Yokohama Bay Bridge

As we sailed away from Yokohama we passed under the Yokohama Bay Bridge. 

Built in 1989, it crosses Tokyo Bay with a span of  460 meters, and is one of the largest suspension briges in the world. it certainly made a nice view as we sailed under it with the sun going down.

Sunset Over Yokohama

We had been on cruises before and had learnt that they are usually planned to leave a harbour at sunset.

The previous cruise we had been on, the weather was inclement. That time we were sailing from Sydney Harbour, one of the most beautiful harbours in the world. As we live in Sydney suburbia, it is fairly easy to get sunset pics if we choose, so that was no big deal.

Yokohama was a different story though. This would most likely be a once in a lifetime event.

It turned out to be a stunning view.

Sailing - Yokohama

We were finally on board the Diamond Princess and this was the view from our cabin balcony .

Sailing from the port of Yokohama, we were leaving later than scheduled.

Yokohama's central business district, affectionately known as MM. ( Minato Mirai 21)

Yokohama is a Japan's second largest city, sitting on the edge of Tokyo Bay.

The sun is getting low with the promise of some great sunset pics

A Cruise Ship

Look where we were headed! Yes, that is the Diamond Princess, and we were in the queue to board her! It had been another long day so far and I was soooooo looking forward to some relaxation! We had cruised before, and we knew from experience that cruises could be as relaxed or as busy as we wanted. We were opting for relaxation mode for the next seven days.

We had taken the time to have a very good breakfast before we left our hotel in Tokyo. This was required because we knew we had some travelling to go through before boarding this beautiful ship. The Princess was departing from Yokohama, and we had been told it was three trains and a good two hours to get there. We went prepared with bottles of water, but the weather was hot, and the water  was all gone by the time we got to the wharf. Then there was the three hour queue getting through customs etc before we even got on board. They did set up a water station, but one small cup of water did not go very far. One lady feinted because of the heat.

It was 2pm by the time we got on board, and my first task after finding our cabin was to find food and drinks. A very helpful cabin staff member helped me out and I soon discovered, just upstairs, the hamburger and pizza bar, right beside a drinks bar. A plate of hot chips and a cold coke went down very well. Not quite the best food for a diet but it was food, and we would find all the healthy options later.