Muroran is a working port, not overly large, with local industry dominated by two steel mills and an oil refinery. Not the ideal urban profile if you're trying to build a local tourist industry. And yet it turned into one of the most delightful and memorable days of the trip.
We were delayed due to Japanese immigration boarding and processing all the passengers, electronically scanning our fingerprints before stamping our permits. I'm not wildly enthusiastic about the way governments around the world are gathering information on private citizens, but at least the Japanese authorities are polite and efficient when they treat you like a suspected criminal.
Speaking of efficiency, Princess' processes for organising tours is more efficient than on our cruise five years ago, with the various groups split into separate groups and waiting areas on ship, creating less confusion shore-side. On our first cruise we missed out on two tours due to tour desk screwups. None of that this time around.
In the morning we set off for Lake Toya and Mount Usu, about 45 minutes north of Muroran. The drive was gorgeous; Hokkaido has 5% of Japan's population (around 5.5 million people), but 22% of its land mass, and the low population density and ruggedness of the terrain have helped preserve large expanses of untouched forest.
The forests are extraordinarily diverse, with dozens of different species of trees. Emma and I are both fans of a Japanese animator named Miyazaki (Totoro, Howl's Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Ponyo, and more), and we were struck with how well his films capture the look of the landscape.
So when we arrived at Lake Toya I asked Nobu, our guide, "where's Totoro?"
"You know Totoro?" she asked in surprise, beginning a five minute chat as Emma, Nobu and I chatted about our favourite films. Nobu wins on the fan-stakes, having named her daughter Mae, after one of the characters in Totoro.
Like the rest of Japan Hokkaido was created by volcanic activity. Lake Toya sits in the crater of a dormant volcano, and still has hot springs produced by geo-thermal activity.
Nobu told us if you dip your feet in the hot springs once you live for three extra years, dip them in twice you live for seven extra years, and dip them in three times you live until you die. We went for the two-dip option. The last one was too much of a loophole.
Lake Toya was pretty, but the real highlight of this tour was the visit to Mount Usu, and active volcano that last erupted in 2000, and previously in 1977-78. Both are still active enough to produce constant streams of steam and gas.
The smallish volcano from 2000 is still too active to safely climb, but we were able to take a gondola up the to the rim of the large crater that blew up in 1977-78.
When I say "up to the rim" I actually mean "to the shop at the bottom of the 138 steps that take you to the rim of the crater". After six sea days we needed the exercise, and the view was well worth it, giving us a great view into the centre of the crater, and north-west to the coast. Then we walked back down and looked the other way, which gave us a good view of Lake Toya. Very, very pretty.
We arrived back at the docks around two o'clock, and grabbed a bus into town. The Muroran authorities had gone well out of their way organising transport and activities for the day, including free shuttle buses, as well as volunteer guides from the local high school to explain the routes and stops, and ride into the city with us to make sure we don't miss our stop.
Our volunteer was a very charming girl named Airi, who had just returned from a school trip to Minnesota. We commiserated with her for having to work on a Sunday. She explained they were getting Monday off in compensation. Considering they were putting in around a 12 hour day, with ample opportunities to practice their English, it seemed a fair trade-off.
We'd heard Hokkaido was renowned for its noodles, so our first stop was a noodle shop, Tenkatsu (like Ninekatsu, only one better?), and ordered tempura with soba noodles. I'm not normally a huge tempura or soba noodle fan, but these were phenomenal.
Three women left the restaurant just after we did, two of them in beautiful kimonos. We started chatting, and they explained they were in traditional costume as part of the welcome for the ship. The Diamond Princess only stops into Muroran twice a year, which is why the city makes such a fuss when it does.
One of the women told us her husband was in the main tourist-greeting area playing the shamisen (the long necked three string instrument most people associate with Japanese music). She also informed us he plays the didgeridoo.
"You're kidding. The didgeridoo?"
"Yes. He has travelled to Australia to learn this."
It's a cool world.
We walked back to the bus stop, and while we listened to him playing the shamisen I noticed he'd brought his didgeridoo, which he then played for us (rather well, actually).
I had to ask, "why the didgeridoo?"
"Because I like the didgerridoo."
"Good answer."
While we sat listening one of the women gave Emma a small origami swan, which was very sweet. Then she made a second, tiny-tiny little origami swan for her, which was both amazing and very touching.
Back at the docks was more activity, including a band, an official welcome from the mayor and senior officials with the captain of the Diamond Princess and his officers, and a final performance - in sheeting rain - by a troupe of perhaps 40 or 50 young and extremely enthusiastic Japanese dancers.
Listing the activities doesn't come close to capturing the atmosphere, much less the emotional tone of the day. The amount of effort, the hospitality, the consideration the locals put into this was actually quite overwhelming.
Emma described it as "humbling". Me, I teared up a bit - but that must have been due to the refinery.
We were on a major emotional high when we set sail. The only downside for the day was when the captain advised we'd have to cancel our stop in Aomori due to an oncoming typhoon, and were sailing straight to Vladivostok.
While we loved our first time in Japan, and were sad to miss the second day, getting shipwrecked in an authentic typhoon was an experience we were happy to miss out on.
Besides, this just means we'll have to come back.
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