Japan and South Korea 11 Days
This itinerary has been carefully curated to showcase Japan’s seamless blend of ancient customs and ultramodern living, culinary creativity, arts and gardens as we cruise from iconic cities to seldom visited remote coastlines and islands.
Historic highlights on our journey include the five-storey Pagoda of Miyajima, the 17th Century Matsue Castle, the sobering Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park with its eternal Flame of Peace, Teramachi District with its temples and shrines, including the famed ‘Ninja Temple’, the Jokamachi District with its old Samurai houses, Hagi Castle ruins and beautiful Zen Tokoji Temple, and Japan’s iconic Shinto Shrine and Torii Gate. You will also explore Japan’s traditional and contemporary art, including an option to visit Japan’s ‘art island’ Naoshima, and a day in South Korea’s Ulsan exploring UNESCO World Heritage Site Gyeongju – the ‘museum without walls’ and visiting the Haeinsa Temple, considered one of the three great temples in South Korea. You’ll also moor at Uwajima, one of Japan’s premier pearl producers with the opportunity to visit one of the city’s traditional pearl farms.
ITINERARY SUMMARY
This itinerary also operates in reverse for select voyages.
DAYS 1 – 2 OSAKA, 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 you will spend the first night of the expedition. This evening meet your fellow voyagers and expedition guides over dinner at the hotel.
The next morning, enjoy breakfast at the hotel before exploring Osaka. Opportunities here include visiting Minoh Park and Osaka Castle. With an area of just 9.6 square kilometres (963 hectares) Minoh Park is one of Japan’s smallest National Parks and home to iconic 33-metre high Minoh Waterfall and diverse wildlife including Japanese 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. Board Heritage Adventurer for lunch as your Captain and Expedition Team welcome you aboard and you set sail for Takamatsu.
DAY 3 TAKAMATSU
Shikoku Island’s Takamatsu has had a long history as a port town earning itself the nickname ‘Gateway to Shikoku’, although more recently locals have been calling it ‘Udon Kingdom’. If you have an interest in plants, a visit to Ritsurin Park, considered one of Japan’s finest gardens, is sure to be a highlight. Next you will enjoy a visit to Kinashi, one of Japan’s main bonsai production centres, where you will learn about traditional methods of growing bonsai. For those interested in history and art you may wish to travel to Naoshima Island for a full-day excursion. Shikoku is known for its art and this excursion to Naoshima will have you admiring its architecture and art museums, including Chichu Art Museum and Benesse House, featuring work by Japanese and international artists.
DAY 4 HIROSHIMA AND MIYAJIMA
Despite its history including being the site of the world’s first atomic bomb attack on the 6 August 1945, Hiroshima is a vibrant and thriving cosmopolitan community. Visit the beautiful Peace Park and Museum, with its sombre cenotaph containing names of atomic bomb victims, and the permanently lit ‘Flame of Peace’. After visiting the Peace Park, travel to Miyajima Island, considered one of Japan’s most scenic spots and the location of the Torii Gate and the Daisho-in Buddhist temple. For those after a nature fix, ascend Mount Misen on Miyajima Island by cable car and enjoy a hike, admiring the views below of the Shinto Shrine and Torri Gate.
DAY 5 UWAJIMA
This morning, land on Shikoku Island and the port of Uwajima situated deep inside the sawtoothed coast of Uwajima Bay. The city of Uwajima is emerging as the nation’s largest pearl cultivation centre 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 harbour and the Tenshaen Garden, built in the Samurai era. Enjoy an afternoon at leisure.
DAY 6 SHIMONOSEKI
After a leisurely morning at sea, return to Japan and Shimonoseki Port perched above the 650-metre-wide Kanmon Straits and tucked away at the western end of Japan’s main island 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 city’s iconic Kanmon Bridge spanning Honshu and Kyushu Islands, world famous Karato Fish Market and the beautiful Akama Shinto Shrine built to honour drowned child Emperor Antoku. Your excursions today include an exploration of Mekari Park with its mural depicting the 1185 Battle of Dan-no-ura, 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 Heritage Adventurer is docked and visit Akama Shinto Shrine on the shores of the Kanon Strait.
DAY 7 HAGI
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 will 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 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.
DAY 8 ULSAN, SOUTH KOREA
Today, cross the Sea of Japan to Ulsan in South Korea 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, and experience Korean delicacies, cultural performances, and visit the National Museum with its gold jewellery, metal weapons, and distinctive pottery. Today provides a perfect taste of the best South Korea has to offer.
DAY 9 MATSUE, JAPAN
This morning, 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. 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 (the April departure coincides with the iconic annual Yuushien Peony Festival where you can experience the spectacle of more than 30,000 of the colourful blooms floating on serene ponds and lining the traditional garden’s paths in a floral carpet), 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.
DAY 10 KANAZAWA
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 centre 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, 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.
DAY 11 KANAZAWA / TOKYO
After breakfast and final farewells board a Shinkansen ‘bullet train’ to Tokyo Station and continue your travels.
