Discover the Islands of Japan

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, and 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.

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.

This morning, explore Shikoku Island and the port of Uwajima situated deep inside the saw-toothed coast of Uwajima Bay. The city of Uwajima is emerging as the nation’s largest pearl cultivation center and you will learn the process of implanting, harvesting, extracting and sorting pearls on a visit to a pearl farm. You will also see Uwajima Castle, which is built on top of the hill with panoramic views over the town and harbor, and the Tenshaen Garden, built in the Samurai era. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure.

During a morning at sea, sail to the very south of Kyushu and the island of Yakushima. The island became Japan’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and has a particularly diverse flora. Spend the afternoon on a choice of nature walks in Yakusugi Land in Yakushima National Park, home of the endemic Yakushima Macaque, and populated by a number of the island’s ancient cedar trees, such as the Buddha Sugi, Futago Sugi and Sennen Sugi, which are over 3,000 years old.

Arrive this morning in Nagasaki, the second city destroyed by an A-bomb in World War II. Tour the Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Museum and Dejima Island, which was built during the Edo period to accommodate Portuguese Christian missionaries and prevent the propagation of their religion. It was also the residential quarters of the Dutch, the only foreigners allowed to trade in Japan during the Sakoku (isolation) period. For 200 years, until Japan reopened the country in the 19th Century, Dejima was its only window to the world.

With the reopening of the port to Westerners in the latter half of the 19th Century, Nagasaki blossomed as a prosperous and sophisticated international city. Suitable housing was required for the sudden influx of foreigners who made their homes here and many of the stone and clapboard residences that were built during this period survive today and are preserved in Glover Garden, which you will visit this afternoon. The best known European-style residence here is Glover House, built in 1863, which was the setting for Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly.

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; the Jokamachi District, where you’ll find the old Samurai houses; and also 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 that 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.

Today, cross the Sea of Japan to South Korean metropolis Busan, known for its beautiful beaches, bustling city streets, Buddhist temples, cinematic legacy, mountains, and the largest fish market in South Korea. This city by the sea is rightly famous for its seafood, surf and street food. Options today could include exploring the labyrinthine streets of Gamcheon Culture Village, decorated with various murals and art pieces crafted by the locals themselves, its brightly colored houses earning it the title ‘the Santorini of South Korea,’ and wandering the endless isles of the Jagalchi Fish Market sampling some of the local delicacies.

One of the few Buddhist temples by the sea, ascend 108 steps to Haedong Yonggungsa Temple which promises to answer at least one wish through sincere prayers. Enjoy a new perspective from roughly 1,350 feet (411m) at BUSAN X the SKY tower. Marvel at the engineering feat and city icon that is the Busan Gwangandaegyo Bridge. And take in natural beauty and cutting-edge design on Dongbaekseom Island, an island of camellia trees and location of Nurimaru APEC House—a contemporary recreation of a traditional Korean pavilion.

This afternoon, arrive at the port of Sakaiminato, entry point to Matsue, 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 Japan’s few largely intact 17th Century castles. 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 giant salamander; visiting the picturesque Yuushien Garden during the iconic annual Yuushien Peony Festival; visiting the Adachi Museum of Art; learning about the art of Japanese paper making at the Yakumo-mura village; or perhaps you may wish to spend some time exploring the picturesque streets and local canals.

Options today include exploring the historic mountain settlement and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Shirakawa-go, high in the remote mountains of the Shogawa River Valley in Hakusan National Park. Take in the sights on mountain walks and experience the unique cultural traditions including the region’s iconic Gassho-zukuri farmhouses, some of which are more than 250 years old, designed to withstand the heavy snow in winter and provide a large attic space for cultivating silkworms.

Alternatively, explore the rich art center of Kanazawa, discovering some of the unique styles of Japanese art. Kanazawa is rightly famous for its Kutani-style pottery, exquisite lacquerware, gold-leaf workmanship, hand-painted silk, and classical Noh dance-drama performed since the 14th Century. Wander winding cobblestone streets, elegant restaurants and craft galleries, and visit the impressive Edo-period Kenrokuen Garden, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan, and explore the Omicho Market, boasting everything from flowers to crafts and food. This evening, join the expedition team in the Bridge, Observation Lounge or up on the Observation Deck as you set sail for Sado Island.

Today, explore remote Sado Island off the coast of Niigata. Comprising the mountain ranges of Osado and Kosado flanking the Kokunaka Plain, Sado was once a destination of political exile. It now boasts its own rich cultural and religious life incorporating puppet theater, Okesa folk songs, Ondeko drumming and demon dances, and Noh theater, all thanks to some of its more famous displaced figures.

Home to the Japanese crested ibis (extinct on the mainland) and the iconic taraibune tub boats (which you will have the opportunity to experience), this island off the beaten path combines stunning natural scenery including Senkakuwan Bay and Ogi Peninsula, and wilderness and wildlife with a rich history including gold and silver mining, Samurai warrior culture and unique agri- and aqua-culture practices.

Sado Island is widely considered a perfect miniature version of Japan. Here, visit the Shukunegi Village National Important Preservation Area and learn more about traditional taiko drumming at the Sado Island Taiko Center.

This morning, sail into the bustling port town of Niigata, famous for snow, rice, sake, hot springs and the six-arched, granite-sided stone Bandai Bridge, designated as a Nationally Important Cultural Property in 2004 and one of the most scenic spots in the city. Enjoy breakfast before boarding your flight to Osaka Itami Airport.