Japan Intensive: Tokyo, Hiroshima & Kobe Cruise

Day 1 - Tokyo

Arrive: Thu 25 March 2027

It’s hard to imagine Tokyo as a tiny fishing village named Edo. Tokyo is now the largest metropolitan area in the world, an exciting city with a seemingly unlimited choice of shopping, restaurants, museums, temples, and gardens to visit.

Day 2 - Tokyo

Depart: Fri 26 March 2027 at 19:00

It’s hard to imagine Tokyo as a tiny fishing village named Edo. Tokyo is now the largest metropolitan area in the world, an exciting city with a seemingly unlimited choice of shopping, restaurants, museums, temples, and gardens to visit.

Day 3 - Shimiju, japan

Arrive: Sat 27 March 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Sat 27 March 2027 at 20:00

Mount Fuji, Japan’s tallest peak, overlooks this beautiful port town at the Northern end of the Izu Peninsula. One of Japan’s “Three Holy Mountains,” Mount Fuji is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Special Place of Scenic Beauty, and is one of Japan’s official Historic Sites. Shimizu’s mild climate makes it perfect for exploring nature, like Miho-no-Matsubara, four miles of pine grove on the town’s seashore.

Day 4 - At Sea

Day 5 - Hiroshima

Arrive: Mon 29 March 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 29 March 2027 at 22:00

This "city of water and peace" is built in one of the most sheltered harbors on the Seto Inland Sea and is much more than the painful past it both honors and defies. Reflect and ring the bell of peace at Peace Memorial Park, then ferry to the holy island of Miyajima, famed for its Itsukushima Shrine and floating torii.

Day 6 - Beppu

Arrive: Tue 30 March 2027 at 08:30 / Depart: Tue 30 March 2027 at 17:00

Day 7 - Busan, South Korea

Arrive: Wed 31 March 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Wed 31 March 2027 at 22:00

It is Pusan's premier trading port, adjacent to the Korean Straits and Japan, that makes it an international metropolis but its beautiful sea vistas that make it a charming place to unwind. Experience the serenity of Beomeo-sa Temple, climb the Busan Tower in Yongdusan Park and rejuvenate at Hushimchung Spa.

Day 8 - Kitakyushu, Japan

Arrive: Thu 01 April 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Thu 01 April 2027 at 18:00

Merged from five smaller cities in 1963, Kitakyushu is the gateway between the islands of Honshu and Kyushu—where the city sits on its northern tip. During WWII, the fate of the city could have been forever changed, if not for bad weather and smoke from the previous day’s bombing. It was the intended target of the Fat Man atomic bomb, but was passed over due to poor visibility in favor of Nagasaki.

Day 9 - Kochi, Japan

Arrive: Fri 02 April 2027 at 08:00 / Depart: Fri 02 April 2027 at 18:00

Kochi Prefecture, on Japan’s Shikoku Island, is a largely rural area known for its mountains, rivers and Pacific beaches. Capital Kochi City has one of Japan’s best preserved feudal castles, Kochi-jo, established in the 1600s. The city's centuries-old Sunday market has hundreds of vendors selling food and other wares. Summer's Yosakoi Matsuri is a festival in which colorfully attired dance teams fill the streets.

Day 10 - Kobe

Arrive: Sat 03 April 2027 at 06:30 / Depart: Sat 03 April 2027

Famous for the beef that bears it name, Kobe is headquarters for numerous Japanese and international firms, and has long been an important port. It is also a short bullet train ride from Kyoto, ancient capital of Japan from the 8th to the 19th century. Here vestiges of the past are easier to find than in many of Japan's modern, high-tech cities: countless temples and shrines, the palaces and castles of shoguns and emperors, and narrow lanes paved in stone and lined with wooden buildings housing shops and restaurants that have been serving travelers for centuries.