10-night Grand Japan Cruise

Yokohama is located on the southern part of Honshu Island, on the western shore of Tokyo Bay, and is our gateway to Tokyo. It has excellent harbour facilities and is one of the leading ports industrial centres of Japan. There are numerous shrines, temples, and Christian churches and a number of beautiful parks. A small fishing village in 1854, Yokohama was almost totally destroyed in 1923 by an earthquake. Gradually reconstructed the city is now among the most modern in Japan. It was heavily bombed in 1945, during World War II.

Destination Guide

Shimizu is located on the northwest coast of Suruga Bay on the island of Honshu. Protected by a sandspit, it is a major commercial port and fishing centre. Places of scenic and historic interest include the Pine Groves of Miho, the Ryuge Temple, containing a fern palm believed to be more than 1,000 years old, and the nearby Nippon-Daira plateau.

Kagoshima, a seaport on Kyushu Island, Japan, is sheltered within Kagoshima Bay and is the commercial and cultural center of southern Kyushu. Products manufactured here include a famous type of earthenware known as Satsumaware. Sights of interest include the Iso Garden and the local Theatre.

Hashima Island, commonly called Gunkanjima, is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and is known for its undersea coal mines operating since the late 1800's. The island is now uninhabited, but features historic buildings from Japan's early industrialization period and Second World War.

One of Japan's most historic cities, Nagasaki was a major port, trading with the Portuguese and Dutch in the 16th century. You can still see this colonial legacy in the brick buildings, old forts, canals and curving cobblestone streets. On a hill overlooking the bay, beautiful Glover Mansion, the setting of Madame Butterfly, is typical of the fine homes built by wealthy foreign residents. But Nagasaki's ties with Korea and China are equally apparent in the famous Chinese temple, a large Chinese colony and the numerous fine Korean and Chinese restaurants.

Destination Guide

Korea's "museum without walls" is akin only to China in its depth and cultural wonder. From Pusan, you can journey to the ancient Silla capital of Kyongju, a dynasty which reigned in Korea for almost a thousand years. Today this small provincial town is virtually a museum without walls, dotted with many splendid ruins. Nearby, the forested mountains and valleys shelter hundreds of beautiful Buddhist shrines including the renowned Sokkuram Grotto, and Tongdosa and Pulguksa Temples. Pusan is also a shopper's mecca and Korea's vital southern link to Japanese and American trade.

Destination Guide

Hiroshima in southwestern Honshu has grown rapidly as a commercial city, and after 1868 it was developed as a military base. Every August 6 since 1947, thousands participate in multidenominational services in the Peace Memorial Park built on the site where the bomb exploded. After the war the city was largely rebuilt, and commercial activity gradually resumed. Visit the Peace Park but also explore Miyajima Island and its colourful shrines and mysterious forests.

Destination Guide

Takamatsu is the capital of Kagawa Prefecture, Japan's smallest prefecture. The Matsudaira Clan, relatives of the Tokugawa, controlled the former castle town and surrounding region, then known as Sanuki, during most of the Edo Period.

This large, bustling port is the starting point for tours to the ancient cities of Kyoto and Nara, the cultural fountainheads of classical Japan. Kyoto's Old Imperial Palace and the shogunal Nijo Castle remain glorious symbols of the power the city held for over 1,000 years. Until 1868, Kyoto was the capital of Japan, filled with elegant timber buildings and, perhaps more than any other Japanese city, imbued with Kami, the divine spirit. You'll sense it everywhere, for there are hundreds of Shinto shrines and over a thousand Buddhist temples, as well as sacred treasure-houses of religious sculpture, painting and exquisite gardens. Nara, City of the Seven Great Temples, lies in an idyllic setting.

Destination Guide

Excursions

Kobe - Osaka Day Tour — Optional Private Excursions
Highlights:

• Osaka Castle
• Umeda Sky Building
• Shitennoji Temple
• Dontonbori

• Transfers and sightseeing as specified in the itinerary by private vehicle
• Services of driver and private English-speaking guide during sightseeing and transfers (different guide and driver in each city)
• Local restaurant lunches including 1 drink per person (soft drink, local beer, bottled water, tea or coffee)

• Pier permits

• Complimentary local bottled water during sightseeing/transfers

• Entrance fees while sightseeing

• Any accommodations/ meals/ flights/ sightseeing/ transfers other than specified
• Excess baggage charges
• Gratuities to the local guides and drivers
• Travel insurance (recommended)
• Any expenses of a personal nature such as laundry, minibar charges, telephone charges, etc.
• Any visa