Sacred Japan and South Korea

Arrive in Osaka, Honshu’s largest port city, and see its modern architecture, busy dining scene, and historic 16th-century Osaka Castle. Transfer to your hotel for the first night of the expedition. In the evening, meet your fellow travelers and expedition guides over dinner.

Enjoy breakfast at the hotel before flying to Niigata, a bustling port city known for its snow, rice, sake, hot springs, and the historic Bandai Bridge. The six-arched, granite-sided bridge became a Nationally Important Cultural Property in 2004 and remains one of the city’s notable landmarks. This afternoon, meet your captain and expedition team as you board Heritage Adventurer.

Today you will 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, demon dances, and Noh theater 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 aquaculture practices. Sado Island is widely considered a perfect miniature version of Japan. Here, you will visit the Shukunegi Village National Important Preservation Area and learn more about traditional taiko drumming at the Sado Island Taiko Center.

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 the winding cobblestone streets of Kanazawa’s Geisha district Higashi Chaya. Explore elegant restaurants and craft galleries and visit the impressive Edo-period Kenroku-en Garden, one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan.

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. You 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 and Mount Daisen with its rich Buddhist culture. It was once home to 3,000 soldier monks and offers panoramic views from the summit at the Ogamiyama Shrine before visiting the breathtaking Daisenji Temple. Visit the Japanese circuit-style Yuushien Garden combining the traditional elements of a pond, waterfalls, streams, stone lanterns, rock garden and a variety of seasonal flowers. These include more than 250 types of Japanese Peony, or visit the Adachi Museum of Art renowned for its superb Japanese gardens and collection of contemporary Japanese paintings, comprising some 1,500 of the country’s most highly regarded paintings produced after the Meiji period.

Today you cross the Sea of Japan to Ulsan in South Korea where you 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. Stroll among excavated monuments, temples, tombs and pagodas at Tumuli Park and the Bulguksa Buddhist Temple. You may also visit the iconic Woljeonggyo Bridge. Savor Korean delicacies and explore Hwanglidangil Road, South Korea’s trendy yet traditional Korean-style food, pub, and shopping street and walk in the beautiful Taehwagang Bamboo Forest. Today is a perfect taste of South Korea.

The largest city on the island of Kyushu, Fukuoka is the union of the castle town of Fukuoka on the west bank of the Naka River and the merchant town of Hakata on the east bank. This buzzy metropolis combines an effortless blend of trendy yatai food stalls (which made Lonely Planet and The New York Times 2023 travel lists) with vibrant art installations, historic ruins and colorful coastal parks. During your time here there may be opportunities to explore the northern city of Kitakyushu and famed Kokura Castle, TOTO Museum and Kawachi Wisteria Garden or Nanzoin Temple with its reclining bronze Buddha (thought to be the world’s largest bronze statue) and the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine, which is built on the grave site of poet and scholar Sugawara no Michizane and surrounded by beautiful gardens, ponds and bridges with more than 6,000 plum trees.

Despite its history, including being the site of the world’s first atomic bomb attack on August 6, 1945, Hiroshima is a vibrant and thriving cosmopolitan community. You 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’. You plan to time your visit to Miyajima Island during high tide, where possible, 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 Shinto Shrine and Torii Gate.

From the port of Uno-Ko, you will 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 to explore and offers stunning views of the nearby towering Okayama Castle. This afternoon you will continue to Kurashiki. Here you plan to explore the old merchant quarter, and its fine 17th-Century wooden warehouses painted white with traditional black tiles along a canal framed with weeping willows and filled with koi. There will also be the opportunity to visit the Ohara Museum of Art, which includes rare works by Matisse, Picasso and Renoir and collections from Japan’s renowned Mingei movement, including ceramics by Shōji Hamada. For those interested in art you may wish to travel to Naoshima Island – Japan’s art island – for a full-day excursion. Your day on Naoshima Island will have you admiring its architecture and art museums, 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 either Kansai or Osaka International Airports. To allow time for disembarkation procedures and travel from Osaka, it is not recommended booking flights departing before 1300 hours. Note: During the voyage, circumstances may make it necessary or desirable to deviate from the proposed itinerary. This can include poor weather and opportunities for making unplanned excursions. Your Expedition Leader will keep you fully informed. This tour offers a variety of activities and excursions. Your personal interests will determine which of these you wish to join. Please note that some activities and excursions will run at similar times, and it will not be possible to participate in both. Accordingly, refunds for excursions and missed landings are not available. Voyages are planned and scheduled pending final regulatory approval.