14-Day Japan's Cherry Blossoms & Kobe Nights Cruise

Day 1 - Tokyo

Arrive: Sat 10 March 2029 / Depart: Sat 10 March 2029 at 19:00

Day 2 - At Sea

Day 3 - Matsuyama

Arrive: Mon 12 March 2029 at 10:00 / Depart: Mon 12 March 2029 at 23:00

Day 4 - Scenic Cruising Kanmon Straits

Day 4 - Hiroshima

Arrive: Tue 13 March 2029 at 07:00 / Depart: Tue 13 March 2029 at 16:00

Hiroshima means “wide island” in Japanese. The city was established in the 16th Century on Japan’s largest island, Honshu, and grew into an important shipping center and prefecture capital, boasting a fine castle. Although it was an important city in Japan throughout the imperial period, its reputation in the greater world was burned into history when it became to target of the first atomic bombing of a civilian target in August of 1945. The United States airplane Enola Gay dropped a nuclear device nicknamed “Little Boy” on the city that morning, obliterating everything within a two-kilometer radius and directly killing 80,000 people. Approximately 70 percent of Hiroshima’s buildings were destroyed. Within a year, injury and radiation illness had killed an additional 90, 000 to 116,000 citizens. The attacks on Hiroshima and nearby Nagasaki quickly led to the surrender of Japan and effectively precipitated the end of World War II in Asia. Within a few years, Hiroshima had begun to rebuild, and the city became the focus of an international movement to eliminate nuclear weapons from future wars. Relics of its past such as the impressive Hiroshima Castle and the tranquil Shukkeien Garden were rebuilt, and the city undertook the construction of a Memorial Peace Park, which today attracts visitors from around the world. The park, which holds a museum and a memorial “Atomic Dome” constructed on the closest remaining building to the blast site, is a moving and impactful place of pilgrimage in this re-born City of Peace. One notable feature is a colorful memorial to Sadako Sasaki, a young woman whose dying wishes for world peace were recounted in the story A Thousand Paper Cranes.

Day 5 - Fukuoka

Arrive: Wed 14 March 2029 at 09:00 / Depart: Wed 14 March 2029 at 18:00

Located on the northern tip of Japan’s Kyushu Island, Hakata harbor’s location close to the Asian mainland made it an important port from very ancient times, serving the early administrative center at Dazaifu near by. In the 13th century, the Mongol Kublai Khan tried twice to subdue the city, but his attacks were both foiled by typhoons, which earned the last one the name Kamikaze, meaning “Divine Wind.” In the late 19th century, Hakata and the nearby samurai city of Fukuoka were merged. Today Fukuoka is a large, modern and eminently livable city that still benefits from its proximity to Korea and other “Asian Tiger” economies. Attractions for visitors include a park surrounding the ruins of the samurai Fukuoka Castle; the Shokufuji Temple, Japan’s first Zen temple; and the Japanese Garden and Gokoku Shrine in Ohori Park. The Genko Historical Museum holds displays of Japanese and Mongol armor from the period of the Mongol invasions. Modern highlights include the shopping and entertainment complex of Canal City and the waterfront Momochi Seaside Park development. Near by, the old 7th Century city of Dazaifu offers the Dazaifu Tenmangu Shrine with 6,000 flowering plum trees, the tranquil Komyozenji Temple with a lovely Zen garden, and the impressive, modern Kyushu National Museum.

Day 6 - Yeosu, South Korea

Arrive: Thu 15 March 2029 at 07:00 / Depart: Thu 15 March 2029 at 17:00

Old Yeosu City, founded in 1949, and Yeocheon City, founded in 1986, were merged into a new city in 1998. The city of Yeosu consists of the Yeosu peninsula as well as 317 islands (49 inhabited, 268 uninhabited). Lying about midway along the southern coast of South Korea, it is separated from Namhae County in South Gyeongsang Province to the east by a natural waterway. Yeosu translates to "Beautiful Waters."

Day 7 - Nagasaki

Arrive: Fri 16 March 2029 at 07:00 / Depart: Fri 16 March 2029 at 18:00

Nagasaki is situated on the West Coast of Kyushu on a scenic bay. Located closest to the Asian mainland, it has historically been an important trading center and highly influenced by Chinese culture. When Japan chose to isolate itself from the Western world for two hundred years starting in the mid 1600's, Nagasaki was the only port open to foreign vessels. In recent history, Nagasaki was the second city after Hiroshima to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, bringing an end to World War II.

Day 8 - Yatsushiro, Japan

Day 9 - Kagoshima, Japón

Arrive: Sun 18 March 2029 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 18 March 2029 at 18:00

Capital of Japan's southernmost prefecture, Kagoshima faces the Kinko-wan Bay and the active Sakurajima Volcano. Kagoshima played an important role in Japanese history, starting in the early 7th century when Bounotsu Port was a base for trading with China and other Asian nations. The region, formerly known as Satsuma was dominated by 29 generations Shimazu lords for over 700 years until the 1867 Meiji Restoration. Between the 9th and 15th centuries, Satsuma was an important trading port with the countries of east Asia, as well as Europe, becoming one of Japan’s earliest points of contact with the West.

Day 10 - At Sea

Day 11 - Kobe

Arrive: Tue 20 March 2029 at 06:30

Kobe has been an important port city for many centuries, and was one of the first Japanese ports to be opened to foreign trade in the late Edo Period. Today, Kobe is one of Japan's ten largest cities. Sustaining heavy damage from the devastating Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, the city has fully recovered, and remains one of Japan's more cosmopolitan cities. A typical Japanese harbor town, foreign culture was introduced here centuries ago, and Kobe's food and architecture posses a diverse and exotic flavor.

Day 12 - Kobe

Depart: Wed 21 March 2029 at 21:00

Kobe has been an important port city for many centuries, and was one of the first Japanese ports to be opened to foreign trade in the late Edo Period. Today, Kobe is one of Japan's ten largest cities. Sustaining heavy damage from the devastating Great Hanshin Earthquake of 1995, the city has fully recovered, and remains one of Japan's more cosmopolitan cities. A typical Japanese harbor town, foreign culture was introduced here centuries ago, and Kobe's food and architecture posses a diverse and exotic flavor.

Day 13 - At Sea

Day 14 - Shimizu, Japón

Arrive: Fri 23 March 2029 at 08:00 / Depart: Fri 23 March 2029 at 18:00

Sprawling, semi-rural Shimizu Ward is dominated by forested coastal mountains, with hiking trails and ropeway rides to dramatic viewpoints above Suruga Bay. Miho Beach Park is popular for swimming and water sports in summer, and there are baseball and soccer fields nearby, plus an aquarium at the Marine Science Center. Busy fisheries supply sushi bars and seafood markets with local specialties like sakura shrimp.

Day 15 - Tokyo

Arrive: Sat 24 March 2029 at 08:00 / Depart: Sat 24 March 2029