continue south and west along the North Bar.

Meanwhile, aboard the Zaandam, Ken and I are learning about three upcoming ports and we are attending a PowerPoint style presentation by Richard Watson, “The Amazon River and Forest - a geographical exploration of the enormous Amazon biome.”

In the evening, Oi Brasil organized a Pool Party for us. It was so much FUN. The turnout was large because many  of our fellow passengers are quite eager to learn more about Brazilian culture - and music and dancing are a  huge part of Brazilian culture. The singer for Oi Brasil emceed the party. I never did get her name, so I am going to call her Cantora from now on (the Portuguese word for a female singer). 

The party started with music and some of the men from Oi Brasil doing backflips over their flag.

Cantora really knows how to get a party going with her energetic Latin singing. Fernanda and the other female dancer came out in their Carnaval feather costumes, and then the Samba drummers and the “drumming students” joined the party. Cantora turned many in the audience into participants. The women wanted to dance; the men wanted to get closer to the stage to make videos of Cantora, Fernanda, and the dancer in yellow.

26 second video:

Cantora and the guys acted out a scenario about a woman who was not interested in the fellows panting for her. 

43 second video:

More of Cantora and the guys in this 34 second video:

Our friends from Oi Brasil clearly were a team and they took so much joy in what they were doing. I think there were 12 of them in all. It was hard to count them because they were always moving around.

Tonight we had a new towel creature - clearly a snail.

Today’s fabric is the sparkly, stretchy fabric that Cantora wore tonight. Ironically, she ordered the outfit from Amazon - the one with the trucks. I got that information second-hand. I was hoping I would have an opportunity to ask her about her fabric, but I never did run into her. Anyway, the most important thing you should know is that this fabric attracts men. I actually saw how it works during the pool party. Amazing.

Video, 8 seconds:

Dutch Hutch?

Saturday, February 15, 2025

Today is another relaxing day at sea. The main dining room had a “Caribbean Brunch,” so we had a chance to sleep in. But, we didn’t sleep in - we always wake up, even when we don’t want to. Even when they don’t have a brunch, you could sleep in if you wanted to, and either skip breakfast or go to the buffet. I think there is something about the  idea of “brunch” that makes it seem like a special treat.

I don’t have a standard dish that I always order. I like to try different things. On a cruise it’s a risk-free environment for trying something new. You don’t have to pay for it, and if you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it - you can just order something else.

This is HAL’s version of corned beef hash, with a Caribbean twist. I would not get it again. The corned beef was awful.

Port Profiles was the first offering we attended. It covered the next few ports - Macapá, Santarem, and Boca Da Valeria. It was well done (without any discussion of where to go shopping - yay!). This cruise is more or less a one-off, so the presentation was not a regurgitation of the same presentation that is given every week for the entire season. In other words, it requires some tweaking, or perhaps more work.

We had been wondering about Macapá and Boca da Valeria because there were no excursions offered for either place. It turns out that Macapá will be a “service call” only. In other words, no one gets off the ship. We anchor in the harbor and Brazilian officials come aboard to inspect everyone’s passports. (Our passports were collected after Scarborough to expedite this process.)

I will talk about Boca da Valeria in a future post.

Lerio presented The Greatest Show on Earth (The Cultural Significance of Brazilian Carnaval). According to AI:

Carnival is the English spelling of the word, while "carnaval" is the spelling used in areas where Dutch, French, Spanish, and Portuguese are spoken. 

Since we forgot to pictures pretty much all day, I am adding some photos we took later on. The first one is an installation by the aft pool. I did not see a plaque identifying it.

In the aft elevator lobby we admired this beautiful antique (?) piece of unknown purpose or origin. Is it a hutch? No plaque. Gorgeous.

M. C. Escher was a Dutch graphic artist. Several of the aft stairwell landings displayed “phototypes” of Escher woodcuts. I had to look the term up to learn that “phototype” refers to a printing process. I think the Escher images were quite disappointing. They looked slightly blurry and appeared to be covered in a rough, clear coating which made them look like cheap copies. I am not going to include all of the Escher prints because you have probably seen them. This one is called “Fishes” and is dated 1941. The method of mounting and displaying these large phototypes has not protected them from damage, and they all have obvious nicks and/or damage around the edges. There is perhaps some discoloration also.

On our floor, the aft elevator lobby reflects the Dutch origins of Holland America Lines, with four antique Delft plates. Two of them are shown here:

Here is an objet d’art in one of the large public spaces near the coffee shop (and exact copy of the text on the plaque, which was very difficult to read/photograph):

‘Fragment of a head of a Queen, probably Tiye’
after an original in yellow jasper,
original dating before years 8-12 A.D.
replica in eco-deco
by: Lebigre & Roger
Italy, 1998

The painting below is part of a set of three called “Gipsy Musicians.” They are spread out over three landings in the aft stairwell. They are oil pantings on canvas by Igor Fomin (b. 1963) and painted in Russia in 1998. I am not in love with these paintings, but they fit the carnival theme of this cruise, so here is one of them:

It is customary for a ship to be given a commemorative plaque the first time it calls in a port. The lowest level of the stairwell contains a number of these plaques. They are fun to read.

We had dinner at Canaletto, the Italian specialty restaurant on Holland America. I think Sabatini’s on Princess is better - food and service.

Tonight’s towel looks like . . . a lobster tail? I think the animal should have its head and limbs to count as a proper towel animal.

Today’s fabric is All Things Dutch, by dczdezigns for Spoonflower.