All Around Japan
The Land of the Rising Sun by Sea
Location: Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
Organizer: Kesher Kosher Tours
About
A Magnificent Cruise on the Luxury Liner "MS MAASDAM".
Including a visit to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East.
Full time Mashgiach Kashrut Aboard the Ship.
In Japanese, it's called Nihon or Nippon, meaning Land of Sun Origin. Japan is made up of a chain of some 3,000 East Asian islands in the Pacific Ocean with four major islands: Hokkaido, Shikoku, Kyushu and Honshu. The latter is the largest and the most settled. Most of the islands are mountain ridges that protrude above sea level, some have still active volcanoes. It's a fascinating and interesting scene.
Japan is now the sixth largest country in the industrialized world and the third largest in its economic strength. We will learn to get to know many facets of Japan on this an unforgettable cruise on one of Holland America's luxury ships. In addition to Japan, the cruise includes a visit to Vladivostok in the Russian Far East.
ITINERARY
DAY 1
TUESDAY: TOKYO - MEIJI SHRINE, HARAJUKU, SHIBUYA
We'll arrive to Tokyo, the capital of Japan since 1868. We will meet the tour guide at the hotel till 12:00PM. At 2:00PM we will start our tour. We will visit the Meiji Shrine, dedicated to Emperor Meiji, the young emperor who put an end to feudal rule in Japan.
DAY 2
WEDNESDAY: TOKYO - EDO TOKYO MUSEUM - ALL ABOARD HOLLAND AMERICA'S LUXURY LINER "MS MAASDAM"
We'll start the day with a visit to the fascinating Edo Tokyo Museum, which describes the history of the city and reconstructs the houses and lifestyle of Tokyo from the 16th century to today.
DAY 3
THURSDAY: SHIMIZU, NIHONDAIRA PARK
Today we'll drop anchor in Shimizu. We'll disembark from the ship to visit Nihondaira Park, which was declared a natural prefectural park.
DAY 4
FRIDAY: KOBE, KYOTO
This morning we arrive to the port of Kobe. From here we'll travel to Kyoto, the cultural center of Japan. Kyoto was the capital of the Japanese Empire for more than 1100 years.
DAY 5
SHABBAT: TAKAMATSU
A restful Shabbat day aboard ship. We'll enjoy Shabbat services, kiddush and lunch, shiurim and lectures. This is also an opportunity to enjoy some of the Shabbat-friendly facilities that the ship has to offer.
DAY 6
SUNDAY: KOCHI
This morning we will dock in Kochi, the capital of Kochi prefecture, the city is located in Urado Bay on the southern end of Shikoku Island.
DAY 7
MONDAY: AT SEA
A day to enjoy all the wonderful facilities the ship has to offer. Want to swim? There are indoor and outdoor pools and a relaxing jacuzzi too.
DAY 8
TUESDAY: KANAZAWA, SHIRAKAWA-GO, TAKAYAMA
Today we will anchor in Kanazawa city. We'll disembark and travel to the ancient village of Shirakawa-go, built entirely of wooden houses and straw. The site has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
DAY 9
WEDNESDAY: AT SEA
A day to enjoy all the wonderful facilities the ship has to offer. Want to swim? There are indoor and outdoor pools and a relaxing jacuzzi too.
DAY 10
THURSDAY: VLADIVOSTOK, RUSSIA
This morning we will dock at the port of Vladivostok, a large city in the Russian Far East on the shores of the Sea of Japan. Vladivostok port is free of ice all year long and serves as the home of Russia's Pacific Fleet.
DAY 11
FRIDAY: AT SEA
A day to enjoy all the wonderful facilities the ship has to offer. Want to swim? There are indoor and outdoor pools and a relaxing jacuzzi too.
DAY 12
SHABBAT: KORSAKOV, SAKHALIN, RUSSIA
A restful Shabbat day aboard ship. We'll enjoy Shabbat services, kiddush and lunch, shiurim and lectures. This is also an opportunity to enjoy some of the Shabbat-friendly facilities that the ship has to offer.
DAY 13
SUNDAY: OTARU, HOKKAIDO
This morning we will anchor on the island of Hokkaido. Despite being the second largest (and northernmost) island in Japan, it is sparsely populated. The island serves as the northern border area between Japan and the Soviet Union.
DAY 14
MONDAY: HAKODATE, HOKKAIDO
Today we will dock in the port town of Hakodate, the third largest harbor on the island of Hokkaido and the first port to open to the West after a voluntary closure of hundreds of years. Today it is one of the most important ports in Japan.
DAY 15
TUESDAY: AT SEA
A day to enjoy all the wonderful facilities the ship has to offer. Want to swim? There are indoor and outdoor pools and a relaxing jacuzzi too.
DAY 16
WEDNESDAY: YOKOHAMA - TOKYO, GINZA, ASAKUSA, AKIHABARA
Our magnificent cruise has come to an end. We will disembark at Yokohama Port and travel to Ginza, Tokyo's high-end bustling business district. From there we'll continue to the complex of Buddhist Temples and Shinto Shrines at Asakusa.
DAY 17
THURSDAY: TOKYO - BACK HOME
Our exciting tour and cruise has come to an end. We'll fly back home.
Rooms & accommodation
Holland AmericaKashrut & dining
Kashrut on Tours
Only strictly kosher food is provided to our travelers on all our tours. On some of our tours we are able to provide glatt meals. Kashrut is of utmost importance to us and we take special measures to ensure that everything served is kosher.
The meals:
Breakfast is prepared using our utensils. We use local fresh fruits and vegetables, and we use milk products when they are permitted. We use kosher cereals, and bread. We usually serve hard boiled eggs and sometimes scrambled eggs or omelets. At breakfast, we prepare our lunches so that people have their choice as to what they eat for lunch. We bring food from Israel to supplement what is served in the hotel such as cheeses, peanut butter, tuna, etc.
For dinners, we serve either fish or meat (usually chicken) as our main course. In areas where meat is not available nor readily acquired, we will have fish. When possible, we acquire the meat locally from Chabad or other reliable kosher source, and in some cases we fly the meat in from Israel. We try to provide as many meat meals as possible. The main course at dinner is preceded by soup and salad and accompanied by freshly prepared vegetables. Dessert typically consists of fresh fruits.
We do not guarantee Pat Israel and Chalav Israel for all destinations.
In many destinations we have our own dishes and silverware. Where we don't, we provide disposables at the meals. When we cook in hotel kitchens, we use our own knives, cutting boards, pots and pans, cooking implements and disposable metal trays. All food preparation is done on covered surfaces under the strict supervision of our trained staff/guides who function as our mashgichim.
We make great efforts to assure that our travelers will experience local foods first-hand, while maintaining stringent observance of Kashrut laws on all occasions.
On most of our tours, you will be accompanied by two of our staff members- one a guide for the tour who is knowledgeable about the places you are visiting and will accompany you throughout the day and the second, a person who will deal with the logistics of the tour and provide kashrut supervision in the kitchen.
Hotels:
It is our aim to provide the finest hotel possible in each area we visit. We require our hotels to allow us to work in the kitchen and to supervise the cooking and there are many hotels that are not willing to cooperate. They simply have no desire for us to be "meddling" in their cooking process nor are they happy about our bringing our equipment into their kitchens. We work very hard to find the best hotel in the area that will meet our requirements. Because we are not ready to compromise on kashrut, we may not always be able to use a five star hotel.
Activities & entertainment
MS MaasdamLocation
Address: Horinouchi 2, Horinouchi, Suginami, Tokyo, 166-0013, Japan
Tags
Contact
- Organizer: Kesher Kosher Tours (Tours Kesher Kosher)
- Location: Tokyo, Japan
- Email: [email protected]
- Website: https://keshertours.com/tours/all-around-japan/