16-day Cruise to Transpacific: Alaska, Japan & Russia from Tokyo, Japan on Norwegian Sun

“Spread wings of a prostrate eagle.” As any Ketchikanian will tell you, his is the meaning of their town’s name. It comes from the eagle-wing sppearance of water flowing over an unusual rock formation which can be seen in the Ketchikan Creek.

To own originated as an Indian fish saltery and grew to become the largest salmon-canning center in the world. The real growth came with the gold rush of 1898, when the town served as a supply center for wourld-be millionaires. of the town’s colorful past is still in evidence, especially at the Indian villages, which are renowned for their colorfully carved
totem poles and fascinating legends.

Built on hills between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, Seattle is the largest city in the Pacific Northwest. The city is close to scenic mountain and coastal recreational areas. It is also an educational and cultural center, with many museums, theaters, and musical groups.

Seattle’s distinctive skyline landmark is the 600-ft (183-m) Space Needle, built for the 1962 World’s Fair. Seattle prospered with the coming of the railroad in 1884 and became a boom town with the 1897 Alaska gold rush. Long a center of radical labor activity, it was the scene of a major general strike in 1919.

Located south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula, Seward is a port city with abundant fishing and wildlife. There are popular boat tours to the Kenai Fjords with its glaciers and wildlife. A very popular destination in the summer months, the best time to visit Seward is September through May… there are fewer crowds and more room to view abundant wildlife and gorgeous scenery. This cruising port is situated in mountains covered in lush vegetation and alpine wildflowers. It is a small community where friendly locals greet you at every turn. The railroad from Anchorage ends here and offers a very scenic ride throug the mountains.

It’s a little bit Russian, it’s a little bit Tlingit. Once the home of the powerful Tlingit Indian nation, Sitka today is a combination of the best of Tlingit and Russian cultures, the Russians having arrived at the end of the 18th century.

There are plenty of historic and modern sights to see, including Indian arts and crafts and Russian music and dance. Best of all, the water is still crystal-clear, and massive timberland forests remain pristine.

Besides the interesting local tours and the Sitka dancers, if you have time, be sure to take a boat ride to the outer islands to see whales, otters, eagles and other wildlife. The fishing in the area is also excellent.

It’s a city of contrast. Where else do you find demure kimono-clad girls next to slick Elvis impersonators than good old Yoyogi Park? But only on Sundays.

Tokyo will amaze you with its dual personality; its serenity and its brashness. A city of about 20 million people, it is one of the few metropolises where every train is on time. But try to avoid rush hour. You might get pummeled by a sweet old lady on her way to the Sumo matches at the Budokan Hall!

Visit Roppongi for a taste of modern night life; you can even catch a reggae show. And if you’re still awake after that, hop a train to the Tsukiji fish market at 5 a.m. to see one of the most spectacular fish bazaars on earth. Some tuna comes all the way from Montauk, NY. Now that’s a global marketplace!

When you’re ready for a little peace and quiet, you may visit the brilliant Asakusa Shrine, a prime example of Edo-period architecture. Here you may cleanse your spirit, or, of course, shop to your heart’s delight at many of the little stalls lining the small streets leading to the shrine. Otanoshimi ni! Perhaps the greatest urban sprawl in the world, the Tokyo metropolitan. Tokyo began as a tiny fishing village called Edo, and for more than four centuries was ruled by a series of
chieftains and military warlords. A castle was constructed in Edo in 1457, the year officially noted as the founding of the city, and by 1680 it had grown to a population of over a million people. The city received its modern name in 1868 when the Emperor Meihi moved his court to Edo. It now sprawls 55 miles (88.4km) east to west and 15 miles (24km) north to south and covers an area of 2,031 sq. km.

This area is home to some 20 million people. Famous for its extremes; the word’s most crowded trains, the world’s cleanest streets, the world’s most expensive melons, Tokyo nevertheless seems to be characterized by an overlying blandness. Since the 17th century, Tokyo has been divided up between “yamanote” (south and west) and “shitamachi” (north and east). Simply put, uptown has more to do, downtown more to see. Uptown has the high-rises, the nightlife and the
armies of navy-suited salarymen of the Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro business areas, while downtown has Tokyo’s oldest area, Asakusa, the city’s great museums and the imperial palace.