Cruise prepatations

A week-end spent preparing for our next cruise, on the Tansei Maru, a "small" ship (40m long) belonging to Tokyo university and JAMSTEC. As it's cold and raining and really miserable, that wasn't such a bad thing to do. The packing went fast, and we had put everything in the truck by 11am on Saturday, so got the afternoon off.

On Sunday, we were to meet the truck at the dock

where the ship is, at Daiba. I got a teensy weensy bit lost, but have learned that if you write the name of the station down and show it to the information clerk they usually draw you a very clear map as to which train to take. And speaking of trains, here is a sight not many people get to see: the electronic board informing you the train will be arriving early!? Not a word I usually associate with trains....

Daiba seems like a very kitsch resort for week-end Tokyo-ites, but actually has a very nice water front with paths through little gardens and benches by the sea-side. There is also a very nice bird population, with ducks and cormorants and sea gulls and lots of others, I'm sure. One sea gull was paddling around pecking at a dead fish belly up in the water, so I guess you never really forget you're still in the outskirts of Tokyo...

The ship loading went well, with more people than actual luggage. Looks like we'll only be 7 scientists instead of the 12 or so they usually have. That means lots of space for everyone, which is nice.

The weather is awful like good spring weather should be. And spring is the time of cherry blossoms! And so they have put up .... pink, plastic ... um ... blossoms ... in the streets. There is a time when I feel they try just a bit too hard.

Well I'm off to eat some bread and butter. We have just been told that it'll be Japanese breakfasts only on the ship, so I only have 2 days left of bread! How horrible! The thought of broth with tofu in it for breaky. Oh dear.... Must run and get some bread!