Today I would like to introduce a unique cruise tour in Yokosuka City, Kanagawa. What is unique about it? You get to not only enjoy the beautiful and quiet bay scenery of Yokosuka. The main purpose of this cruise is to tour the battle ships and military facilities!
Even if you are not a military freak nor interested in battle ships, am I sure that you will love this extraordinary cruise. I clearly saw that from the long line of tourists getting ready to board this cruise ship.
Yokosuka City is famous for its U.S. Naval Port. For this reason, the town has an international atmosphere and draws a lot of tourists. This city has made great efforts to spotlight the shops and restaurants selling navy hamburgers and naval curry dishes. (It is said that the Japanese marine force eats curry rice every Friday because they forget the day of the week while on board and so the cooks serve curry on that day to remind them that the weekend is about to start!)
This cruise starts four times a day. The ship named Sea Friend V takes you on a 45-minute journey. The ship is not so big. The first floor is inside and the second is an open deck. You can choose where to stay depending on the weather.
With the help of the on-board guide, you can see all the important battle ships and naval facilities. The guide sometimes jokes and asks us questions with a lot of humor, so you will not be bored during this 45-minute cruise. Furthermore you will enrich yourselves with historical information about the navy. Actually I heard the above “Curry dish on Friday” story from the guide on this cruise. But I regret to say the guides speak only in Japanese.
The naval port cruise first passes by the U.S. Navy Base in Yokosuka Port and then the Marine Self Defense Force Base in Nagaura Port. You can compare the U.S. and Japan navy ships. It is fun to see the gray color of ships are slightly different in the U.S. and Japan because they have to color the ships due to the color of the horizon of their own countries. (I also heard this story from the guide!)
I was very lucky to be able to see the USS George Washington (CVN-73), an American nuclear-powered super-carrier on that day. This ship is named after the first US President, George Washington. This airplane carrier was magnificent and gorgeous.
After the tour, don’t miss eating a Yokosuka Navy burger or Yokosuka Navy Curry dish. There are plenty of shops and restaurants scatter around near the pier of this cruise. Me? Off course I tried it!
