iExplore Treasures of Japan(Trip #66140)

Tour Overview

Join our Japan cruise and sail the Inland Sea, exploring the cultural highlights, natural attractions, and dramatic coastlines of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu Islands. From imposing castles and timeless villages to a moving tour of Hiroshima, our voyage presents an intricate tapestry of Japanese riches. Enjoy court dancers, and tour Shinto shrines and Japanese gardens. Spend a full day in Gyeongju, Korea, a World Heritage Site encompassing hundreds of excavated monuments, temples, tombs, and pagodas. In the company of our expert leader team, including Japanese cultural experts, discover the treasures of this ancient and fascinating land.

Day by Day Itinerary

Day 1: April 21, 2010
Depart USA
Depart the USA on your independent flight to Osaka, Japan.

Day 2: April 22, 2010
Osaka- Kyoto, Japan
Cross the International Date Line and arrive in Osaka. Transfer to our hotel in Kyoto.
Overnight: Kyoto

Day 3: April 23, 2010
Kyoto
After breakfast enjoy a morning tour of Japan’s lovely cultural capital, Kyoto. Founded in the 8th century, Kyoto was the Emperor’s residence for more than one thousand years. Today, its historic shrines, monuments, art, and architectural landmarks represent nearly 20 percent of Japan’s national treasures. Among the tour highlights is a walk through the serene Sagano Bamboo Grove. We also visit the Heian-jingu Shrine and its gardens, built in 1895 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto; the 12th-century Sanjusangen-do Temple, housing the Thousand-Armed Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy; and the exquisite Kiyomizu-dera Temple with its sacred waterfall. After lunch in the city we return to our hotel with the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. Meet our expedition team tonight during an orientation dinner. Overnight at our hotel.
Overnight: Kyoto

Day 4: April 24, 2010
Kyoto- Kobe- Embark Clipper Odyssey
We depart Kyoto this morning on board one of Japan’s famed shinkansen, bullet train, for the trip to Kobe. Back-dropped by the Rokko Mountains, this important port city has been entirely rebuilt since the 1995 earthquake and international trade and commerce continue, as they have for centuries. Board motor coaches for a drive to the spectacular city overlook on the verdant slopes of Mount Rokko. In town we visit the Kobe City Museum where exhibits focus on international cultural exchange between East and West. Later this afternoon we embark the Clipper Odyssey and set sail this evening into the fabled Inland Sea.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 5: April 25, 2010
Okayama- Kurashiki
We disembark this morning in Okayama Uno-Ko and drive to the nearby town of Kurashiki, first established as an administrative center for the Shogunate in the early 17th century. The village evolved into a regional commercial center for rice, sake, and cotton and its name translates from kura, “warehouse” and shiki, “village.” Today the old village is a historic jewel, its black-tiled warehouses fronting a willow-lined canal, which is criss-crossed with old stone bridges. The O’Hara Museum, whose collections were started by a local textile magnate, houses works by Cézanne, Monet, Degas, Picasso, Matisse, and other Impressionists. We return to Uno-Ko and enjoy a walk through one of Japan’s most beautiful gardens, Koraku-en, a 17th-century formal garden encompassing 28 acres of walking trails, ponds, plum and cherry trees, and a classic teahouse. This afternoon we reboard the ship and sail for Hiroshima.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 6: April 26, 2010
Hiroshima- Miyajima
This morning we arrive in Hiroshima and visit the compelling Peace Memorial Park located in the heart of the city. A World Heritage Site, the park and its monuments are dedicated to the hope for world peace; an arch-shaped cenotaph includes the names of all the known victims of the atomic bomb. We return to the ship for lunch and make our way to Miyajima.

Considered one of Japan’s scenic wonders, Miyajima, “Shrine Island,” offers a superb vista of the scarlet Torii, a giant camphor wood gate at the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine and a sacred site of pilgrimage. At high tide it appears to float in the surrounding waters. We go ashore to explore the World Heritage Site shrine, sacred both to Shintoism and Buddhism. Founded in the 6th century and dedicated to three sea goddesses, the temple complex is connected by bridges and walkways.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 7: April 27, 2010
Hagi
We disembark in Hagi this morning, on the western tip of Honshu, to visit this exquisite medieval samurai town, which served as the capital of the local daimyo, feudal lords, between 1603 and 1868. Perfectly preserved 17th-century wooden samurai houses; a network of small canals teeming with koi; and working kilns, famous for pastel-glazed pottery, combine to present a look back into quintessential Japan.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 8: April 28, 2010
Tsushima Islands- Pusan, South Korea
The island of Tsushima, renowned for its rugged beauty, was blasted apart in 1896 by the Japanese navy to create a ship canal. Today, an 80-meter arched bridge connects the two island segments. We go ashore on the south island and visit the Banshoin Temple, built in 1605. Lanterns line the gate and a 130-step stone stairway stretches its way through a series of tombs of past rulers. We continue on foot to the Kamizaka Nature Park which offers a stunning panoramic view of Asaji Bay and, on a clear day, the Republic of Korea. In the afternoon we sail for Korea, arriving in Pusan late evening. An overnight in port allows for an early start to Gyeongju in the morning.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 9: April 29, 2010
Gyeongju
We disembark for our full-day excursion to magnificent Gyeongju, considered by UNESCO as one of the world’s ten most historically significant sites, and often described as a “museum without walls.” As the ancient capital of the Shilla Dynasty, Gyeongju’s cultural heritage dates back to the first millennium when the dynasty began its rule of Korea after conquering and uniting divergent monarchies. The cultural flowering of Gyeongju reached its artistic pinnacle in the 8th century as craftsmen created masterpieces in wood, metal, stone, and pottery.

Today, as we stroll among some of the hundreds of excavated monuments, temples, tombs, and pagodas, our cultural historian provides enlightening discussions of the social, political, and cultural impact of the brilliant Shilla Dynasty. We have time to explore the National Museum with its exceptional collection of finely worked gold jewelry, metal weapons, and distinctive pottery. At lunch we sample Korean delicacies and enjoy a cultural performance of traditional dance.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 10: April 30, 2010
Matsue, Honshu, Japan
The San-In coastline along the north shore of Honshu offers splendid views of craggy rock faces and rugged shores sculpted by waves. We explore this very traditional region set in the stunning natural landscape of the Izumu Plain—serene lakes, clear rivers, and a backdrop of high mountains. Matsue, the “town of water,” nestles between a scenic lake and a large lagoon. Here we visit the cultural attractions of the town, which include the Matsue Castle, and a 250-year-old samurai house complete with tatami rooms.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 11: May 1, 2010
Kanazawa
Kanazawa is rich in history and a thriving center of the arts, long renowned for its lacquer ware, superb collectible Kutani-style pottery, delicate hand-painted kimono silks, and Noh theater dramas. The narrow and winding cobblestone streets have a quaint photogenic charm—around each bend is a traditional house, museum, art gallery, crafts shop, or historic samurai residence to explore. We visit the former geisha district and a gold-leaf workshop, and then continue to the fascinating open-air Iki Iki fish market. Next to the Kanazawa Castle ruins is one of Japan’s premier botanical highlights—the famed Kenroku-en Garden. Sophisticated, centuries-old designs create an artful aura of seclusion and contemplation. A serene teahouse perches on a small peninsula in the middle of a pond, while carved stone lanterns line the footpaths. Kanazawa’s ponds have their own residents—spot-billed ducks, gray herons, and other waterfowl, while along the ocean shore, birders may spot grebes, eastern reef herons, and murrelets.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 12: May 2, 2010
Sado Island- Niigata
Well off the beaten path of most travelers, Sado Island possesses both the pastoral charm of verdant rice paddies and bamboo groves, and the dramatic beauty of surf-pounded seacoasts. We go ashore on the western side of Japan’s fifth largest island and traverse it via a scenic skyline drive, passing tiny fishing villages, temples, and shrines, to Sado, once the home of political exiles—deposed emperors, Buddhist priests, and intellectuals who were condemned to live in this isolated setting of great natural beauty. Along the way we visit the Sado Noodle Factory, the Obata Sake brewery to learn about the venerable process, then explore the Sado Kinzan Gold Mine in Aikawa, which operated for 400 years. We reboard our ship this afternoon and sail for Niigata to overnight pierside.
Clipper Odyssey

Day 13: May 3, 2010
Niigata- Disembark Clipper Odyssey- Tokyo- Depart
After breakfast we disembark the ship and transfer via bullet train for Tokyo for your late afternoon flight. On arrival, transfer to the Narita airport where you will board your independent flight to the USA, arriving on the same day after crossing the International Date Line.

WHAT TO EXPECT
For most activities, a relatively low level of exertion is required. Ashore, you must be able to walk moderate distances over sometimes rough and uneven terrain. You will be required to remove your shoes while visiting temples, shrines, and a number of other sites. You will need to climb into and out of Zodiacs or other small boats for one or two excursions ashore (there will be staff and crew members on hand to assist). The average daily temperatures will range from the low-50s to the high-60s°F. The humidity will be at a moderate to medium level.

We will mail you a complete list of recommended clothing and a suggested reading list approximately five months prior to departure. Participants will most enjoy the remarkable opportunities this expedition offers if they travel with a spirit of adventure.