Itinerary Details With Information About the Stops

Itinerary Details (Information thanks to Silver Seas and Wikipedia)

 17 Sep 2015   Thursday   Seward (Anchorage), AK, USA   Depart:  7:00 PM

 It is hard to believe that a place as beautiful as Seward exists. Surrounded on all sides by Kenai Fjords National Park, Chugach National Forest, and Resurrection Bay, Seward offers all the quaint realities of a small railroad town with the bonus of jaw-dropping scenery. This little town of fewer than 3,000 citizens was founded in 1903, when survey crews arrived at the ice-free port and began planning a railroad to the Interior. Since its inception, Seward has relied heavily on tourism and commercial fishing. It is also the launching point for excursions into Kenai Fjords National Park, where it is quite common to see marine life and calving glaciers.
Wikipedia: Seward (Alutiiq: Qutalleq) is a city in Kenai Peninsula Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. According to 2005 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city is 3,016.[4] It was named after William H. Seward,United States Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson. In 1867, he fought for the U.S. purchase of Alaska which he finally negotiated to acquire from Russia.

Mile 0 of the historic Iditarod Trail is at Seward. In the early 1900s the trail was blazed in order to transport people and goods to and from the port of Seward to interior Alaska.  In 1793 Alexander Baranov of the Shelikhov-Golikov company (precursor of the Russian-American Company) established a fur trade post on Resurrection Bay where Seward is today, and had a three-masted vessel, the Phoenix, built at the post by James Shields, an English shipwright in Russian service.[5]

18 Sep 2015    Friday - Kodiak, Kodiak Island, AK, USA   Arrive: 8:00 AM   Depart: 3:00 PM 
 Kodiak, Kodiak Island, AK, United States of America
Today commercial fishing is king in Kodiak. Despite its small population—about 13,500 people scattered among the several islands in the Kodiak group—the city is among the busiest fishing ports in the United States. The harbor is also an important supply point for small communities on the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula. Visitors to the island tend to follow one of two agendas: either immediately fly out to a remote lodge for fishing, kayaking, or bear viewing; or stay in town and access whatever pursuits they can reach from the limited road system.
Wikipedia:
Kodiak Island
 is a large island on the south coast of the U.S. state ofAlaska, separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. The largest island in the Kodiak Archipelago, Kodiak Island is the second largest island in the United States and the 80th largest island in the world, with an area of 9,311.24 km2 (3,595.09 sq mi).[2] It is 160 km (100 miles) long and in width ranges from 16 to 96 km (10 to 60 miles). Kodiak Island is the namesake for Kodiak Seamount, which lies off the coast at the Aleutian Trench. The largest community on the island is the city of Kodiak, Alaska. Kodiak Island is mountainous and heavily forested in the north and east, but fairly treeless on the south. The island has many deep, ice-free baysthat provide sheltered anchorages for boats. The southwestern two-thirds of the island, like much of the Kodiak Archipelago, is part ofKodiak National Wildlife Refuge.


19 Sep 2015   Saturday   Day at Sea

20 Sep 2015   Sunday   Dutch Harbour, Unalaska Is. AK,USA     Arrive: 8:00 AM   Depart: 1:00 PM

Dutch Harbour, Unalaska, AK, United States of America
The Aleutians are a chain of more than 300 small volcanic islands extending in an arc from the Kamchatka Peninsula towards Alaska. The islands became the stepping stones of history that attracted Russian explorers to Alaska in the 18th century. Along the treeless, windswept islands, one can see onion-domed churches mixed in with rusted Quonset huts, weed-covered bunkers and shell casings; reminders of the bitter campaigns fought here between American and Japanese forces during World War II. Together with the city of Unalaska, Dutch Harbor, located at Unalaska Island at the end of the Aleutian chain, is a bustling community with about 4,000 residents.
Wikipedia: Unalaska (Aleut: Iluulux̂[3]) is a city in the Aleutians West Census Area, a regional component of the Unorganized Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Unalaska is located on Unalaska Island and neighboring Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Islands off mainland Alaska. The population was 4,376 at the 2010 census, which is 79% of the entire Aleutians West Census Area. Unalaska is the second-largest city in the Unorganized Borough, behind Bethel.
The Aleut or Unangan people have lived on Unalaska Island for thousands of years.[4] The Unangan, who were the first to inhabit the island of Unalaska, named it "Ounalashka", meaning "near the peninsula". The regional native corporation has adopted this moniker, and is known as the Ounalashka Corporation.[5] The Russian fur trade reached Unalaska when Stepan Glotov and his crew arrived on August 1, 1759. Natives, Russians and their descendants comprised most of the community's population until the middle 20th century, when the involvement of the United States in World War II led to a large-scale influx of people and construction of buildings all along the strategically-located Aleutians.
Almost all of the community's port facilities are on Amaknak Island, better known as Dutch Harbor or just "Dutch". It is the largest fisheries port in the U.S. by volume caught. It includes Dutch Harbor Naval Operating Base and Fort Mears, U.S. Army, a U.S. National Historic Landmark. Dutch Harbor lies within the city limits of Unalaska and is connected to Unalaska by a bridge. Amaknak Island is home to almost 59 percent of the city's population, although it has less than 3 percent of its land area.
The island of Unalaska was first inhabited by the Aleut people, who named it "Ounalashka", meaning: "Near the Peninsula". They developed an intricate and complex society long before their first contact with the Russian fur traders who would document their existence.
21 Sep 2015   Monday          Day at Sea
22 Sep 2015   Tuesday          Day at Sea
23 Sep 2015   Wednesday    Date Line    (lose a day)
24 Sep 2015   Thursday        Day at Sea



25 Sep 2015   Friday   Petropavlovsk (Kamchatsky), Russian Federation   Arrive: 7:00 AM  Depart: 6:00 PM
Petropavlovsk (Kamchatsky), Russian Federation
The Kamchatka Peninsula is part of the Eastern frontier of Russia. Due to its close proximity to the United States, the region has played a strategic role in the defense of Russian territory throughout modern history. As a result, the territory was closed for many years to foreigners and Russians alike. Fortunately, the region's isolated position played a significant role in preserving and protecting its unique wilderness and rich biodiversity. With few roads, most regional transportation is by plane, boat, or helicopter.
Wikipedia: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky (Russian: Петропа́вловск-Камча́тский) is the city and the administrative, industrial, scientific, and cultural center of Kamchatka Krai, Russia. Population: 179,780 (2010 Census);[3]198,028 (2002 Census);[6] 268,747 (1989 Census).[7]
he city is situated on high hills and surrounded by volcanoes. The surrounding terrain is mountainous enough that the horizon cannot be seen clearly from any point in town. Across Avacha Bay from the city is Russia's largestsubmarine base, the Rybachiy Nuclear Submarine Base, established during the Soviet regime and still used by the Russian Navy.[8] The city is located 6,766 kilometers (4,204 mi) from Moscow and about 2,220 kilometers (1,380 mi) from Vladivostok.
The city was founded by Danish navigator Vitus Bering in the service of the Russian Navy. Bering reached Avacha Bay in late 1740 and laid the foundation stone for the harbor town, naming the new settlement "Petropavlovsk" (Peter and Paul) after his two ships, the St. Peter and theSt. Paul, built in Okhotsk for his second expedition. The town's location on the sheltered Avacha Bay and at the mouth of the Avacha River saw it develop to become the most important settlement in Kamchatka. It was granted town status on April 9, 1812.
  
26 Sep 2015   Saturday        Day at Sea
27 Sep 2015   Sunday           Day at Sea

 28 Sep 2015   Monday   Kushiro, Japan   Arrive: 8:00 AM   Depart: 5:00 PM
Kushiro, Japan  Kushiro, known as the "town of mist", is situated in the south eastern part of Hokkaido. With about 200,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city in the region and the base for deep-sea fishing. The marine products industry of Kushiro has flourished since the early 20 th century and many streets of this port town retain features of this era. Thanks to its strategic location on Hokkaido's Eastern Pacific seaboard and the area's only ice free port, Kushiro is experiencing steady growth as an important economic, social and cultural centre. A literary atmosphere can be attributed to the poet and novelist Takuboku Ishikawa, who lived here in the early 20th century.



Wikipedia: Kushiro (釧路市 Kushiro-shi?) is a Japanese city in Kushiro Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Kushiro Subprefecture, as well as the most populous city in eastern Hokkaido.
An Imperial decree in July 1899 established Kushiro as an open port for trading with the United States and the United Kingdom.[1]
Kushiro has been an important port because it is more reliably ice-free during winter than alternative Russian Far East warm-water ports such as Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky or other ports in Hokkaido such as Hakodate, which occasionally do freeze for short periods due to the lower salinity of the Sea of Japan. For this reason, Kushiro was considered a valuable target for the Tsars during the Russo-Japanese Wars, but it only became a really important port during the 1920s with the growth of commercial fishing, for which its reliable freedom from ice reduced costs.[2]
On October 11, 2005 the town of Akan, from Akan District, and the town of Onbetsu, from Shiranuka District, was merged into Kushiro.
In 2008 the city had an estimated population of 189,539 and a total area of 1,362.75 km2 (526.16 sq mi), giving a population density of 140 persons per km² (363 persons per sq. mi.).
 29 Sep 2015   Tuesday   Hakodate, Japan   Arrive: 8:00 AM   Depart: 11:00 PM

Hakodate, Japan
 Facing out on two bays, Hakodate is a 19th-century port town, with clapboard buildings on sloping streets, a dockside tourist zone, streetcars, and fresh fish on every menu. In the downtown historic quarter, a mountain rises 1,100 feet above the city on the southern point of the narrow peninsula. Russians, Americans, Chinese, and Europeans have all left their mark; this was one of the first three Japanese ports the Meiji government opened up to international trade in 1859. The main sights around the foot of Mt. Hakodate.
Wikipedia: Hakodate (函館市 Hakodate-shi?) is a city and port located inOshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the capital city of Oshima Subprefecture.
As of July 31, 2011, the city has an estimated population of 279,851 with 143,221 households and a population density of 412.83 persons per km² (1,069.2 persons per sq. mi.). The total area is 677.77 km2 (261.69 sq mi). The city is now the third biggest in Hokkaido after Sapporo and Asahikawa.
Hakodate was Japan's first city whose port was opened to foreign trade in 1854 as a result of Convention of Kanagawa, and used to be the most important port in northern Japan. Also, the city had been the biggest city in Hokkaido before the Great Hakodate Fire of 1934.

30 Sep 2015   Wednesday   Amori, Japan   Arrive: 8:00 AM   Depart: 11:00 PM
Aomori, Japan
Aomori's main event is its Nebuta Matsuri Festival,held August 2 to 7. People come to see illuminated floats of gigantic samurai figures paraded through the streets at night. Aomori's festival is one of Japan's largest, and is said to celebrate the euphoria of post-battle victory, and is thus encouraged to be noisier and livelier than you may have been exposed to in other Japanese festivals. Dancers, called heneto, run alongside the floats, dancing crazily, and you're encouraged to join in. Throughout the year you can enjoy delicious seafood from Aomori Bay, including Oma no Maguro (tuna of Oma), as well as delicious fruits and vegetables (particularly garlic).

Wikipedia: Aomori Prefecture (青森県 Aomori-ken?) is a prefecture of Japanlocated in the Tōhoku region.[2] The capital is the city of Aomori.  Until the Meiji Restoration, the area of Aomori prefecture was known as the northern part of Mutsu Province.[4]
During the Edo period the Hirosaki clan began building a seaport at the current city of Aomori. There were green woods near the city which were used as landmarks for the ships that came into port. These green woods called aoi-mori is where Aomori got its name. The prefecture came into existence in 1871. The town of Aomori was established in 1889. The town was incorporated as a city in 1898 with a population of 28,000. On May 3, 1910 a fire broke out in the Yasukata district. Fanned by strong winds, the fire quickly devastated the whole city. The conflagration claimed 26 lives and injured a further 160 residents. It destroyed 5,246 houses and burnt 19 storage sheds and 157 warehouses. At 10:30 p.m. on July 28, 1945 a squadron of AmericanB29 bombers bombed over 90% of the city.
  
01 Oct 2015   Thursday        Day at Sea

02 Oct 2015   Friday   Tokyo, Japan   Arrive: 8:00 AM 

Tokyo, Japan

In places Tokyo seems to have been frozen in time—especially in the traditions that underpin many Tokyoites’ lives or the temples and gardens that have survived centuries of upheaval—yet in others the city never stands still, and change of some kind—gradual and rapid—is always afoot. Lights, sushi, manga! Sprawling, frenetic, and endlessly fascinating, Japan’s capital is a city of contrasts. Shrines and gardens are pockets of calm between famously crowded streets and soaring office buildings. Mom-and-pop noodle houses share street space with Western-style chain restaurants and exquisite fine dining. Shopping yields lovely folk arts as well as the newest electronics.

Wikipedia: Tokyo (東京 Tōkyō?, "Eastern Capital")(Japanese: [toːkjoː] ( listen),English /ˈtoʊki.oʊ/), officially Tokyo Metropolis (東京都 Tōkyō-to?),[5]is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan,[6] and is both the capital andlargest city of Japan. The Greater Tokyo Area is the most populous metropolitan area in the world.[7] It is the seat of the Emperor of Japan and the Japanese government. Tokyo is in the Kantō regionon the southeastern side of the main island Honshu and includes theIzu Islands and Ogasawara Islands.[8] Formerly known as Edo, it has been the de facto seat of government since 1603 when ShogunTokugawa Ieyasu made the city his headquarters. It officially became the capital after Emperor Meiji moved his seat to the city from the old capital of Kyoto in 1868; at that time Edo was renamed Tokyo. Tokyo Metropolis was formed in 1943 from the merger of the former Tokyo Prefecture (東京府 Tōkyō-fu?) and the city of Tokyo (東京市 Tōkyō-shi?).
Tokyo is often referred to and thought of as a city, but is officially known and governed as a "metropolitan prefecture", which differs from and combines elements of both a city and a prefecture; a characteristic unique to Tokyo. The Tokyo metropolitan government administers the 23 Special Wards of Tokyo (each governed as an individual city), which cover the area that was formerly the City of Tokyo before it merged and became the subsequent metropolitan prefecture in 1943. The metropolitan government also administers 39municipalities in the western part of the prefecture and the two outlying island chains. The population of the special wards is over 9 million people, with the total population of the prefecture exceeding 13 million. The prefecture is part of the world's most populous metropolitan area with upwards of 37.8 million people and the world's largest urban agglomeration economy. The city hosts 51 of theFortune Global 500 companies, the highest number of any city in the world.[9] Tokyo ranked third in the International Financial Centres Development IndexEdit. The city is also home to various television networks like Fuji TV, Tokyo MX, TV Tokyo, TV Asahi, Nippon Television and the Tokyo Broadcasting System.