This spring my wife and I were on a cruise to China, Korea and Japan which allowed us to spend three days in Korea and 15 days in Japan. Of all of the photos taken the four shown here are representative highlights of the trip.

While visiting the Demilitarized Zone in Korea, I spotted these Korean children spending some intense time with a cell phone rather than learning about the history of the DMZ. This is my second trip to this area, the first was when I was stationed in Seoul, 1963-1964. Today with paved roads, restaurants, souvenir stands and even a small amusement area for young children, it is a far cry from the basic sites I experienced years ago where we were allowed to walk up to the North Korean guards, but not today. One other interesting feature of the zone is the fact that it has turned into a true natural preserve for wildlife and vegetation not seen in other parts of Korea.

Korean children visiting the Demilitarized Zone finding more interest in the phone than viewing the site.

The Golden Pavillion, built in 1397, continues to draw thousands of visitors annually. The steely building continues to present a thing of beauty with its reflection on the calm lake to the joy of the tourists.

The Golden Pavillion in Kyoto, Japan.

The third photos was taken while we were docked in Osaka, Japan. The port has a ferris wheel just outside of the exit and is lighted every evening with 15 color variations which draws a large crowd of passengers photographing all of the color changes. Personally the red variation is the most vivid.

The port of Osaka, Japan where the Ferris wheel goes through a dozen colorful changes.

We arrived in Aomori, Japan with the anticipation of walking through the Hisoari Castle Park, which claims to have 2,600 cherry blossom trees, which are all in full bloom. We believe that their claim is correct although we did not count them all.

A visit to the Hirsoaki Castle Park in Aomori, Japan where one an view 2,600 cherry blossom trees in full bloom.