[Lodesman]

I agree with Mark and PJ that Guam is probably too far out in the middle of the deep blue to be an attraction to cruisers. That in itself could be an attraction to anyone who wants to get off the beaten path. Other than the first-rate diving, the WWII history and the biggest K-Mart in the Pacific, there's not a lot I would recommend about Guam. When I was last there, I found the prices exhorbitant (gouging by the hospitality sector); this was during the Japanese recession, and the hotels/bars were empty. Guam is very popular with Japanese tourists, and they evidently feel they have as much to offer as Hawaii, so they price accordingly. If you are going to be in the neighbourhood though, you should definately stop at Saipan and Tinian, again for the diving and WWII stuff.

Japan is awesome - I've only been there on big boats, but I seem to recall there were plenty of facilities for yachts. Kure is close to Hiroshima, which is a "must see". If you plan to go into Tokyo Wan, you will definately want advice on the right time to do it. Went into Yokosuka twice - the first three harbour transits were uneventful with moderate traffic; the last trip leaving Yokosuka, the channel out of the harbour resembled a twelve-lane superhighway at rush hour - it was wall-to-wall steel with everything from coasties to Panamaxes not more than a couple hundred yards from each other. Of course most cruisers could use the inshore zone, but then you're playing dodge'em with the fishing boats...