STAR COLLECTOR: ALASKA CROSSING TO JAPAN

Major fishing port in the Aleutian Islands.

Gentlemen prefer Haines. And ladies too, of course, particularly those who seek out idyllic, wildlife-filled settings. This small coastal town, in the upper region of the famous Inside Passage, is the starting point of the Chilkat Trail, a canoe portage route for Indians on their way to the salmon spawning area of the Chilkat River. As the easiest route through the coastal mountains, the Chilkat Trail was later traveled by thousands of miners heading for the Klondike gold fields. Some Royal Caribbean cruise ships visit Haines for five hours in the evening, but although you’ll be seeing this natural wonderland during the evening hours, there’s still plenty of daylight, compliments of Alaska’s famed midnight sun, which shines longest in summer. On Song of Norway’s 11-night Alaska cruise, you’ll spend a full nine hours in Haines.

Homer is located at the southern end of the Kenai Peninsula in Southcentral Alaska. Set on beautiful Kachemak Bay, it is a popular resort area for fishing and trekking enthusiasts.

Would you believe, Joe Juneau? It’s true–Juneau, Alaska is named for Joe Juneau, one of a trio of explorers who discovered rich reserves of gold in the stream that now runs through town. The stampede thatolwed led to Juneau becoming first a camp, then a town, then finally Alaska’s capital. Today, the town boasts some of Alaska’s most fetching scenery. Nestled at the foot of Mt. Juneau in the Alaskan Panhandle, it faces the water from the mainland side of Gastineau Channel. Several magnificent fjords are located along the channel coast and the majestic Mendenhall Glacier,
a favorite of visitors, is nearby.

Kenai Fjords National Park is ordinarily entered from the small boat harbor in Seward, where the park’s visitor center can be found. Cruise operators there offer tours ranging from a few hours to a full day that take visitors into the coves, along the headlands and out to the islands included in the park.

Kenai Fjords is a 650,000-acre park on the Kenai Peninsula in South-central Alaska. It includes the 300-square-mile Harding Icefield, source of the glaciers that carved the fjords and provide some of the park’s
most impressive sights.

Seward is a three-hour drive south of Anchorage; it can also be reached from Anchorage by train (the ride takes about five hours) or bus. It has a small airport, too. A flight from Anchorage takes 35 minutes.

Seward, an ice-free, deep-water port, is also a stop for cruise liners.
Boat cruises of the park are available year-round. Winter activities in-
clude the Polar Bear Plunge in January (where about 300 people jump into
the small boat harbor in a fund-raising event that is the main event in
a weekend festival), skiing, snowmobiling and dog sledding. The National
Park includes mountains, waterfalls, tidewater glaciers and wildlife
ranging from black bears to harbor seals. Its islands include sea lion
haulouts and its rocky coastline and islands contain rookeries for a
wide variety of seabirds including gulls, kittiwakes, murres, oyster-
catchers, cormorants and puffins. Its waters support sea otters, salmon,
halibut, porpoises and whales.

“Spread wings of a prostrate eagle.” As any Ketchikanian will tell you, his is the meaning of their town’s name. It comes from the eagle-wing sppearance of water flowing over an unusual rock formation which can be seen in the Ketchikan Creek.

To own originated as an Indian fish saltery and grew to become the largest salmon-canning center in the world. The real growth came with the gold rush of 1898, when the town served as a supply center for wourld-be millionaires. of the town’s colorful past is still in evidence, especially at the Indian villages, which are renowned for their colorfully carved
totem poles and fascinating legends.

Located south of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula, Seward is a port city with abundant fishing and wildlife. There are popular boat tours to the Kenai Fjords with its glaciers and wildlife. A very popular destination in the summer months, the best time to visit Seward is September through May… there are fewer crowds and more room to view abundant wildlife and gorgeous scenery. This cruising port is situated in mountains covered in lush vegetation and alpine wildflowers. It is a small community where friendly locals greet you at every turn. The railroad from Anchorage ends here and offers a very scenic ride throug the mountains.

It’s a little bit Russian, it’s a little bit Tlingit. Once the home of the powerful Tlingit Indian nation, Sitka today is a combination of the best of Tlingit and Russian cultures, the Russians having arrived at the end of the 18th century.

There are plenty of historic and modern sights to see, including Indian arts and crafts and Russian music and dance. Best of all, the water is still crystal-clear, and massive timberland forests remain pristine.

Besides the interesting local tours and the Sitka dancers, if you have time, be sure to take a boat ride to the outer islands to see whales, otters, eagles and other wildlife. The fishing in the area is also excellent.

It’s a city of contrast. Where else do you find demure kimono-clad girls next to slick Elvis impersonators than good old Yoyogi Park? But only on Sundays.

Tokyo will amaze you with its dual personality; its serenity and its brashness. A city of about 20 million people, it is one of the few metropolises where every train is on time. But try to avoid rush hour. You might get pummeled by a sweet old lady on her way to the Sumo matches at the Budokan Hall!

Visit Roppongi for a taste of modern night life; you can even catch a reggae show. And if you’re still awake after that, hop a train to the Tsukiji fish market at 5 a.m. to see one of the most spectacular fish bazaars on earth. Some tuna comes all the way from Montauk, NY. Now that’s a global marketplace!

When you’re ready for a little peace and quiet, you may visit the brilliant Asakusa Shrine, a prime example of Edo-period architecture. Here you may cleanse your spirit, or, of course, shop to your heart’s delight at many of the little stalls lining the small streets leading to the shrine. Otanoshimi ni! Perhaps the greatest urban sprawl in the world, the Tokyo metropolitan. Tokyo began as a tiny fishing village called Edo, and for more than four centuries was ruled by a series of
chieftains and military warlords. A castle was constructed in Edo in 1457, the year officially noted as the founding of the city, and by 1680 it had grown to a population of over a million people. The city received its modern name in 1868 when the Emperor Meihi moved his court to Edo. It now sprawls 55 miles (88.4km) east to west and 15 miles (24km) north to south and covers an area of 2,031 sq. km.

This area is home to some 20 million people. Famous for its extremes; the word’s most crowded trains, the world’s cleanest streets, the world’s most expensive melons, Tokyo nevertheless seems to be characterized by an overlying blandness. Since the 17th century, Tokyo has been divided up between “yamanote” (south and west) and “shitamachi” (north and east). Simply put, uptown has more to do, downtown more to see. Uptown has the high-rises, the nightlife and the
armies of navy-suited salarymen of the Shibuya, Shinjuku and Ikebukuro business areas, while downtown has Tokyo’s oldest area, Asakusa, the city’s great museums and the imperial palace.

Located in southwestern Washington state, Vancouver is a port at the head of deepwater navigation on the Columbia River, opposite Portland, OR. Vancouver is a commercial, manufacturing and shipping center.

How wild is it?

It’s so wild, the country surrounding this small fishing community doesn’t even have a road leading to town; the only way in is by air or sea. Centuries ago, the Tlingit Indians used Wrangell as a port, and in the harbor you can still see the remains of several rock walls built as protected berths. In and around town you’ll find Tlingit totem poles, a museum with Indian artifacts, lovely parks, and unique Petroglyph Beach, where you can see rocks decorated with pictures that have been chiseled into the surface by ancient artists.