Day 26

28 September, 2003

Wake to a bright sunny day, a strong NW wind and swell. We must be pointing more north and be in the actual Pacific Ocean now. Reebo, at breakfast, says in a surprising burst of eloquence, “the ship is dancing”. It is bopping around a bit. The orchestra of complaining hatch covers and shifting and whistling containers have taken on a different, less interesting tune with the wind shift. Just the major sixth, F at the bottom of the bass clef up to D (actual pitches). It reminds me of the cheat used in ear training classes to recognize a major sixth, My Bon(nie lies over the ocean). Sounds like a blown glass five gallon water container.

Sitting at my desk writing, around 0930, I look up out of the porthole and I see what look like some big islands. I run up to the bridge, and sure enough, the third officer says it is Japan. I can’t quite make what I saw upstairs correspond with my map here in my room. Oh well, I will know more later. Maybe he meant they were Japanese islands.

Lunch of overcooked turkey leg, with potato croquettes (pronounced to rhyme with rockets by Bo, Reebo and What Do You Know, in the kitchen (the Bad Boys of A Deck)) and the elementary school lunchroom scourge, sufferin’ succotash!

The seas are large, maybe over ten feet, topped with bright, windswept and foamy whitecaps, looking for all the world like some Japanese prints I have seen. Is this a mental coincidence? I believe we are off of Japan, now, because the low line of mountains persist, vaguely in the mist, out my westward facing porthole.

At 1500, I look out my forward porthole and see land coming on the starboard as well. Vas is dis? Dis is, twelve hours ahead of schedule, we are entering the channel that leads to Osaka. By 1830 we are dropping anchor in the outer harbor, to enter in the morning when our berth is free. A beautiful sunset over Osaka and Kobe, right out my window. A grand suspension bridge over the entrance to Japan’s inner sea.

It is friggin’ cold, well in the sixties, but ad the wind chill and hey! The maple trees on the beautiful islands we passed on our way in were turning red like in my native New England! Just a couple of days ago we were in the tropics.

2200, I go out for a last turn on deck. The view from my porthole, of Kobe, the mountains behind and all the lights from the waterfront, ferries going past a couple hundred feet out my porthole, this is really beautiful. It is freezing out though. Japanese television is funny and weird.

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