Floats

January 10, 2019 Now that the end of the cruise draws near I thought I’d talk about what life at sea is like on a Japanese vessel relative to my previous experiences on US ships. One of the biggest day to day differences is meals. On US ships most often a buffet style meal is offered 3-4 times per 24 hours and during the meal time you can come and go as you please. You can also just stop by and put food away for later. On the Kaiyo-Maru meal time is regarded with more importance and the meals are all sit down service. Before each meal you walk to the kitchen and say ‘ Itadaki masu ’ and then afterwards when you drop off emptied dishes you say ‘ Gochiso sama deshita ’ to express appreciation for the food. There are several bowls or plates at each meal with small portions very elegantly laid out. The meals are more at home style cooking rather than what you might find in a restaurant. Rice, soup, and tea are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and are self-serve. Brea...