Meet the couple who celebrated their wedding anniversary on a Far East cruise

My husband Jonathan and I celebrated our golden wedding anniversary with Viking’s Far Eastern Horizons itinerary as it promised us a trip down memory lane – we’d lived in Hong Kong in the 1980s.

It also offered a chance to discover Taiwan and Japan, new destinations for us.

East meets west

Our voyage began in Hong Kong, where our stateroom balcony aboard the Viking Orion offered exceptional views of Victoria Harbour and Hong Kong Island – surpassing those of the waterfront’s luxury hotels.

On a romantic evening harbour crossing aboard the Star Ferry, we witnessed the Symphony of Lights, a show displayed on harbourside buildings each night. We were struck by how many more skyscrapers had appeared since the 1980s.

Stanley Market was also well worth a visit, smarter and cleaner than in the old days when we shopped there. We explored Chi Lin Nunnery next to Nan Lian Garden, too, both of which were constructed in the Tang dynasty style.

After two days reminiscing in Hong Kong followed by a relaxing day at sea, we arrived in Taipei, Taiwan’s capital.

First we visited the ornate Bao-An temple, then saw a huge statue of Taiwan’s former president at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall. As a civil engineer, Jonathan’s highlight was ascending Taipei 101, the world’s tallest building until the completion of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in 2010.

Land of the rising sun

Next stop – Japan, a long-standing place on our wish list for its beautiful scenery, fascinating culture and ultra-polite people.

Japan was closed to the rest of the world from 1603 until 1868 but luckily for us, gaijin (outsiders) are now welcomed with open arms and polite bows.

As well as experiencing temples, shrines and onsens (hot springs),
we were struck by the manicured azaleas that lined the streets and the parks adorned with cherry blossom trees when we visited in spring.

With their history of destruction and human tragedy, Nagasaki and Hiroshima made a lasting impression. It was moving and uplifting to visit their Peace Parks, where many countries have donated memorials – including a beautiful rose bed from the United Kingdom.

In Hiroshima, schoolchildren had made thousands of origami cranes – symbols of good luck and longevity – as part of their Peace Studies, which filled a children’s peace monument. We were surprised to see trees that predated the 1945 nuclear bomb, including Kurogane holly, eucalyptus and camphor. The Japanese call these survivor trees hibakujumoku.

Visiting Hiroshima’s restored Shukkeien Garden, we discovered peony bushes protected from the elements by their own umbrellas.

We also enjoyed Hiroshima Castle nearby. Recalling the Kill Bill film franchise, Jonathan was interested in its samurai sword exhibition.

Our introduction to Japanese culture was further enhanced by a drumming display on the quayside as we sailed away from Nagasaki, as well as a Geisha performance and onboard lectures on the history, geology and horticulture of the destinations we visited.

The ship’s World Café featured Japanese dishes, too, such as okonomiyaki, a savoury pancake with various toppings.

Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest and most sacred mountain, is sometimes obscured by cloud, so we were excited to spot it from our balcony as we sailed towards Shimizu en route to our final port, Tokyo.

The world’s largest city has a population of more than 37 million, including the world’s oldest continuous hereditary royal family – said to date back to 97 BCE – who reside in the Imperial Palace.

On our return to the ship, we were intrigued to see a Statue of Liberty replica, one seventh the size of the original, which France gave to Japan in 1998. Tokyo also has a structure similar to the Eiffel Tower, only 3m taller.

Time to unwind

We enjoyed the ship’s enrichment programme, Explorers’ Lounge, Infinity Pool and Nordic Spa.

As we bade a fond farewell to the crew, we understood why several passengers had travelled more than 20 times with Viking.

Maybe we can match that over the next 20 years, taking us to our platinum anniversary?