28-day Southern Japan & Japan Explorer Collector
Sat Mar 16th 2024
Onboard Westerdam
Itinerary Summary
Tokyo/JAPAN, Naha/JAPAN, Ishigaki Isl./JAPAN, Hualien/TAIWAN, Taipei/TAIWAN, Kagoshima/JAPAN, Kochi/JAPAN, Kobe/JAPAN (Overnight), Shimizu/JAPAN, Tokyo/JAPAN, Osaka/JAPAN, Kochi/JAPAN, Hiroshima/JAPAN, Kyongju/S. KOREA, Sakaiminato/JAPAN, Sapporo/JAPAN, Hakodate/JAPAN, Tokyo/JAPAN
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Itinerary

Day 1 : Tokyo/JAPAN

-- - 6:00 pm

Day 2 : At Sea

Day 3 : At Sea

Day 4 : Naha/JAPAN

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Day 5 : Ishigaki Isl./JAPAN

9:00 am - 7:00 pm

Day 6 : Hualien/TAIWAN

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Day 7 : Taipei/TAIWAN

7:00 am - 5:00 pm

Across the Formosa Strait from mainland China is the bustling port of Keelung, on the island of Taiwan. Just 20 miles inland is Taipei, the national capital, one of the most prosperous cities in Asia. Marvel at the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, the Grand Hotel, and the National Palace Museum, with its art treasures from Beijing''s Forbidden City.

Day 8 : At Sea

Day 9 : Kagoshima/JAPAN

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

This large city is an excursion base from which to explore the dramatic coastlines, national parks and volcanic mountains of Kyushu, Japan's third largest island. Mount Sakurajima, an active volcano, can be reached by ferry. To the north, Kirishima-Yaku National Park is a scenic area of smoking volcanoes, craters and lakes. South of the city, Ibusuki, the island's most popular seaside resort, welcomes kimono-clad bathers to its sandy beaches and warm, underwater springs.

Day 10 : At Sea

Day 11 : Kochi/JAPAN

9:00 am - 6:00 pm

Day 12 : Kobe/JAPAN

8:00 am - --

Famous for its succulent Kobe beef and cosmopolitan flair, this booming port town sits between the Rokko Mountains and Osaka Bay. It contains a remarkable cultural mix of Swiss chalets, Moslem mosques and Russian Orthodox churches tucked between traditional Japanese buildings. A cable car ascends to the summit of Mount Rokko, a national park.

Day 13 : Kobe/JAPAN

-- - 2:00 pm

Famous for its succulent Kobe beef and cosmopolitan flair, this booming port town sits between the Rokko Mountains and Osaka Bay. It contains a remarkable cultural mix of Swiss chalets, Moslem mosques and Russian Orthodox churches tucked between traditional Japanese buildings. A cable car ascends to the summit of Mount Rokko, a national park.

Day 14 : Shimizu/JAPAN

11:00 am - 8:00 pm

Day 15 : Tokyo/JAPAN

6:30 am - 7:00 pm

Day 16 : At Sea

Day 17 : Osaka/JAPAN

8:00 am - 7:00 pm

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.

Day 18 : Kochi/JAPAN

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Day 19 : Hiroshima/JAPAN

8:00 am - 4:00 pm

Set on a bay in the Inland Sea, Hiroshima was the infamous site of the first atomic bomb explosion of August, 1945. But perhaps the best reason to visit Hiroshima is the enchanting island of Miyajima with its famous Itsukushima Shinto shrine, considered one of Japan's three most beautiful sights. Its famous torii stands just offshore, a tall, vermilion-colored symbol of Japan, which appears to float during high tide.

Day 19 : At Sea

Day 20 : Kyongju/S. KOREA

10:00 am - 6:00 pm

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.

Day 21 : Sakaiminato/JAPAN

8:00 am - 5:00 pm

Day 22 : At Sea

Day 23 : At Sea

Day 24 : At Sea

Day 25 : At Sea

Day 26 : Sapporo/JAPAN

7:00 am - 4:00 pm

Day 27 : Hakodate/JAPAN

8:00 am - 11:00 pm

Day 28 : At Sea

Day 29 : Tokyo/JAPAN

6:30 am - --