Friday-Saturday 6-7 October 2023
Sailing the North Pacific Ocean
I hope today's blogging will provide a few more interesting insights than the previous one. I'm not posting many photos from the ship for two reasons: 1. there isn't any interesting scenery as we cross the Pacific Ocean; and 2. you can find find more photos of the Westerdam on my posts from February-March 2019 and November-December 2022. Just scroll down to the bottom of the page and tap the appropriate links.
On Friday
After a hearty breakfast I decide to attend some of the programs offered on the ship's daily schedule. A charming, middle-aged gentleman, originally from Hong Kong, offers daily lectures to prepare passengers for their visit to Japan. I missed his first lecture, on the history of Japan, but today I get to enjoy the first of several talks on Japanese culture, so very different from Western culture in so many ways.
His topic today is the infamous "Japanese Corporate Warriors," better known in current lingo as "Salarymen." He presents a well-organized discussion of how company men originally rose from the ranks of the disgraced military after the end of WWII. They brought to business and industry the ingrained sense of organization and loyalty that had been exploited in the military. So much so that loyalty to the job outranks loyalty to family and to self--resulting in long work days and increased mental stress. In return for this loyalty almost all workers are guaranteed jobs for life.
In the present time, of course, there are salarywomen as well as salarymen, and they are subject to all the same stresses and mental difficulties. Because mental and psychological problems are seen as personal flaws in Japan, there is little help available to deal with these issues. The result, from the late 1950s to the present, is an ever-increasing rate of sudden stress-related deaths (especially in younger workers), and work-related suicides.
After all the cheery information it is time for lunch in the main dining room: a bowl of tomato bisque and half a club sandwich with coleslaw and chips.
An afternoon session of "Ask the Captain," moderated by the Cruise Director, is a lot more pleasant. Questions from the audience range from mechanical and engineering (does Holland America use the newest kind of propellers?--not yet), to navigational (will you add sea depth to the daily navigation update?--yes), to general interest (how many years can a cruise ship stay in service?--almost forever if it is well taken care of). The captain answers everything with a great sense of humor. If he doesn't know the answer (how many wifi routers are onboard Westerdam?), Cruise Director Nick makes a call on his phone and gets the right answer (44).
A showing of the film, Memoirs of a Geisha, begins in the World Stage theatre immediately after the Q&A. Although I had seen the film a while back, I thought it might be fun to watch again--but the print is so bad and the audience so talkative that I leave after about 20 minutes. I do watch all of the new Dune film (only part one has been released so far), with Timothy Chalamet, on the large-screen television in the comfort of my suite. The setting and filming technique is impressive, but the sci-fy, quasi-religious story is a bit confusing.
Tonight's dinner is quite good: tomato caprese salad (mozzarella & very fresh tomatoes drizzled with good olive oil and basil); perfectly medium-rare, tender, sliced hangar steak with roasted vegetables and potatoes; tasty opera cake. I repeat my Pinot Noir selection and have a large bottle of Pellegrino, since the Perrier supply has been demolished.
On Saturday
I choose a light breakfast of lox and cream cheese on a bagel, strawberry yogurt and fresh fruit (chunks of watermelon, cantaloupe, and pineapple--just like at Mountain View).
This morning's culture lecture covers a wide-range of Japanese etiquette and proper behavior, including eating, drinking, and bowing. The speaker provides very useful information (with pictures and diagrams), about how to use bathrooms and toilets, both Japanese squat-style and more-familiar Western style. But as I know from personal experience, toilets can be very complicated, allowing the user to choose music, water temperature, water strength, seat temperature, etc. Many toilets even come with remote controls.
After learning everything (and more) I needed to know about toilet etiquette, it is time for another lunch in the Main Dining Room: a repeat of tomato bisque along with a steak, peppers, and onions sandwich on an open hoagie roll.
Later this afternoon I meet with a small group of other gay men and we all drink to sharing stories of the bad experiences we've had on cruises. Nothing so bad as to dissuade us from signing on to the next one.
Now I'm off to dinner and I shall this posting through the ether.
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