Korea Cruise from Busan to Tokyo — 13 Days

Busan, Korea

Busan pairs the scale of a modern port city with easy access to temples, markets and broad beaches. Visit Gamcheon Culture Village, browse Jagalchi Fish Market or ride Songdo’s cable car over the sea. The city’s best-known sights are spread across several districts, so plan your day around one area. For a quieter pause, visit Beomeosa Temple on the forested slopes of Geumjeongsan.

Nagasaki City, Japan

Few Japanese cities combine harbor scenery and layered history as compellingly as Nagasaki. Its steep streets rise above a sheltered harbor that once linked Japan with Dutch and Chinese traders. At Dejima, the former Dutch trading post, exhibits trace the city’s unusual role during centuries of restricted foreign contact. The Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum offer a moving, carefully documented account of 1945. Come for the history; stay to see how a resilient port city lives beside its past.

Amakusa (Ask Travel Agent)

Yatsushiro-Kumamoto City, Japan

Begin in Kumamoto, where one of Japan’s great castles rises above a city shaped by samurai history and volcanic landscapes. Kumamoto Castle’s restored main keep offers a vivid introduction, while earthquake repairs remain visible across its grounds. At Suizenji Jojuen, a landscaped garden evokes the old Tokaido road in miniature. Local specialties include karashi renkon, lotus root filled with mustard miso, and horse-meat sashimi.

Kagoshima City, Japan

Kagoshima sits at the southern end of Kyushu, with Sakurajima rising across its sheltered bay. Ferries cross to the active volcano, where lava fields and walking trails reveal a landscape still shaped by fire. Sengan-en, a former Shimazu estate, combines traditional gardens with striking views of Sakurajima. Kagoshima’s food is equally distinctive: tender kurobuta pork and local sweet-potato shochu give the region its own character.

Aburatsu-Nichinan, Japan

Aburatsu opens onto southern Miyazaki, where Kyushu meets the Pacific among cliffs, beaches and fishing harbours. Nichinan’s preserved castle town of Obi rewards a walk among samurai homes, stone lanes and its former domain school. Farther along the coast, Udo Shrine occupies a sea cave beneath dramatic cliffs. This is a port for history, coastal scenery and unhurried exploration.

Itsukushima Island Japan, Japan

Step ashore on Itsukushima, better known as Miyajima, and the Seto Inland Sea sets the scene. Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage site, stands above tidal flats; its vermilion torii rises offshore at high tide. Explore the shrine’s corridors, browse local shops for maple-leaf cakes, or take the ropeway toward Mount Misen’s wooded summit. Ferries link the island with Miyajimaguchi for easy access; stay overnight to find quieter shores after day-trippers leave.

Hiroshima City, Japan

Hiroshima is a modern city with a history that reaches far beyond the events of 1945. At Peace Memorial Park, the Atomic Bomb Dome and museum offer a moving, carefully documented account of the bombing. Across the city, local trams make it easy to reach Shukkeien Garden, lively Hondori and the riverside. A short train and ferry journey reaches Miyajima, famed for Itsukushima Shrine and its great torii gate.

Land Tour (Land Tour)

Kobe-Osaka, Japan

Osaka rewards travellers who look beyond its famous appetite. Japan’s third-largest city blends merchant heritage, bold architecture and everyday energy. At Osaka Castle, stone walls and broad moats frame a defining chapter of the city’s past. Follow locals to Dotonbori, where neon reflects on the canal and takoyaki comes hot from the grill. Excellent rail links make Osaka a practical gateway to Kyoto, Nara and Kobe.

Nachikatsuura (Ask Travel Agent)

Toba-Mie, Japan

Toba brings Japan’s maritime traditions into focus on the coast of Mie Prefecture’s Shima Peninsula. At Mikimoto Pearl Island, learn how Kokichi Mikimoto pioneered cultured pearls, then watch ama divers demonstrate their centuries-old free-diving craft. Nearby, Toba Aquarium ranks among Japan’s largest, with dugongs among its notable residents. Ise Grand Shrine makes a rewarding inland excursion. Choose among pearl heritage, fresh seafood and sacred history, all close to the harbor.

Shimizu, Japan

Shimizu offers a memorable arrival: on clear days, Mount Fuji rises beyond the blue waters of Suruga Bay. Shimizu is a working harbor famed for tuna. Across the bay, Miho-no-Matsubara’s pines frame a celebrated view of Fuji. At Nihondaira, take in the panorama, then ride the ropeway to Kunozan Toshogu, a richly decorated shrine honoring Tokugawa Ieyasu.

Tokyo, Japan

Tokyo is a city of contrasts best explored one neighborhood at a time. In Asakusa, Senso-ji’s lantern gates lead to a centuries-old Buddhist temple; nearby, the Sumida River frames the skyline. Ride the efficient rail network to sleek Ginza, quiet Meiji Shrine, or the high-rise streets of Shinjuku. Come hungry: sushi counters, ramen shops, and department-store food halls make eating well remarkably easy. Tokyo’s scale is immense, but its details reward curiosity.