Having sailed overnight we dock at Hitachinaka this morning and we gather for our first shore excursion (the vast majority of which are included in the pricing) which is to some sights in Mito City where the Mito clan was based. The Last Shogun leader married into the Imperial family and lived in Mito establishing an orchard of plum trees and cherry trees plus there is a bamboo growing area. The garden has such a vibrant display that Kaikuronen station only opens seasonally to allow visitors easy access.
Tokugawa Yoshinobu also established a Samurai school where young warriors were trained but following the revolution, where he was the leader who capitulated to the revolution leaders, they held him prisoner in a single room of the school for some months.
No doubt given his familial links to the re-established Imperial family, his decision to convert to the Shinto religion (from Buddhism) and perhaps a wish for reconciliation the Emperor granted him special status and enjoyed a long life (also perhaps recognising that his actions prevented a bloody conflict), with a brief version of his timeline as follows:
28 October 1837 Born
29 August 1866 Becomes Shogun
3 January 1868 Resigns as Shogun
22 November 1912 Dies
We return to our ship and consume coffee and cakes as a very light lunch. The main activity this afternoon is a presentation by three ladies demonstrating geisha dance, an art form which is being revived as the number of practicioners had reduced to very small numbers.
We dine well and then have a couple of drinks in the observation deck, although in the dark there is nothing to observe.