Springtime Splendor in Japan Cruise

Arrive at Honshu’s largest port city Osaka, where modern architecture and a vibrant dining scene are nestled alongside the 16th Century shogunate Osaka Castle. Make your way to your hotel where the group will spend the first night of the expedition. This evening, meet your fellow voyagers and expedition guides over dinner at the hotel.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before exploring Osaka. Opportunities here include visiting Minoh Park and Osaka Castle. With an area of just 3.7 square miles (9.6 sq km, or 963 hectares), Minoh Park is one of Japan’s smallest National Parks and home to iconic 108-foot-high (33m) Minoh Waterfall, and diverse wildlife including Japanese giant salamander and protected mino monkeys. Explore Osaka Castle, one of Japan’s most famous landmarks, take in the views from Osaka Castle Main Tower, and relive dramatic stories of warlords and Osaka’s fascinating history.

Alternatively, enjoy an excursion to Kyoto, where you can explore the city’s spiritual heritage at the 12th-Century temple Sanjūsangen-dō and its 1,001 statues. Stroll through Kyoto’s historic and iconic lanes, where 16th-Century geiko and maiko culture is brought to life, before visiting Nishiki Market, known as Kyoto’s Kitchen, to discover the city’s renowned culinary delights. Board the ship as your captain and expedition team welcome you later this afternoon.

Despite its history, including being the site of the world’s first atomic bomb attack on 6 August 1945, Hiroshima is a vibrant and thriving cosmopolitan community. Plan to visit the beautiful Peace Park and Museum, with its somber cenotaph containing names of atomic bomb victims and the permanently lit Flame of Peace. Also plan to visit Miyajima Island to experience the floating Torii Gate. Considered one of Japan’s most scenic spots, it is also the location of the famed Daisho-in Buddhist temple. Choose to indulge in fresh local oysters and ice cream, while native Sika deer wander the streets, and enjoy the views of the Itsukushima Shrine and Torri Gate.

Hagi was a minor fishing port until Mori Terumoto fortified it in 1604, and it was Mori Samurai that helped spark off the anti-Tokugawa revolt in the mid-19th century. Today it is better known for its traditional pottery making. This morning, explore the Teramachi District with its temples and shrines, and the Jokamachi District, where you’ll find the old Samurai houses. Take time to explore Hagi Castle, Shizuki Park and Tokoji Temple. This afternoon, travel to the outskirts of the city and the Yoshika Taibi Memorial Museum which is dedicated to a large collection of Hagiyaki pottery, which was highly prized in the Edo period as wares for tea ceremonies. Alternatively, discover the natural wonders of 300-million-year-old limestone Akiyoshido Cave.

Picturesque, otherworldly and rarely visited, the Oki Islands are an archipelago in the Sea of Japan, part of the Daisen-Oki National Park and a UNESCO registered Global Geopark. Accordingly, these islands are home to some outstanding coastal and island scenery to explore and experience. Rich in history, these anachronistic islands combine clear water beaches, bays, inlets and coves with impressive towering cliffs and rock formations to the dense forests, ancient sacred sites and steep mountains, including Mt Daimanji which rises more than 1,968 feet (600m). This evening, upon arrival at the port of Sakaiminato, you will have the opportunity to join an evening excursion and experience the beauty of Matsue by night.

Discover Sakaiminato, entry point to Matsue. It is also known as ‘the town of water,’ due to being situated between Lake Shinji and Lake Nakaumi. Plan to visit Matsue Castle, a national treasure and one of only 12 original 17th Century castles in Japan. Other options today may include exploring Daisen-Oki National Park; steeped in beauty and history, it’s also the home of rare flora and fauna including the Japanese giant salamander. You may visit the picturesque Yuushien Garden (during the iconic annual Yuushien Peony Festival) or the Adachi Museum of Art, or learn about the art of Japanese paper making at the Yakumo-mura village. Alternatively, you may wish to spend some time exploring the picturesque streets and local canals.

Today, cross the Sea of Japan to Ulsan in South Korea and plan to visit the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Gyeongju. The capital of the Silla Dynasty and dating back to the first millennium, Gyeongju is known as ‘the museum without walls’ and is full of ancient Korean history and Buddhist culture. Enjoy strolling through hundreds of excavated monuments, temples, tombs and pagodas. Experience Korean delicacies and cultural performances, and visit the National Museum with its gold jewelry, metal weapons and distinctive pottery. Today provides a perfect taste of the best South Korea has to offer.

This morning, return to Japan via Shimonoseki Port, perched above the 2,132-foot-wide (650m) Kanmon Straits and tucked away at the western end of Japan’s main island of Honshu. Surrounded by water on three sides, Shimonoseki is rightly famous for its seafood and, in addition to being considered the gateway to Kyushu, is also known as Japan’s Pufferfish/Fugu Capital–the potentially deadly local delicacy requiring takumi-level preparation by specially trained Fugu chefs. Other highlights include the city’s iconic Kanmon Bridge spanning Honshu and Kyushu Islands, the world famous Karato Fish Market, and the beautiful Akama Shinto Shrine built to honor drowned child Emperor Antoku.

Your excursions today include time to explore Kokura Castle and its rich history at the crossroads of Japanese history, and discover the beautiful Shiranoe Botanical Garden, accompanied by its resident gardeners. There is also time to explore the world famous Karato Fish Market, adjacent to where your ship is docked, and visit Akama Shinto Shrine on the shores of the Kanon Strait.

From the port of Uno-Ko, visit one of Japan’s most famed gardens, Koraku-en, which translates as ‘garden of pleasure after.’ This 17th Century formal garden has 28 acres of walking trails, ponds, plum and cherry trees. This afternoon, continue to Kurashiki to explore the old merchant quarter and its 17th Century wooden warehouses painted white with traditional black tiles, along a canal framed with weeping willows and filled with koi.

There is also a chance to visit the Ohara Museum of Art which includes rare works by Matisse, Picasso and Renoir as well as collections from Japan’s famous Mingei movement, including ceramics by Hamada Shoji. For those interested in art, you may wish to travel to Naoshima Island–Japan’s stunning art island. Your time exploring Naoshima Island will have you admiring its architecture, art museums and Labyrinth of cherry blossoms, including Chichu Art Museum and Benesse House, featuring work by Japanese and international artists including the iconic pumpkins by Yayoi Kusama.

This morning, sail back into Osaka. After breakfast there will be a complimentary coach to a central hotel or the Kansai International Airport.