Join us on our autumn journey, our second trip to Japan, aboard the comfortably elegant M/V Spirit of Oceanus, and enjoy the manicured gardens, serene temples, ancient traditions and modern innovation of Japan. This is a perfect time to visit Japan and South Korea for the temperatures are ideal for touring, and the countryside is reaching its peak of beauty.

Itinerary

(B – Breakfast, L – Lunch, D – Dinner)

Day 1
Arrive in Japan
Transfer from Osaka Airport to Kobe where we'll spend the night at the Kobe Okura Hotel.

o/n Kobe Okura Hotel

Day 2
Kobe
Enjoy historic attractions of this port city, one of the first to begin accepting foreign traders following Japan's two and a half centuries of isolation.  The highlight of our visit: a trip to spectacular white Himeji Castle. We’ll board the M.V. Spirit of Oceanus, and sail in the early evening.

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (D)
 
Day 3
Okayama / Kurashiki
We’ll indulge ourselves in Zen perfection as we tour Korakuen Garden, one of Japan’s three most famous. Visit the Ohara Museum, which hosts an eclectic mix of classical European, Chinese, and Japanese folk art. At Ohashi House, tour the home of wealthy merchants. And stroll the charming lanes of Kurashiki, along canals crisscrossed by humpbacked stone bridges and bordered by willow trees.

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (B, L, D)
 
Day 4
Miyajima / Hiroshima
Itsukushima is one of the most important Shinto shrines. View the famous red torii gates as we anchor just offshore, and tour the shrine with a Shinto priest. In Hiroshima, a city now devoted to peace, tour the Peace Memorial Park, Atomic Bomb Dome, and Peace Memorial Museum.

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (B, L, D)

Day 5
Day at Sea
Leisurely cruise through Saikai National Park and the Kujukushima Islands (literally the "Ninety-Nine Islands") off the west coast of Kyushu. This beautiful, and rarely explored part of Japan offers many beautiful sights.

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (B, L, D)

Day 6
Yakushima
Yakushima Island became Japan’s first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993, and its natural wonders will astound you. Yakushima has a particularly diverse flora, with some 1,900 species and subspecies, including ancient specimens of the sugi (Japanese cedar). It also contains a remnant of a warm-temperate ancient forest that is unique in this region. We spend our time here on nature walks and taking in the sublime Japanese beauty.

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (B, L, D)

Day 7
Kagoshima
Kagoshima is Kyushu's southernmost, major city and the capital of Kagoshima Prefecture. The city is often compared with its Italian sister city Naples due to a similarly mild climate, palm tree lined streets, and Sakurajima, Kagoshima's Vesuvius. Kagoshima is best known for its Satsuma ware and Silk.

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (B, L, D)

Day 8
Nagasaki
In this second city destroyed by an A-bomb in World War II, tour the Atomic Bomb Museum and Glover Garden (built by an enterprising Scotsman who helped overthrow the shogunate).

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (B, L, D)

Day 9
Ulsan / Kyongju / South Korea
Step into the world of Korea’s Shilla dynasty in the ruins of Kyongju. A thousand years ago, this open-air museum was their capital, sparkling with palaces and gardens. Today, the ruins and burial mounds bring to life memories of a 900-year rule that lasted from the time of Julius Caesar to Charlemagne.

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (B, L, D)

Day 10
Hagi
Japan’s revolution began here in Jokamachi¹s old samurai residential quarter, where we¹ll tour a samurai’s home. Yoshida Shrine is a monument to one of the last of the samurai, killed by the shogun for attempting to ensure Japan¹s survival by opening up to the West. Also visit Daisho Temple, the resting place of the two first Mori daimyo and all the even-numbered daimyo (odd-numbered daimyo were laid to rest on the other side of the Matsumoto river).

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (B, L, D)

Day 11
Takamatsu / Cruising the Inland Sea
Ritsurin Koen was designed at the bequest of an early 17th century feudal lord, who envisioned a fantastic garden set against the beautiful backdrop of Mt. Shiun. Shikokumura Village gives us a glimpse into peasant life in the Edo period. Spend the afternoon cruising the Inland Sea. Designated a national park, the Inland Sea is an area of great natural beauty with its emerald green waters dotted with thousands of islands.

o/n M.V. Spirit of Oceanus (B, L, D)

Day 12
Kobe
After a short tour of Kobe, transfer to Kansai International Airport for our return flight home.

OPTIONAL PRE-TOUR EXTENSION TO KYOTO AND NARA

Day 1
Osaka / Kyoto
Arrive in Osaka, where you’ll be met and transferred to Kyoto. Check into your deluxe hotel (TBA).

o/n Hotel, Kyoto

Day 2
Kyoto
Spend the day exploring the cultural center of Japan, what the Japanese call Nihon no Furasato (the Heart of Japan). The capital of Japan for over 11 centuries, Kyoto remains a living museum of Japan’s artistic and cultural heritage. The Ryoanji (Peaceful Dragon) Temple, founded in 1450, is world famous for its 13-stone Zen garden and considered by many to be the single greatest masterpiece of Japanese culture. The brilliant Kinkakuji (Temple of the Golden Pavilion) is named for the gold leaf on Japanese lacquer that covers the temple’s entire second and third floors.

o/n Hotel, Kyoto (B, L, D)

Day 3
Sightseeing in Kyoto
Nijo Castle has thick stone outer walls, a moat, hidden rooms where the shogun’s samurai could observe visitors and corridors constructed with “nightingale floors” that squeak as you walk over them, warning of your approach. Visit Kiyomizu Temple, dedicated to the 11-faced Buddhist deity, Kannon. Built on stilts, this UNESCO World Heritage site boasts a spectacular view of the city.

o/n Hotel, Kyoto (B, L)

Day 4
Sightseeing in Nara / Kobe
Stand at the foot of Todaiji Temple’s mighty bronze Buddha, the Daibutsu (the largest bronze statue in the world) and look up. The seated giant weighs 550 tons and incorporates 290 pounds of gold. Horyuji Temple, founded in 607, is the oldest intact temple complex in Japan, and houses the world’s oldest wooden buildings. This UNESCO World Heritage Site holds more than 2,300 items considered of historical importance, including a vast collection of Buddhist art. Transfer to Kobe and check into your hotel, the deluxe Hotel Okura Kobe.

o/n Kobe Okura Hotel (B, L)

Please Note:
Although every effort will be made to adhere to the itinerary within the limits of weather, safety and time constraints, it is possible that some changes to the itinerary and certain planned shore excursions may occasionally occur.