At 8:45 am, we took a 1.5-hour bus ride to Nara, the capital of Japan from 710-784 AD.  The hotel staff came to see us off (photo below).  Nara contains some of the most magnificent temples and art of that time.  We toured the Todai-ji Temple with the Great Buddha and the nearby Kasuga Taisha Shrine.  The park had over 1,000 very tame deer, who loved to be fed.

Lunch was at the Kikusuirou Restaurant, followed by another 1.5-hour ride to Kobe to embark the ship – the Caledonian Sky.  Evening activities were a safety drill, a Welcome Aboard briefing, and dinner on the ship.  Many people, including me, were quite ready for the western fare menu, which had several choices for meals.

Here are photos of the Todai-ji Temple and Kasuga Taisha Shrine:

Photos en route and of the ship: