Superior Stateroom Deck 3
20% Ponant Bonus
21 m²
3
Cultural and Natural Treasures of Japan by Sea – with Smithsonian Journeys
Maizuru - Hakodate
Dates:
21/5/2024
to
28/5/2024
days
nights on board
Shore excursion in each port of call + transfers included
In alliance with Smithsonian Journeys.
This cruise is part of a collection of PONANT voyages that are specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers who want to engage with the world. In addition to the usual elements of the PONANT experience, the listed price for these voyages includes transfers to and from the ship, talks and discussions aboard ship by world class experts, and a shore excursion or activity in each port of call that encourages guests to embrace the sights, sounds, tastes, and smells of the local environment and culture.
This 8-day voyage along Japan's northern coast from Maizuru offers a superb introduction to its traditions and customs through a wide variety of carefully curated shore excursions in each port of call—an opportunity for you to sample widely among feudal castles, Buddhist temples, modern art, tea ceremonies, artisanal crafts, landscape gardens, and the wonders of nature.
The richness from which to choose is immediately apparent in your first port of call, Sakaiminato, where options include Matsue Castle, built entirely of pine in 1611; the Adachi Museum of Art, displaying the great masters of modern Japanese painting and sculpture; a demonstration of the ancient craft of making paper (washi) from tree bark; and Yushien Garden, a landscape garden in traditional style, famous for its peonies.
The South Korean port of Busan offers a similar range of experiences: Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, built in 1376 overlooking the sea; the Busan Museum of Art, featuring an outdoor sculpture garden as well as exhibits of contemporary Korean artists; Gyeongju Historic Areas, designated a UNESCO World Heritage site representing the flowering of Silla culture between the 7th and 10th centuries; and a Korean Tea Ceremony at the Hongbeopsa Temple, famous for having the largest Buddha statue in Asia.
A day at sea brings you to Kanazawa and a chance to explore world famous Kenroku-en Garden, recognized as one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan because it possesses 'the six qualities of a perfect garden'. Kanazawa is also known for its impeccably-preserved samurai and geisha districts, and for its handicrafts, especially its lacquer, pottery, gold, and silk—all of which you will be invited to experience and enjoy.
The final two ports of call — Ogi, on Sado Island, and the small town of Sakata — are where Japan's natural beauty takes center stage. An excursion to Senkaku-wan Bay Ageshima Yuen Park on Sado Island is a landscape photographer's dream, as are Mt. Haguro, part of the trinity of sacred mountains known as the Dewa Sanzan, and Mt. Chokai and Tamasudare Falls outside of Sakata. But as always on this cruise, alternatives abound, this time in the form of a Folk Museum and Sake Brewery in Ogi and a photography museum and aquarium featuring jellyfish in Sakata.
As a special treat, you are invited to attend an exclusive presentation of taiko drumming by the world-famous drumming group, Kodo, while on Sado Island.
Your cruise ends in Hakodate on the island of Hokkaido.
Ref : MH1245US - SO210524
Your itinerary
A voyage specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers including discussions with experts, transfers before and after your cruise, and an included excursion in each port of call. Engaging discussions...
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Included in your cruise
For more peace of mind, PONANT organizes your trip before or after the cruise. This package is included in the price of your cruise.
Additional services
For more peace of mind, PONANT selects stays and flights then takes care of your transfers for your trip as well as shore visits before and after the cruise.
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13/12/2024 to the 23/12/2024
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3/3/2025 to the 21/3/2025
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LE COMMANDANT CHARCOT
5/4/2025 to the 17/4/2025
*Price is per person, based on double occupancy, based on availability, and subject to change at any time. The category of stateroom to which this price applies may no longer be available.
Services provided
- 24-hour room service
- Inclusive Wifi internet access (availability dependent on navigation and latitude)
- Individually-controlled air conditioning
- Dressing room with shelves and closet
- Dressing table and hairdryer
- Dyptique Paris top-of-the-line bath products
- Minibar
- Nespresso coffee maker and boiler
- Electronic safe
- Direct line telephone
- Bose Bluetooth speaker
- Flat screen TV, international channels (availability dependent on navigation) and videos on demand
- 110V American (two flat pins)/220V European (round sockets with two round pins)
- Three ADA staterooms
Select your stateroom category
John Freedman
Dr. John Freedman is an independent scholar and passionate world traveler who has explored over 160 countries on seven continents. He has been a featured lecturer and designated Asian Studies Expert on over 100 land, sea, and river trips for Smithsonian Journeys and other prestigious educational travel programs. John is an ardent Japanophile with a wealth of knowledge that stems from endless study and innumerable trips to the Land of the Rising Sun. John’s presentations combine serious scholarship with an engaging presentation style and rich photojournalistic content gleaned from his own extensive photographic archives. A graduate of Brown University and Yale Medical School, John practiced medicine in California for 34 years before retiring from his clinical practice in 2014 to pursue his passion for travel and teaching full-time. When not exploring faraway lands, John resides in the Sonoma wine country of northern California with his wife, Tina, a wine educator. John looks forward to deepening your understanding and enjoyment of fascinating Japan – a uniquely intriguing land historically and culturally, and one of the world’s most emotionally involving destinations.
Timon Screech
Professor of the History of Art at SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies), University of London, Timon Screech has devoted his career to the study of Japanese art and culture and to the interplay between art and the broader social landscape. Educated at Oxford and Harvard, Tim is the author of some dozen books on the visual culture of the Edo period. Perhaps his best-known work is Sex and the Floating World: Erotic Images in Japan, 1700-1820. More recently, he has introduced and edited the writings of two 18th-century travellers, as, Japan Extolled and Decried: Carl Peter Thunberg and the Shogun’s Realm, 1775-1796 and Secret Memoirs of the Shoguns: Isaac Titsingh and Japan, 1779-1822.
His field-defining general study, Obtaining Images: Art, Production and Display in Edo Japan was published in 2012 and issued in paperback in 2017. Tim has just completed two new books, one on the early history of the East India Company and its role in cultural exchange, and also the Oxford History of Japanese Art.
Tim’s upcoming books include The Shogun's Silver Telescope: God, Art and Money in the English Quest for Japan, 1600-1625 (Oxford University Press), and Tokyo before Tokyo: Power and Magic in the Shogun's City of Edo (UK: Reaktion Books; US: Chicago University Press).
Language spoken: English
Reison Kuroda
Reison Kuroda is a master of the shakuhachi, a traditional Japanese bamboo flute. He is a rare talent working on expanding the possibilities of shakuhachi through a wide variety of music genres, from classics to modern, jazz, and improvisation. Reison has recorded many pieces, performed on TV and radio programs, and has received many songs from composers.
Reison studied under Reibo Aoki – a shakuhachi player designated a Living National Treasure of Japan – and Shoji Aoki. He graduated with a master’s degree from the Department of Japanese Traditional Music at the Tokyo University of the Arts in 2013.
In 2011, Reison created the Hougaku Quartet and began his career through commissioned work, the revival of modern Japanese music from the 1970s and 1980s, and classics from the Edo period. The quartet has performed in many exhibition concerts and in eight independent recitals. The quartet has also appeared on the NHK FM radio program Hougaku no Hitotoki, where Reison has also performed as a soloist, and was featured on the cover of the magazine Hougaku Journal in 2015.
In 2014, Reison performed Park Bum-Hoon’s shakuhachi concerto Ryu at the Korea Kudara Festival and again in Gongju. He gave the first public performance of Kazutomo Yamamoto's shakuhachi concerto Roaming Liquid for Shakuhachi and Orchestra and presented it again in Japan in 2015.
As a member of Ensemble Muromachi, Reison won the Prize Keizo Saji in 2013. As part of an ensemble with Hiroyasu Nakajima, Reison won the highest award at the Hidenori Tone Traditional Japanese Instruments contest in 2016 and was featured on the NHK Educational TV program Nippon No Geinoh.
Reison participated in the Ars Musica modern music festival in Belgium in 2016 where he performed Toru Takemitsu’s November Steps, Claude Ledoux’s latest shakuhachi concerto, and the premier performance of Denis Levaillant’s piece for shakuhachi and chamber orchestra.
In 2018, Reison won the highest award for his craft at the World Shakuhachi Competition in London, and in 2019, he was appointed as a Japan Cultural Envoy for the Government of Japan’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, performing in sixteen cities in six countries around the world.
Languages spoken: English, Japanese
Photo credit: Ayane Shindo.
Subject to withdrawal in case of force majeure
Ideal clothes for life on board:
During the days spent on board, you are advised to wear comfortable clothes or casual outfits. The entire ship is air-conditioned, so a light sweater, a light jacket or a shawl may be necessary. When moving about in the public areas of the ship and the decks, light but comfortable shoes are recommended.
Informal evening:
In the evening, you are advised to wear smart-casual attire, especially when dining in our restaurants where wearing shorts and tee-shirts is not allowed.
For women:
- Simple dress
- Skirt or trousers
- Blouse
- Polo
For men:
- Pleated trousers or chinos
- Sports jacket
- Shirt
- Polo
Officer’s evening:
For all cruises longer than 8 nights, an Officer’s Evening with a white dress code may be organized. Therefore, we encourage you to bring a stylish white outfit for the occasion (otherwise black and white).
Gala evening:
During the cruise, two gala evenings will be organised on board. Thus, we recommend that you bring one or two formal outfits.
For women:
- Cocktail attire
- Evening dress (if you wish to)
For men:
- Dark suit
- Tie recommended, possibly bow tie (if you wish to)
SHOP:
A small shop is available on board offering a wide range of outfits, jewellery, leather goods and many accessories.
A laundry service (washing/ironing) is available on board, but unfortunately there are no dry cleaning services. For safety reasons, your cabin is not equipped with an iron.
ACCESSORIES:
- Polarized sunglasses
- Swimsuit (for the Spa on board)
- Gym wear (fitness)
- Battery charger and memory cards for your camera
- Mobile phone charger
- Hat/cap
HEALTH CARE:
- Sunscreen and after-sun lotion
- Medications and prescriptions
OUTFITS ON BOARD:
- Casual outfits for the day
- Smarter outfits for dinners
- Elegant outfits for Gala evenings
- White or black and white outfit
PRECAUTIONS:
In your hand luggage, remember to bring any medicines that you need, and possibly a small spare bag of toiletries (in case of delay in the delivery of your baggage by the airline). Remember to always have your travel documents with you in case you need them: hotel vouchers, cruise vouchers, return flight tickets... Never leave them in your hold luggage.
All our cabins have a safe. We recommend not to go ashore with valuable jewellery.
PONANT activities
Smithsonian Journeys
Smithsonian Journeys is the travel program of the Smithsonian Institution, the world’s largest museum, education and research complex, consisting of 21 museums, the National Zoological Park, education centers, research facilities, cultural centers, and libraries. Drawing on Smithsonian's resources dating back 175 years, these sailings will feature notable experts and experiences that embrace local cultures and dive deeper into a destination’s history, cuisine, language, environment, and wildlife. For more than 50 years, Smithsonian Journeys has been rooted in and focused on cultural immersion and discovery – with a goal of inspiring guests to become global citizens through travel.
Subject to withdrawal in case of force majeure
Highlights
- A voyage specially-tailored for English-speaking travelers including discussions with experts, transfers before and after your cruise, and an included excursion in each port of call.
- Engaging discussions onboard with two Smithsonian Journeys Experts, including Asian studies expert John Freedman and historian of Japanese art Timon Screech.
- Onboard performances by Reison Kuroda, master player of the shakuhachi (traditional bamboo flute).
- An exclusive performance of taiko drumming by the world-famous drumming group, Kodo, while on Sado Island.
- Award-winning landscape gardens, including the world famous Kenroku-en Garden.
- The geisha district and teahouses of Kanazawa.
- Stunning Buddhist temples in Busan, including the largest Buddha statue in Asia.
- Outstanding modern Japanese paintings at the Adachi Museum in Matsue.
- The ancient center of Silla culture at Gyeongju, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
- Extensive opportunities to learn about and purchase exquisite handicrafts.
Ports of Call & Excursions
21 May 2024 - Maizuru
Embarkation 21/5/2024 from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Departure 21/5/2024 at 6:00 pm
Located on the western coast of Honshu island, in the province of Kyoto, the charming town of Maizuru boasts one of Japan’s most exquisite closed bays. A climb to the observatory allows to appreciate the splendour of this inlet scattered with tiny wild islands. Visitors can also admire the treasures of traditional architecture by visiting the temple of Enryu-ji or the Tanabe-jo castle. The town also bears traces of a rich military past, which you can see in the old arsenals of the navy, red brick buildings that today house a museum.
22 May 2024 - Sakaiminato
Arrival 22/5/2024 early morning
Departure 22/5/2024 early afternoon
Located on the south-west coast of Honshu Island, the busy fishing port of Sakaiminato celebrates the comic writer and artist Shigeru Mizuki, who was born here. As well as a museum a dedicated tourist route leads through streets and squares that feature 134 bronze statues representing his beloved characters. This isn't the only thing Sakaiminato has to offer; try some local seafood specialities and enjoy the stunning views of Mt Daisen and the Yumigahama peninsula.
23 May 2024 - Busan
Arrival 23/5/2024 early morning
Departure 23/5/2024 late afternoon
With around four million inhabitants, Busan is the second largest metropolis on South Korea, after Seoul. This dynamic harbour city, located in the south-east, surrounded by the warm waters of the Sea of Japan, benefits from a mild, pleasant climate. You’ll find delightful simply to stroll around the lively streets and explore the city’s outstanding cultural heritage of art galleries, museums, and Buddhist sites, such as the Haedong Yonggungsa temple, which elegantly sits on the waterfront. Rich too in magnificent beaches and superlative natural landscapes, Busan’s peaceful atmosphere will win you over, as will its inhabitants, whom you’ll have the pleasure of meeting.
24 May 2024 - At sea
Arrival 24/5/2024
Departure 24/5/2024
During your journey at sea, make the most of the many services and activities on board. Treat yourself to a moment of relaxation in the spa or stay in shape in the fitness centre. Depending on the season, let yourself be tempted by the swimming pool or a spot of sunbathing. This journey without a port of call will also be an opportunity to enjoy the conferences or shows proposed on board, depending on the activities offered, or to do some shopping in the boutique or to meet the PONANT photographers in their dedicated space. As for lovers of the open sea, they will be able to visit the ship’s upper deck to admire the spectacle of the waves and perhaps be lucky enough to observe marine species. A truly enchanted interlude, combining comfort, rest and entertainment.
25 May 2024 - Kanazawa
Arrival 25/5/2024 early morning
Departure 25/5/2024 early evening
Located on the island of Honshu and bathed by the waters of the Sea of Japan, Kanazawa is a port marked by history. Under the predominance of the Maeda clan in the Meiji era, the city came under multiple political and cultural influences that shaped its landscape. Throughout the town, you'll discover many signs of its rich past: Kanazawa Castle, Kenroku-en, one of the most beautiful and famous gardens in Japan, and the old geisha district, Higashi-Chayagai. Õmicho Ichiba market in the town centre is well worth a visit, particularly for freshly cooked seafood.
26 May 2024 - Ogi, Niigata
Arrival 26/5/2024 early morning
Departure 26/5/2024 early evening
The small town of Ogi on Sado Island's South coast is best-known for its taraibune, small round boats that were originally used for harvesting seaweed and shells. You can take a trip in one at Ogi Port and nearby nearby Yajima and Kyojima. Shukunegi village, about four kilometres from Ogi, is a fascinating place to visit some of the houses in the former shipbuilding centre were built with wood salvaged from boats. Other points of interest include Sado History Museum and the old gold mines; and every year the island hosts Earth Celebration, a music festival.
27 May 2024 - Sakata
Arrival 27/5/2024 early morning
Departure 27/5/2024 early afternoon
Nestling on the shores of the Sea of Japan, in the Tôhoku region in the north of the island of Honshu, Sakata will enchant you with its folkloric atmosphere and its authentic and traditional architecture. This emblematic city has retained the scents, flavours and certain traditions of the time of Kitamae, a shipping route along which Japanese merchants travelled in the 18th century, extending from Otaru to Osaka. The succession of Sankyo warehouses where rice was once stored stand as a testament to that time and are now the symbols of a strong industrial heritage.
28 May 2024 - Hakodate
Arrival 28/5/2024 early morning
Disembarkation 28/5/2024 at 8:00 am
Located opposite the straits of Tsugaru, for a long time Hakodate was the only entry point to the island of Hokkaido, in the north of Japanese archipelago. Because of its age-old trading activity with other countries, the town has an unusual architectural landscape, combining traditional Japanese buildings with more Western constructions. You can take a pleasant stroll along the bayﾠ to check out the many boutiques and restaurants, while taking a foodie break to eat a bowl of ramen noodles. ﾠMt Hakodate towers above the town; hike or take the cable car to the summit for fantastic views.
Modern Art and Contemporary Gardens
The Adachi Museum of Art, about an hour's drive from Sakaiminato, although an excellent modern art museum, is probably best known for its garden, which is consistently ranked as the best garden in Japan by the Journal of Japanese Gardening. Founded by Adachi Zenko in 1970 in an effort to showcase the two Japanese art forms about which he was most passionate—painting and landscape design—the Museum's collection includes some 1300 artworks by the great masters of modern Japanese art. The works of Yokoyama Taikan, which are displayed in a permanent exhibit, predominate, but other 20th-century artists—Takeuchi Seiho, Uemura Shoen, and Ito Shinsui, among others—are also represented. Five separate gardens, all of which are viewed from within the museum, are designed be seen as "living paintings" in accordance with the founder's belief that gardens may be appreciated in much the same way as oil on canvas.
After exploring the Adachi Museum, visit Yushien Garden, located on Daikon Island in the middle of Lake Nakaumi, between Sakaiminato and Matsue. This breathtaking garden of over 400,000 square feet, established in 1975, is beautiful in any season, featuring an array of landscape elements from flower gardens to waterfalls, streams, and rock gardens. But in springtime, when you will visit, Yushien's main attraction of over 250 different species of peonies in an array of colors will be in full bloom.
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This is a moderate excursion, involving a total of approximately 1.25 miles of walking over mostly flat surfaces, with perhaps 50 steps. Comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing are recommended. Total driving time is 2 ½ hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Tottori Flower Park & Kotobuki "Castle"
About 20 miles southeast of Sakaiminato, at the base of towering Mt. Daisen, is the Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park. Unlike traditional Japanese gardens that focus on landscaping and on integration with the natural environment, Tottori is designed as a museum of flowers. Outdoor beds showcase seasonal blooms, while a temperature-controlled Flower Dome is dedicated to tropical plants year-round. In addition to the orchids, hibiscus, and palm trees you will see in the tropical dome, when you visit in May, the spring blooms (cherry blossoms and tulips) will be giving way to summer plants like hydrangeas and sunflowers. And you will enjoy all of this against the backdrop of stunning views of Mt. Daisen, the tallest peak in the region and a holy place of Buddhist worship.
From Tottori, a short drive brings you to a favorite site of local residents, Kotobukijo, a self-described "confectionary theme park." Housed within a replica of a samurai castle, Kotobukijo is a working candy and pastry factory and houses a sweets shop, a seafood shop, a tea room, a window into the factory, and an observation deck with panoramic views of Mt. Daisen and the surrounding area. You will be invited to sample the wares and perhaps purchase a few of your favorites.
On your return to Sakaiminato, drive by Mizuki Shigeru Road, named for Sakaiminato's favorite son, one of Japan's leading manga artists. The half mile span of road is a famous shopping street, and is lined with bronze statues of more than 150 supernatural monsters from Mizuki's masterpiece graphic novel, Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro.
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This is a moderate excursion, involving a total of a bit more than a mile of walking over some uneven surfaces, with a number of steps at both the flower park and the sweets castle. Comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing are recommended. Total driving time is 2 hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Matsue Castle & the Art of Papermaking
Constructed in 1611 on the shores of Lake Shinji, Matsue Castle is the emblematic symbol of Matsue City and the only surviving feudal castle on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The castle donjon (keep) is made entirely of pine, and, with the exception of a partial reconstruction in 1692, has survived earthquakes, fires, and wars to remain much as it was in the 17th century. Explore the five-story façade that encloses six levels, including the uppermost floor, with views of the city, Lake Shinji, and distant mountains. You may also want to visit its small museum of samurai swords and armor.
A short drive south brings you to Abe Eishiro Memorial Hall, a municipal museum dedicated to the life and times of Abe Eishiro (1903-1985), a master craftsman in the art of washi. The term comes from wa (Japanese) and shi (paper), and is used to describe the traditional Japanese method of making paper by hand. It commonly utilizes fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry, but bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat can also be used. Generally sturdier than ordinary paper made from wood pulp, washi is employed in many traditional arts and crafts, including Origami, Shodo, and Ukiyo-e. Washi paper has also been used to manufacture various everyday goods like clothes and toys, as well as vestments and ritual objects for Shinto priests. During your visit to the museum, you will have the opportunity to try making washi yourself.
On your return to Sakaiminato, drive by Mizuki Shigeru Road, named for Sakaiminato's favorite son, one of Japan's leading manga artists. The half mile span of road is a famous shopping street, and is lined with bronze statues of more than 150 supernatural monsters from Mizuki's masterpiece graphic novel, Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro.
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This is a moderate excursion, involving just about a total of a mile of walking, but over uneven surfaces and with many steps (particularly to get to the top level of Matsue Castle). Comfortable shoes are a must. Shoes must be removed before entering the castle and Abe Eishiro Memorial Hall. Driving time is a total of over 2 hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Treasures of Busan
During your 45-minute drive to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, you will cross the Gwangan Grand Bridge. At 4.6-miles, it is Korea's longest suspension bridge and offers panoramic views of city and sea: a spectacular beginning to a deeply rewarding day of discovery, sampling the richly varied cultural tapestry of South Korea's second-largest city.
Unlike most Korean Buddhist temples, which are typically found in the mountains, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is built on rocky cliffs overlooking the sea — a dramatic setting that contributes to its popularity with both worshippers and secular visitors. The temple complex is centered on the Daeungjeon Main Sanctuary, which is reached via a stairway of 108 steps. It was restored in 1970 with great care taken to replicate the original colors, which had appeared to the initial architect in a dream. Next door is a magnificent three-story pagoda guarded by four stone lions symbolizing joy, anger, sadness, and happiness.
Back in Busan, you will have time to explore the Busan Museum of Arts and its annex, Space Lee Ufan. The Museum comprises five floors of exhibition halls, archives, and function rooms. Exhibitions change frequently and are drawn from a rich array of arts and genres. Space Lee Ufan is a sculpture garden and building, designed entirely by the artist, and devoted to the works of this much-heralded global master of minimalism, who was born in Hamun-gun, about 20 miles from this site.
After a buffet lunch at a restaurant with both Korean and international menus, your tour comes to an end at the Jagalchi Fish Market, located next to the Fisherman’s Wharf. Emblematic of Busan and famous throughout the country, the enormous Jagalchi Market offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of the people of Busan.
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This tour involves approximately 1.5 miles of walking over sometimes wet, slippery surfaces. To visit the Sanctuary at the Temple, you have to walk down and back up the 108 steps. Wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Gyeongju, Capital of Ancient Silla
This excursion will introduce you to the ancient kingdom of Silla, centered on Gyeongiu, which flourished between the 7th and 10th centuries. During these three hundred years of Silla dominance of the peninsula, Buddhism was introduced to Korea, along with printing, a refinement in porcelain production, and a written language still in use today.
Your 90-minute drive to this UNESCO World Heritage site, often referred to as "the world's largest museum without walls," brings you first to the Bulguksa Temple, located on the slopes of Mt. Tohamsan. The temple is a monument to Silla architectural skill and home to many cultural artifacts protected as national treasures, including the Dabotap and Seokgatap Stone Pagodas, the Yeonhwa-gyo and Chilbo-gyo Bridges, and the Golden Seated Vairocana Buddha. A gallery attached to the temple displays art produced by the monks.
After a typical Korean lunch at a local restaurant, your tour continues with a visit to Tumuli Park, a royal burial ground containing the tombs of 23 Silla kings. You will be able to visit inside the Cheonmachong (“Flying Horse Tomb”) to see how these huge mounds were constructed.
Your final stop of the day is the Gyeongju National Museum, a treasure trove of Silla relics, ranging from magnificent golden crowns to prehistoric stone implements. One of the museum's prized possessions is the massive bronze Bell of King Seongdeok. Cast in the 8th century, it weighs in at 25 tons and stands 12 feet tall.
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This moderate excursion involves a total of approximately 1.5 miles of walking over a variety of surfaces, some uneven or on inclines. We recommend sturdy and comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing, and sun protection.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Haedong Yonggungsa Temple & Jaichi Fish Market
During your 45-minute drive to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, you will cross the Gwangan Grand Bridge. At 4.6-miles, it is Korea's longest suspension bridge and offers panoramic views of city and sea: a spectacular beginning to a deeply rewarding day of discovery, sampling the richly varied cultural tapestry of South Korea's second-largest city.
Unlike most Korean Buddhist temples, which are typically found in the mountains, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is built on rocky cliffs overlooking the sea — a dramatic setting that contributes to its popularity with both worshippers and secular visitors. The temple complex is centered on the Daeungjeon Main Sanctuary, which is reached via a stairway of 108 steps. It was restored in 1970 with great care taken to replicate the original colors, which had appeared to the initial architect in a dream. Next door is a magnificent three-story pagoda guarded by four stone lions symbolizing joy, anger, sadness, and happiness.
Return to Busan and visit the Jagalchi Fish Market, located next to the Fisherman’s Wharf. Emblematic of Busan and famous throughout the country, the enormous Jagalchi Market offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of the people of Busan. Sample the traditional green onion pancake with or without seafood, along with a glass of Korean rice wine.
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This tour involves approximately 1.5 miles of walking over sometimes wet, slippery surfaces. To visit the Sanctuary at the Temple, you have to walk down and back up the 108 steps. Wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Buddhist Tea Ceremony & UN Memorial Cemetery
Buddhism came to Korea from China in the 4th century, and by the time Silla unified the peninsula in 668, it had become the state religion. Although it is no longer the dominant religion in Korea, Buddhism still maintains as many as 20,000 temples throughout the country, many of them dedicated to the Zen tradition of meditation. One of these is the recently built (2003) Hongbeopsa Temple, famous for having one of the largest statues of Buddha in Asia. The highlight of your visit to Hongbeopsa will be the experience of a Buddhist Tea Ceremony, one of the six offerings—in addition to incense, flower, lantern, fruit, and rice—deemed appropriate gifts for the Buddha. The Tea Ceremony is practiced as a form of meditation with the aim of purifying the soul and becoming one with nature. After the ceremony, subject to his availability, you will be joined by a monk for a discussion of the ceremony and its relation to Buddhist teaching.
From Hongbeopsa, a short drive brings you to a place of a different sort of contemplation and meditation: the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea. The only United Nations cemetery in the world, it honors soldiers from 16 countries serving under UN command who were killed in battle during the Korean War. It is laid out over 35 acres of serene parkland and contains 2,300 graves, as well as monuments to the various nationalities represented.
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This is an easy excursion, requiring less than a mile of total walking over flat paved surfaces with only a few steps.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Cooking Class & Gamcheon Culture Village
Korean cuisine has become increasingly popular in the West over the past several decades, and this excursion provides an opportunity for you to learn to make one of its most famous dishes—Bulgogi—from a master chef.
Travel to the center of town to one of Busan's best cooking schools, where the chef will greet you and talk about the origins of this savory dish of sliced beef in a soy-sesame-garlic-ginger sauce while demonstrating its preparation. Under chef's guidance, you will then prepare your own dish and sample it over rice, perhaps sharing with others in the group and comparing results.
Once finished with your self-made lunch, a detour on the way back to the ship brings you to Gamcheon Cultural Village, a neighborhood populated in the 1950s by refugees from the Korean War and long a poor backwater on the outskirts of fashionable modern Busan. The community experienced nothing short of an artistic renaissance beginning in 2009, when it was the site of a public art project that encouraged a cadre of young artists to transform the neighborhood from a downtrodden slum to a showcase of clever, colorful and quirky homes, shops, and galleries decorated with murals and sculptures along a maze of streets and alleyways. It has been heralded as one of Korea's most successful programs of urban renewal.
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This is a moderate excursion, because the walking at Gamcheon Village, although only about half a mile, is up and down a hillside. Comfortable shoes and sun protection are a must. Because of the size of the space at the cooking school, participation is limited to 24 guests.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Markets, Geishas, and Gold Leaf
This excursion introduces you to some of the variety of Kanazawa's neighborhoods and the richly varied legacy on which the city prides itself.
Begin with a walk through Omicho Market, established nearly 300 years ago as the center of community life. Omicho is still today Kanazawa's main market for fresh seafood, local vegetables, fruits, pickled vegetables, fried foods, and sweets. It is a colorful collection of some 200 shops and stalls and a lively introduction to the people of the city.
From the market, travel to Higashi Chayagai district, where geishas once entertained wealthy men. Most of the geisha teahouses have now been converted into exclusive restaurants and shops, but the district preserves the character of feudal times with its wooden latticed houses and winding, narrow streets. It is also home to workshops where artisans produce gold leaf in traditional ways.
With the encouragement and patronage from the Maeda family, who ruled the region for three centuries during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 to 1868), Kanazawa became an important center of cultural life and of arts and crafts of all sorts. Chief among those crafts was the art of working with gold leaf—Kanazawa literally translates to "marsh of gold"—and to this day Kanazawa produces 99% of the gold leaf in Japan. You will visit a gold leaf workshop where you will observe the process from smelting to pounding, as gold is turned into impossibly thin sheets with a thickness of approximately one-ten thousandth of a millimeter. And you will be given the opportunity to gild something for yourself.
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This is a moderate excursion, with a total of about a mile of walking over mostly flat terrain with some cobblestones. You will want to wear comfortable shoes and layered clothing.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.The Shogunate Legacy of Kanazawa
This full day excursion is designed to provide a sense of what life was like during the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 to 1868) and of the wealth and cultural influence of the Maeda family, who ruled the region around Kanazawa for three centuries.
Kenrokuen Garden, recognized as one of "Three Great Gardens of Japan," is the Maeda family's contribution to the ancient Japanese tradition of landscape gardening. Originally a private garden next to the castle, it was developed over the centuries into a showcase of hills, streams, ponds, and fountains, containing all six of the elements considered central qualities of a perfect garden: extensiveness, artfulness, antiquity, abundant water, wide prospect, and quiet seclusion.
Overlooking Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle Park is home to the Gyokusenan Teahouse, once the office of the keeper of the grounds. Here you will enjoy lovely views of the garden as you participate in a performance of an authentic tea ceremony, one of the most important cultural legacies of the shogunate.
A short drive brings you to the Nagamichi Samurai District, a well-preserved neighborhood of samurai houses, where cobblestone streets and tiled walls evoke the lifestyle of wealthy samurai during the Edo period. Visit one of the larger of these houses, the Nomura Samurai Residence, home to generations of the Nomura family, who held important posts under the rule of the Maedas. Its garden has won numerous awards, and the heirlooms on display include a full set of samurai armor.
After a traditional Japanese lunch at a local restaurant, explore Higashi Chayagai district, where geishas once entertained wealthy men. Many of the geisha teahouses have now been converted into exclusive restaurants and shops, but some, like Kaikaro, have been preserved and provide a window into the life of the geisha.
A final stop will be made at Kutani Pottery Kiln, established in 1870, to see how handmade Kutani ware is produced.
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This is a moderate excursion with about 1.25 miles of walking over occasionally uneven terrain, with some cobblestones. Comfortable shoes are, as always, recommended. Layered clothing and sun protection are also important. You will be asked to remove your shoes for the tea ceremony, at the Nomura residence, and at Kaikaro. Driving time is a total of 2 hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Villages of Shirakawago and Gokayama
On this full day tour, travel into the mountainous interior to the Shogawa River Valley and to the Villages of Shirakawago and Gokayama, a region designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 because of the unique architectural style of the farmhouses there and because so many of them have been so well preserved.
Visit Wada House, once the residence of the family who were the largest landowners in the village of Ogimachi, and the largest farmhouse in the area built in the traditional style. The style is called gassho-zukuri, meaning “hands clasped in prayer,” because of the characteristic steeply-pitched thatched roofs. Buildings in the village are all oriented along a north-south axis so that both sides of the roof receive equal sunlight and the region's heavy snowfalls melt evenly. You will have some free time to explore on your own, before enjoying a rustic Japanese lunch at a local restaurant.
After lunch, travel to the nearby village of Gokayama to learn about a traditional Japanese craft that is practiced here—the ancient art of washi. The term comes from wa (Japanese) and shi (paper), and is used to describe the traditional Japanese method of making paper by hand. It commonly utilizes fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry, but bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat can also be used. Generally sturdier than ordinary paper made from wood pulp, washi is employed in many traditional arts and crafts, including Origami, Shodo, and Ukiyo-e. Washi paper was also used to manufacture various everyday goods like clothes and toys as well as vestments and ritual objects for Shinto priests. During your visit to Gokayama, you will have the opportunity to try making washi yourself.
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This is a moderate excursion with about a mile of total walking over mostly flat terrain, with some cobblestones. Comfortable shoes are, as always, recommended. Layered clothing and sun protection are also important. You will be asked to remove your shoes before entering Wada House. You may be seated on the floor for lunch. This excursion includes a total of approximately 3 ½ hours of driving.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Shukunegi Village & Sake Brewery
Located about 20 miles west of Honshu, Sado is a large island with a fascinating history. It was a port of call on a crucial trade route during the Edo period. It was a place where dissidents and political opponents of the regime were banished. And it was, until quite recently, a major mining center for gold.
This excursion focuses on the southern tip of the island, where you visit the old port town of Shukunegi, which has changed little since its time at the center of the coastal trade between Hokkaido and Osaka. In its prime, Shukunegi was home to shipbuilding yards and a large fishing fleet. Those businesses are gone now, but the old structures remain, and you will be able to stroll among the crowded alleyways of houses built from ship planks and get a sense of the bustle of activity that would have been here when ships were in port.
In the nearby Ogi Folk Museum, housed in what used to be an elementary school, you will find a surprisingly rich collection of over 30,000 folk materials, including tools and equipment belonging to fishermen and shipbuilders, as well as objects from the everyday life of the community. The prize exhibit of the museum is a ship that has been restored based on the design drawings of a sengokubune (wooden freight ship) that was built here in 1858.
On your return to the ship in Ogi port, stop at the Hokusetsu Sake Brewery, a local institution that has been in business for more than a century and a half. Hokusetsu produces a popular brand of sake called NOBU, about 30% of which is exported from the island. Enjoy some time at leisure here to sample different kinds of the Japanese national brew.
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This is a moderate excursion, involving about a mile of walking over mostly flat terrain with some steps. Where comfortable shoes and layered clothing.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.The Scenic North and Sado's Gold Mine
Located about 20 miles west of Honshu, Sado is a large island with a fascinating history. It was a port of call on a crucial trade route during the Edo period. It was a place where dissidents and political opponents of the regime were banished. And it was, until quite recently, a major mining center for gold. This excursion focuses on the northern part of the island, a region known for its natural beauty—and also for the gold mines that made the island wealthy.
After a scenic drive through the island's countryside, you reach Senkaku-wan Bay and Ageshima Yuen Park on Sado's western coast. From the observation deck in the park, enjoy dramatic views of the steep and rugged cliffs that many visitors find reminiscent of Norwegian fjords, and of the five small bays that make up Senkaku-wan.
Leaving the coast, travel inland to Sado Kinzan Gold Mine, the largest of the mines dug after the discovery of large deposits of gold and silver in the early 17th century. During the early modern period, Sado was one of the largest producers of gold in the world and an important source of revenue for the Tokugawa Shogunate. The mine closed in 1989, having produced a total of 78 tons of gold and 2,330 tons of silver during its four centuries of operation. A tour of the mine takes you into the tunnels, where you will find displays illustrating the changes in mining technology over time and describing the living and working conditions of the miners.
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This is a moderate excursion involving a total of about a mile and a half of walking. There are numerous steps at both sites, and the temperature in the mine hovers in the 40s. Comfortable shoes and layered clothing (especially a jacket for the mine) are recommended.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Taiko Drum Workshop and Taraibune Boat Ride
Taiko, the art of Japanese drumming, has its origins in ancient religious ceremonies and in its use as a means of military communication. But it is now a performance art that is known and practiced around the world. Sado Island has been an important center of the taiko tradition since 1969, when Za Ondekoza founded a community of artists on the island and formed the world-renowned taiko group, KODO. This excursion introduces you to the art of taiko in preparation for a Kodo performance later in the day.
Begin with a short drive to the Sado Island Taiko Center, where drums of various sizes and tones are on display, and where a former member of KODO will talk with you about the history of the drumming tradition and demonstrate some of its variety. He will also invite you to take a turn on the drums to produce the powerful sounds of taiko for yourself.
Before returning to the ship, enjoy another unique Sado Island experience as you take a ride in the emblematic tarai bune boat. These small craft are modeled on washtubs and propelled and steered by a single oar, the flat bottom and easy maneuverability making them ideal for harvesting abalone and mollusks.
In late afternoon, join fellow travelers for a performance by Japan's premiere taiko ensemble, as Kodo entertains you with their skill and enthusiasm.
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This is a moderate excursion with a little more than half a mile of total walking over mostly flat terrain. Comfortable shoes and sun protection are highly recommended. Guests may get wet during the tarai bune boat ride, so you should wear clothing that will not be damaged by water.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Sakata Highlights
The coastal town of Sakata owes its prosperity to the high-quality rice produced on the fertile plains of its hinterland and to the port's role in coastal shipping during the Edo period. This excursion introduces you to three of Sakata's most significant highlights.
The Honma Museum of Art, opened in 1947 as the first privately-owned museum in postwar Japan, is on an estate originally designed as a vacation home for the head of the Honma clan, at one time among the richest families in Japan. Its serene gardens and spacious villa, both built in 1813, are the original home of the museum and display selected pieces of lacquerware, sculptures, and pottery from the collection. A new, larger structure, was erected next to the garden in 1968 and now serves as the main museum, featuring additional items from the Honma collection in rotating exhibitions.
Ken Domon was one of postwar Japan's most influential photographers, a leading proponent of realism and an unflinching recorder of daily life. His 1957 study of Hiroshima, now in the Met in New York, is a landmark in photo-journalism. A native of Sakata, Domon gifted his entire collection of photographs to his hometown, and in response, the city built the Ken Domon Museum of Photography to house them.
Sankyo Rice Warehouses are emblematic of Sakata, an enduring symbol of the source of the city's wealth. Constructed in 1893, the storehouses are a remarkable example of building to purpose—thick whitewashed walls, double roofs, soil floors, and a barrier of zelkova trees to provide shade create an ideal environment, where each of the dozen storehouses, nine of which are still in use, hold up to 5,000,000 pounds of rice. Nine of the storehouses are still in use, while the remaining three have been converted into shops and a museum illustrating the history of rice cultivation.
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This is a moderate excursion with a total of approximately one mile of walking over uneven ground, with steps at both museums. It is not recommended for guests with limited mobility. Note that you will be required to remove your shoes at the Honma Museum.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.National Treasure of Mt. Haguro
An hour's drive south of Sakata brings you to Mt. Haguro, one of three sacred mountains known as the Dewa Sanzan, where you will visit the site of a five-story pagoda and a shrine to the gods of the three mountains.
Go-Jyu-No-Toh, the five-story pagoda, has been designated as one of Japan’s National Treasures—a wooden structure standing over 95 feet tall built entirely without nails. It has remained standing for more than 600 years, in part because of a pendulum in the center that allows the building to sway during tremors—a remarkable feat of engineering that has informed modern techniques for constructing earthquake-proof buildings.
At the top of the mountain, visit the Sanjin Gosaiden Shrine. Because Mt. Haguro, unlike the other two mountains, remains accessible throughout the year, this shrine represents all three of the deities of the scared mountains. Pilgrims reach this scarlet-colored shrine, one of the holiest in Japan, by following a path of 2,446 steps up the mountainside.
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This is a strenuous excursion, involving a total of about a mile of walking over uneven surfaces, including some 650 steps up and down. Guests are required to remove their shoes before entering the Gosaiden Shrine. Note that throughout 2024, the five-story pagoda will be undergoing renovations and may be behind tents and scaffolding. Driving time is a total of two hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Mt. Chokai and Tamasudare Falls
This excursion is designed to highlight the natural beauty of the northern end of Honshu on a panoramic drive into the undeveloped mountainous region northeast of Sakata.
Your drive begins along the scenic coast and then turns inland as you make your way to Mt. Chokai, which at 7,335 feet, towers over the surrounding plain. Disembark your coach at the trailhead for a half-mile hike to the 4th station on the mountain climbing route, where you will be rewarded with spectacular views over the Sea of Japan. Back on the coach and down the mountain, pause at intriguing Maruike-sama, an emerald-green pond fed by spring-water from the mountain top.
Your final stop before returning to the ship is at Tamasudare Falls. Legend has it that the Buddhist monk and master calligrapher, Kobo Daishi, discovered the falls and gave them their name, which means "beaded curtain." Worshipped ever since as a sacred location, the falls are accessed via a 15-minute walk on a paved path. It is possible to walk right up to the base of the falls, which are about 18 feet wide and plunge some 200 feet straight down, where the spray of falls is said to purify visitors’ bodies and souls.
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This is a strenuous excursion, involving a total of 1.25 miles of walking up and down inclines over uneven terrain. It is not suitable for guests with limited mobility. Note the views at Mt. Chokai and at Mauike pond are weather dependent. As always, sturdy shoes and layered clothing are recommended. Driving time is a total of 2 ½ hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Kamo Aquarium & Sankyo Rice Storehouses
This excursion showcases Sakata's relationship with both land and sea, as you visit the local aquarium and a fascinating group of rice warehouses.
The Kamo Aquarium hosts a collection of fresh and saltwater fish from local waters, as well as an outdoor pool for seals. But the clear highlight is the aquarium's collection of jellyfish—the largest collection of these ethereal sea creatures in the world. Their rhythmic motions are curiously calming to watch, particularly against the colored backlighting of the Jellyfish Dream Theater, an enormous, five-meter-wide, tank specially designed to showcase the 'jellies' .
Sankyo Rice Warehouses are emblematic of Sakata, an enduring symbol of the source of the city's wealth. Constructed in 1893, the storehouses are a remarkable example of building to purpose—thick whitewashed walls, double roofs, soil floors, and a barrier of zelkova trees to provide shade create an ideal environment, where each of the dozen storehouses, nine of which are still in use, hold up to 5,000,000 pounds of rice. Nine of the storehouses are still in use, while the remaining three have been converted into shops and a museum illustrating the history of rice cultivation.
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This is an easy excursion, involving a total of less than half a mile of walking over mostly flat surfaces and a total of 20 steps. Comfortable shoes and layered clothing are recommended.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Le Soléal
Like Le Boréal and L’Austral, the two sister ships that preceded it, Le Soléal further reaffirms PONANT's signature approach: to take passengers to the farthest reaches of the planet onboard modern ships offering top-of-the-range services.
An elegant appearance and refined interior design combine with cutting-edge technology to offer a new type of cruising: adventure in a luxury setting.
Decks
Shore excursion in each port of call + transfers included
PONANT has organized the following included program for you, which starts the day of embarkation.
Included Features:
- A program of onboard enrichment provided by two Smithsonian Journeys Experts, including Asian studies expert John Freedman and historian of Japanese art Timon Screech
- Onboard performances by Reison Kuroda, master player of the shakuhachi (traditional bamboo flute)
- Transfers and luggage handling from the airport in Osaka to the ship in Maizuru on the day of embarkation
- Comprehensive 7-night cruise aboard the deluxe Le Soléal, with all the amenities for which PONANT ships are famous
- One included shore excursion in each port of call (see “Itinerary” for more information and choice of excursions, if applicable)
- Transfer from the ship to the airport in Hakodate at the end of the cruise on the morning of disembarkation
Not included:
- Independent meals and beverages ashore
- Personal expenses (such as laundry, telephone, etc.)
Notes:
- This voyage is offered on a space available basis
- Program is subject to change without notice
Guest Speaker
Aboard your ship, an English-speaking lecturer will enlighten you about the culture and history of your destination to deepen your knowledge of the origins of local traditions, the history of emblematic sites, and stories involving famous personalities and those of major historical significance. During on-board lectures or on your shore visits, this expert will be there to share their precious knowledge with you throughout your PONANT cruise.
Shore excursions, Pre/Post & Overlands
MODERNITY AND TRADITION: TOKYO AND KYOTO (4NIGHTS)
Japan is a country pulled in two radically different directions, deeply honoring its past while rushing headlong into the future. Hyper-modernity exists side by side with the quiet serenity of ancient shrines and gardens. Nowhere is this contrast more apparent than in the experience provided by this 5-day program in Tokyo and Kyoto, as you move between the steel and glass of modern skyscrapers and the wood and bamboo structure of Zen temples. From the gleaming storefronts of Tokyo's Ginza district to the serene gardens of Kyoto, you will have the opportunity to see how Japan has managed to blend tradition and modernity.
Day 1 - Tokyo
Arrive at Tokyo International Airport, where you will be met and transferred to the Hotel New Otani in the center of the city, your home for the next two nights. A local representative will be present at a hospitality desk in the afternoon to welcome you and answer any questions you may have. Relax and enjoy the many amenities of this stunning complex before joining your fellow travelers for a welcome cocktail reception this evening. Dinner is independent.
Day 2 - Tokyo
After breakfast at the hotel, join a full day excursion that samples some of best that Tokyo has to offer. Explore the Tokyo National Museum, one of the largest art museums in the world, with a rich and extensive collection of Asian art and cultural artefacts. Lunch at a local restaurant is followed by a visit to Sensoji Temple, first built in 645 to house a tiny statue of the goddess of mercy, where the temple precincts bustle with people praying, shopping and sightseeing. Stroll the Asakusa and Nakamise shopping arcade, one of the oldest shopping districts in Tokyo. Later in the afternoon, visit the Meiji Jingu Shrine, which is dedicated to the great-grandparents of the present emperor and whose vast grounds of more than 100,000 trees serves as both a sacred Shinto space and as an oasis of tranquility within the fast-paced city. Dinner is independent.
Day 3 - Tokyo | Kyoto
Breakfast at the hotel is followed by a morning excursion to Tokyo's Ginza district. Named for the silver mint located here in the 17th and 18th centuries, Ginza is now the city's largest upmarket shopping district. After a short guided walking tour of the area's landmarks, explore the myriad department stores, boutiques, and art galleries, and enjoy an independent lunch in one of Ginza's many restaurants. Leaving Ginza, transfer to the train station to catch the bullet train to Kyoto, where you check in to the Kyoto Brighton Hotel for two nights. Independent dinner.
Day 4 - Kyoto
Explore Kyoto on a full day tour, starting with a visit to the Kinkakuji Temple complex to see the Golden Pavilion, so named because of the gold leaf covering its two upper stories. Built by shogun Ashikaga Yoshimitsu as a villa, it was converted to a Zen temple following his death in 1408. Also visit the nearby Ryoanji Temple, home to Japan’s most famous rock garden. Following lunch at a local restaurant, travel to the Arashiyama district on the western edge of Kyoto, once popular with nobles who enjoyed its natural setting. Walk through the famous bamboo groves and visit Tenryuji Temple, built in the 13th century and one of Kyoto’s greatest Zen temples. The balance of the day is at leisure to explore Kyoto on your own. Dinner is independent.
Day 5 - Kyoto | Maizuru | Embark
Travel this morning to Nijo Castle, built in 1603 as the?Kyoto?residence of?Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the?Edo Period?(1603-1867). After exploring this UNESCO World Heritage Site, visit a traditional?machiya?residence and participate in a tea ceremony, learning the history of this iconic Japanese custom and experiencing the spirit of Japanese hospitality. Following lunch at a local restaurant, relax during the two hour drive to Maizuru to embark Le Soléal.
Your hotels:
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The 4-5-star Hotel New Otani Tokyo The Main is located close to Tokyo Imperial Palace, and features on site shopping, 3 coffee shops/cafes, and 20 onsite restaurants. All 563 rooms have deep soaking tubs, bathrobes, hair dryers, HDTVs and refrigerators. The hotel has its own Japanese garden, tea house, outdoor swimming pool, spa salon, barbershop and hair salon.
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Located close to Kyoto Imperial Palace and Nijo Castle, Kyoto Brighton Hotel provides shopping on site, a hair salon, and dry cleaning/laundry services. Four onsite restaurants feature Japanese cuisine and more. All 182 rooms have Memory foam beds, rainfall showers and deep soaking tubs, 32-inch HDTVs with satellite channels, and free Wi-Fi.
Your program includes:
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2 nights at the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo (or similar)
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2 nights at the Kyoto Brighton Hotel (or similar)
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Transfer and luggage handling from the airport to the hotel on the scheduled program arrival day
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Transfer and luggage handling from the hotel to the ship on embarkation day
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Welcome Reception on Day 1
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Breakfast on Days 2, 3, 4, and 5
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Lunch on Days 2, 4, and 5
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Tea Ceremony on Day 5
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Sightseeing and programming as noted in the itinerary
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Local English-speaking guide
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Gratuities for the drivers and local guides
Your program does not include:
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Transfer from the airport to the hotel on any day other than the scheduled program arrival day
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Personal expenses and other services and meals not mentioned as included in the program
Please note:
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It is imperative that your flight arrival details are communicated at least 30 days prior to the beginning of your cruise in order to secure your transfer from the airport to the hotel.
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Early check-in and/or late check-out are available depending on availability and at a supplement. Please, contact reservations or your travel agent for further details.
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The official currency is the yen and credit cards are widely accepted in hotels, shops, and restaurants.
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This pre-cruise program is offered as a package. There will be no refunds for unused accommodations, meals, or excursions.
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Program is offered on a space available basis.
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Program is subject to change without notice.
Hotel contact information:
Hotel New Otani Tokyo
4-1 Kioi-cho, Chiyoda-ku,
Tokyo 102-8578,
Japan
Phone: + 81-3-3265-1111
Kyoto Brighton Hotel
602-8071 Nakadachiuri, Shinmachi-dori,
Kamigyo-ku (Imperial Palace West)
Kyoto, Japan
Phone: +81-075-441-4411
Total : €2,050
Price is per person, based on double occupancy, based on availability.Modern Art and Contemporary Gardens
The Adachi Museum of Art, about an hour's drive from Sakaiminato, although an excellent modern art museum, is probably best known for its garden, which is consistently ranked as the best garden in Japan by the Journal of Japanese Gardening. Founded by Adachi Zenko in 1970 in an effort to showcase the two Japanese art forms about which he was most passionate—painting and landscape design—the Museum's collection includes some 1300 artworks by the great masters of modern Japanese art. The works of Yokoyama Taikan, which are displayed in a permanent exhibit, predominate, but other 20th-century artists—Takeuchi Seiho, Uemura Shoen, and Ito Shinsui, among others—are also represented. Five separate gardens, all of which are viewed from within the museum, are designed be seen as "living paintings" in accordance with the founder's belief that gardens may be appreciated in much the same way as oil on canvas.
After exploring the Adachi Museum, visit Yushien Garden, located on Daikon Island in the middle of Lake Nakaumi, between Sakaiminato and Matsue. This breathtaking garden of over 400,000 square feet, established in 1975, is beautiful in any season, featuring an array of landscape elements from flower gardens to waterfalls, streams, and rock gardens. But in springtime, when you will visit, Yushien's main attraction of over 250 different species of peonies in an array of colors will be in full bloom.
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This is a moderate excursion, involving a total of approximately 1.25 miles of walking over mostly flat surfaces, with perhaps 50 steps. Comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing are recommended. Total driving time is 2 ½ hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Tottori Flower Park & Kotobuki "Castle"
About 20 miles southeast of Sakaiminato, at the base of towering Mt. Daisen, is the Tottori Hanakairo Flower Park. Unlike traditional Japanese gardens that focus on landscaping and on integration with the natural environment, Tottori is designed as a museum of flowers. Outdoor beds showcase seasonal blooms, while a temperature-controlled Flower Dome is dedicated to tropical plants year-round. In addition to the orchids, hibiscus, and palm trees you will see in the tropical dome, when you visit in May, the spring blooms (cherry blossoms and tulips) will be giving way to summer plants like hydrangeas and sunflowers. And you will enjoy all of this against the backdrop of stunning views of Mt. Daisen, the tallest peak in the region and a holy place of Buddhist worship.
From Tottori, a short drive brings you to a favorite site of local residents, Kotobukijo, a self-described "confectionary theme park." Housed within a replica of a samurai castle, Kotobukijo is a working candy and pastry factory and houses a sweets shop, a seafood shop, a tea room, a window into the factory, and an observation deck with panoramic views of Mt. Daisen and the surrounding area. You will be invited to sample the wares and perhaps purchase a few of your favorites.
On your return to Sakaiminato, drive by Mizuki Shigeru Road, named for Sakaiminato's favorite son, one of Japan's leading manga artists. The half mile span of road is a famous shopping street, and is lined with bronze statues of more than 150 supernatural monsters from Mizuki's masterpiece graphic novel, Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro.
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This is a moderate excursion, involving a total of a bit more than a mile of walking over some uneven surfaces, with a number of steps at both the flower park and the sweets castle. Comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing are recommended. Total driving time is 2 hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Matsue Castle & the Art of Papermaking
Constructed in 1611 on the shores of Lake Shinji, Matsue Castle is the emblematic symbol of Matsue City and the only surviving feudal castle on the coast of the Sea of Japan. The castle donjon (keep) is made entirely of pine, and, with the exception of a partial reconstruction in 1692, has survived earthquakes, fires, and wars to remain much as it was in the 17th century. Explore the five-story façade that encloses six levels, including the uppermost floor, with views of the city, Lake Shinji, and distant mountains. You may also want to visit its small museum of samurai swords and armor.
A short drive south brings you to Abe Eishiro Memorial Hall, a municipal museum dedicated to the life and times of Abe Eishiro (1903-1985), a master craftsman in the art of washi. The term comes from wa (Japanese) and shi (paper), and is used to describe the traditional Japanese method of making paper by hand. It commonly utilizes fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry, but bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat can also be used. Generally sturdier than ordinary paper made from wood pulp, washi is employed in many traditional arts and crafts, including Origami, Shodo, and Ukiyo-e. Washi paper has also been used to manufacture various everyday goods like clothes and toys, as well as vestments and ritual objects for Shinto priests. During your visit to the museum, you will have the opportunity to try making washi yourself.
On your return to Sakaiminato, drive by Mizuki Shigeru Road, named for Sakaiminato's favorite son, one of Japan's leading manga artists. The half mile span of road is a famous shopping street, and is lined with bronze statues of more than 150 supernatural monsters from Mizuki's masterpiece graphic novel, Ge Ge Ge no Kitaro.
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This is a moderate excursion, involving just about a total of a mile of walking, but over uneven surfaces and with many steps (particularly to get to the top level of Matsue Castle). Comfortable shoes are a must. Shoes must be removed before entering the castle and Abe Eishiro Memorial Hall. Driving time is a total of over 2 hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Treasures of Busan
During your 45-minute drive to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, you will cross the Gwangan Grand Bridge. At 4.6-miles, it is Korea's longest suspension bridge and offers panoramic views of city and sea: a spectacular beginning to a deeply rewarding day of discovery, sampling the richly varied cultural tapestry of South Korea's second-largest city.
Unlike most Korean Buddhist temples, which are typically found in the mountains, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is built on rocky cliffs overlooking the sea — a dramatic setting that contributes to its popularity with both worshippers and secular visitors. The temple complex is centered on the Daeungjeon Main Sanctuary, which is reached via a stairway of 108 steps. It was restored in 1970 with great care taken to replicate the original colors, which had appeared to the initial architect in a dream. Next door is a magnificent three-story pagoda guarded by four stone lions symbolizing joy, anger, sadness, and happiness.
Back in Busan, you will have time to explore the Busan Museum of Arts and its annex, Space Lee Ufan. The Museum comprises five floors of exhibition halls, archives, and function rooms. Exhibitions change frequently and are drawn from a rich array of arts and genres. Space Lee Ufan is a sculpture garden and building, designed entirely by the artist, and devoted to the works of this much-heralded global master of minimalism, who was born in Hamun-gun, about 20 miles from this site.
After a buffet lunch at a restaurant with both Korean and international menus, your tour comes to an end at the Jagalchi Fish Market, located next to the Fisherman’s Wharf. Emblematic of Busan and famous throughout the country, the enormous Jagalchi Market offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of the people of Busan.
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This tour involves approximately 1.5 miles of walking over sometimes wet, slippery surfaces. To visit the Sanctuary at the Temple, you have to walk down and back up the 108 steps. Wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Gyeongju, Capital of Ancient Silla
This excursion will introduce you to the ancient kingdom of Silla, centered on Gyeongiu, which flourished between the 7th and 10th centuries. During these three hundred years of Silla dominance of the peninsula, Buddhism was introduced to Korea, along with printing, a refinement in porcelain production, and a written language still in use today.
Your 90-minute drive to this UNESCO World Heritage site, often referred to as "the world's largest museum without walls," brings you first to the Bulguksa Temple, located on the slopes of Mt. Tohamsan. The temple is a monument to Silla architectural skill and home to many cultural artifacts protected as national treasures, including the Dabotap and Seokgatap Stone Pagodas, the Yeonhwa-gyo and Chilbo-gyo Bridges, and the Golden Seated Vairocana Buddha. A gallery attached to the temple displays art produced by the monks.
After a typical Korean lunch at a local restaurant, your tour continues with a visit to Tumuli Park, a royal burial ground containing the tombs of 23 Silla kings. You will be able to visit inside the Cheonmachong (“Flying Horse Tomb”) to see how these huge mounds were constructed.
Your final stop of the day is the Gyeongju National Museum, a treasure trove of Silla relics, ranging from magnificent golden crowns to prehistoric stone implements. One of the museum's prized possessions is the massive bronze Bell of King Seongdeok. Cast in the 8th century, it weighs in at 25 tons and stands 12 feet tall.
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This moderate excursion involves a total of approximately 1.5 miles of walking over a variety of surfaces, some uneven or on inclines. We recommend sturdy and comfortable walking shoes, layered clothing, and sun protection.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Haedong Yonggungsa Temple & Jaichi Fish Market
During your 45-minute drive to the Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, you will cross the Gwangan Grand Bridge. At 4.6-miles, it is Korea's longest suspension bridge and offers panoramic views of city and sea: a spectacular beginning to a deeply rewarding day of discovery, sampling the richly varied cultural tapestry of South Korea's second-largest city.
Unlike most Korean Buddhist temples, which are typically found in the mountains, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple is built on rocky cliffs overlooking the sea — a dramatic setting that contributes to its popularity with both worshippers and secular visitors. The temple complex is centered on the Daeungjeon Main Sanctuary, which is reached via a stairway of 108 steps. It was restored in 1970 with great care taken to replicate the original colors, which had appeared to the initial architect in a dream. Next door is a magnificent three-story pagoda guarded by four stone lions symbolizing joy, anger, sadness, and happiness.
Return to Busan and visit the Jagalchi Fish Market, located next to the Fisherman’s Wharf. Emblematic of Busan and famous throughout the country, the enormous Jagalchi Market offers a glimpse into the everyday lives of the people of Busan. Sample the traditional green onion pancake with or without seafood, along with a glass of Korean rice wine.
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This tour involves approximately 1.5 miles of walking over sometimes wet, slippery surfaces. To visit the Sanctuary at the Temple, you have to walk down and back up the 108 steps. Wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes and layered clothing.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Buddhist Tea Ceremony & UN Memorial Cemetery
Buddhism came to Korea from China in the 4th century, and by the time Silla unified the peninsula in 668, it had become the state religion. Although it is no longer the dominant religion in Korea, Buddhism still maintains as many as 20,000 temples throughout the country, many of them dedicated to the Zen tradition of meditation. One of these is the recently built (2003) Hongbeopsa Temple, famous for having one of the largest statues of Buddha in Asia. The highlight of your visit to Hongbeopsa will be the experience of a Buddhist Tea Ceremony, one of the six offerings—in addition to incense, flower, lantern, fruit, and rice—deemed appropriate gifts for the Buddha. The Tea Ceremony is practiced as a form of meditation with the aim of purifying the soul and becoming one with nature. After the ceremony, subject to his availability, you will be joined by a monk for a discussion of the ceremony and its relation to Buddhist teaching.
From Hongbeopsa, a short drive brings you to a place of a different sort of contemplation and meditation: the UN Memorial Cemetery in Korea. The only United Nations cemetery in the world, it honors soldiers from 16 countries serving under UN command who were killed in battle during the Korean War. It is laid out over 35 acres of serene parkland and contains 2,300 graves, as well as monuments to the various nationalities represented.
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This is an easy excursion, requiring less than a mile of total walking over flat paved surfaces with only a few steps.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Cooking Class & Gamcheon Culture Village
Korean cuisine has become increasingly popular in the West over the past several decades, and this excursion provides an opportunity for you to learn to make one of its most famous dishes—Bulgogi—from a master chef.
Travel to the center of town to one of Busan's best cooking schools, where the chef will greet you and talk about the origins of this savory dish of sliced beef in a soy-sesame-garlic-ginger sauce while demonstrating its preparation. Under chef's guidance, you will then prepare your own dish and sample it over rice, perhaps sharing with others in the group and comparing results.
Once finished with your self-made lunch, a detour on the way back to the ship brings you to Gamcheon Cultural Village, a neighborhood populated in the 1950s by refugees from the Korean War and long a poor backwater on the outskirts of fashionable modern Busan. The community experienced nothing short of an artistic renaissance beginning in 2009, when it was the site of a public art project that encouraged a cadre of young artists to transform the neighborhood from a downtrodden slum to a showcase of clever, colorful and quirky homes, shops, and galleries decorated with murals and sculptures along a maze of streets and alleyways. It has been heralded as one of Korea's most successful programs of urban renewal.
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This is a moderate excursion, because the walking at Gamcheon Village, although only about half a mile, is up and down a hillside. Comfortable shoes and sun protection are a must. Because of the size of the space at the cooking school, participation is limited to 24 guests.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Markets, Geishas, and Gold Leaf
This excursion introduces you to some of the variety of Kanazawa's neighborhoods and the richly varied legacy on which the city prides itself.
Begin with a walk through Omicho Market, established nearly 300 years ago as the center of community life. Omicho is still today Kanazawa's main market for fresh seafood, local vegetables, fruits, pickled vegetables, fried foods, and sweets. It is a colorful collection of some 200 shops and stalls and a lively introduction to the people of the city.
From the market, travel to Higashi Chayagai district, where geishas once entertained wealthy men. Most of the geisha teahouses have now been converted into exclusive restaurants and shops, but the district preserves the character of feudal times with its wooden latticed houses and winding, narrow streets. It is also home to workshops where artisans produce gold leaf in traditional ways.
With the encouragement and patronage from the Maeda family, who ruled the region for three centuries during the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 to 1868), Kanazawa became an important center of cultural life and of arts and crafts of all sorts. Chief among those crafts was the art of working with gold leaf—Kanazawa literally translates to "marsh of gold"—and to this day Kanazawa produces 99% of the gold leaf in Japan. You will visit a gold leaf workshop where you will observe the process from smelting to pounding, as gold is turned into impossibly thin sheets with a thickness of approximately one-ten thousandth of a millimeter. And you will be given the opportunity to gild something for yourself.
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This is a moderate excursion, with a total of about a mile of walking over mostly flat terrain with some cobblestones. You will want to wear comfortable shoes and layered clothing.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.The Shogunate Legacy of Kanazawa
This full day excursion is designed to provide a sense of what life was like during the period of the Tokugawa Shogunate (1603 to 1868) and of the wealth and cultural influence of the Maeda family, who ruled the region around Kanazawa for three centuries.
Kenrokuen Garden, recognized as one of "Three Great Gardens of Japan," is the Maeda family's contribution to the ancient Japanese tradition of landscape gardening. Originally a private garden next to the castle, it was developed over the centuries into a showcase of hills, streams, ponds, and fountains, containing all six of the elements considered central qualities of a perfect garden: extensiveness, artfulness, antiquity, abundant water, wide prospect, and quiet seclusion.
Overlooking Kenrokuen, Kanazawa Castle Park is home to the Gyokusenan Teahouse, once the office of the keeper of the grounds. Here you will enjoy lovely views of the garden as you participate in a performance of an authentic tea ceremony, one of the most important cultural legacies of the shogunate.
A short drive brings you to the Nagamichi Samurai District, a well-preserved neighborhood of samurai houses, where cobblestone streets and tiled walls evoke the lifestyle of wealthy samurai during the Edo period. Visit one of the larger of these houses, the Nomura Samurai Residence, home to generations of the Nomura family, who held important posts under the rule of the Maedas. Its garden has won numerous awards, and the heirlooms on display include a full set of samurai armor.
After a traditional Japanese lunch at a local restaurant, explore Higashi Chayagai district, where geishas once entertained wealthy men. Many of the geisha teahouses have now been converted into exclusive restaurants and shops, but some, like Kaikaro, have been preserved and provide a window into the life of the geisha.
A final stop will be made at Kutani Pottery Kiln, established in 1870, to see how handmade Kutani ware is produced.
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This is a moderate excursion with about 1.25 miles of walking over occasionally uneven terrain, with some cobblestones. Comfortable shoes are, as always, recommended. Layered clothing and sun protection are also important. You will be asked to remove your shoes for the tea ceremony, at the Nomura residence, and at Kaikaro. Driving time is a total of 2 hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Villages of Shirakawago and Gokayama
On this full day tour, travel into the mountainous interior to the Shogawa River Valley and to the Villages of Shirakawago and Gokayama, a region designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995 because of the unique architectural style of the farmhouses there and because so many of them have been so well preserved.
Visit Wada House, once the residence of the family who were the largest landowners in the village of Ogimachi, and the largest farmhouse in the area built in the traditional style. The style is called gassho-zukuri, meaning “hands clasped in prayer,” because of the characteristic steeply-pitched thatched roofs. Buildings in the village are all oriented along a north-south axis so that both sides of the roof receive equal sunlight and the region's heavy snowfalls melt evenly. You will have some free time to explore on your own, before enjoying a rustic Japanese lunch at a local restaurant.
After lunch, travel to the nearby village of Gokayama to learn about a traditional Japanese craft that is practiced here—the ancient art of washi. The term comes from wa (Japanese) and shi (paper), and is used to describe the traditional Japanese method of making paper by hand. It commonly utilizes fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry, but bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat can also be used. Generally sturdier than ordinary paper made from wood pulp, washi is employed in many traditional arts and crafts, including Origami, Shodo, and Ukiyo-e. Washi paper was also used to manufacture various everyday goods like clothes and toys as well as vestments and ritual objects for Shinto priests. During your visit to Gokayama, you will have the opportunity to try making washi yourself.
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This is a moderate excursion with about a mile of total walking over mostly flat terrain, with some cobblestones. Comfortable shoes are, as always, recommended. Layered clothing and sun protection are also important. You will be asked to remove your shoes before entering Wada House. You may be seated on the floor for lunch. This excursion includes a total of approximately 3 ½ hours of driving.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Shukunegi Village & Sake Brewery
Located about 20 miles west of Honshu, Sado is a large island with a fascinating history. It was a port of call on a crucial trade route during the Edo period. It was a place where dissidents and political opponents of the regime were banished. And it was, until quite recently, a major mining center for gold.
This excursion focuses on the southern tip of the island, where you visit the old port town of Shukunegi, which has changed little since its time at the center of the coastal trade between Hokkaido and Osaka. In its prime, Shukunegi was home to shipbuilding yards and a large fishing fleet. Those businesses are gone now, but the old structures remain, and you will be able to stroll among the crowded alleyways of houses built from ship planks and get a sense of the bustle of activity that would have been here when ships were in port.
In the nearby Ogi Folk Museum, housed in what used to be an elementary school, you will find a surprisingly rich collection of over 30,000 folk materials, including tools and equipment belonging to fishermen and shipbuilders, as well as objects from the everyday life of the community. The prize exhibit of the museum is a ship that has been restored based on the design drawings of a sengokubune (wooden freight ship) that was built here in 1858.
On your return to the ship in Ogi port, stop at the Hokusetsu Sake Brewery, a local institution that has been in business for more than a century and a half. Hokusetsu produces a popular brand of sake called NOBU, about 30% of which is exported from the island. Enjoy some time at leisure here to sample different kinds of the Japanese national brew.
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This is a moderate excursion, involving about a mile of walking over mostly flat terrain with some steps. Where comfortable shoes and layered clothing.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.The Scenic North and Sado's Gold Mine
Located about 20 miles west of Honshu, Sado is a large island with a fascinating history. It was a port of call on a crucial trade route during the Edo period. It was a place where dissidents and political opponents of the regime were banished. And it was, until quite recently, a major mining center for gold. This excursion focuses on the northern part of the island, a region known for its natural beauty—and also for the gold mines that made the island wealthy.
After a scenic drive through the island's countryside, you reach Senkaku-wan Bay and Ageshima Yuen Park on Sado's western coast. From the observation deck in the park, enjoy dramatic views of the steep and rugged cliffs that many visitors find reminiscent of Norwegian fjords, and of the five small bays that make up Senkaku-wan.
Leaving the coast, travel inland to Sado Kinzan Gold Mine, the largest of the mines dug after the discovery of large deposits of gold and silver in the early 17th century. During the early modern period, Sado was one of the largest producers of gold in the world and an important source of revenue for the Tokugawa Shogunate. The mine closed in 1989, having produced a total of 78 tons of gold and 2,330 tons of silver during its four centuries of operation. A tour of the mine takes you into the tunnels, where you will find displays illustrating the changes in mining technology over time and describing the living and working conditions of the miners.
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This is a moderate excursion involving a total of about a mile and a half of walking. There are numerous steps at both sites, and the temperature in the mine hovers in the 40s. Comfortable shoes and layered clothing (especially a jacket for the mine) are recommended.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Taiko Drum Workshop and Taraibune Boat Ride
Taiko, the art of Japanese drumming, has its origins in ancient religious ceremonies and in its use as a means of military communication. But it is now a performance art that is known and practiced around the world. Sado Island has been an important center of the taiko tradition since 1969, when Za Ondekoza founded a community of artists on the island and formed the world-renowned taiko group, KODO. This excursion introduces you to the art of taiko in preparation for a Kodo performance later in the day.
Begin with a short drive to the Sado Island Taiko Center, where drums of various sizes and tones are on display, and where a former member of KODO will talk with you about the history of the drumming tradition and demonstrate some of its variety. He will also invite you to take a turn on the drums to produce the powerful sounds of taiko for yourself.
Before returning to the ship, enjoy another unique Sado Island experience as you take a ride in the emblematic tarai bune boat. These small craft are modeled on washtubs and propelled and steered by a single oar, the flat bottom and easy maneuverability making them ideal for harvesting abalone and mollusks.
In late afternoon, join fellow travelers for a performance by Japan's premiere taiko ensemble, as Kodo entertains you with their skill and enthusiasm.
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This is a moderate excursion with a little more than half a mile of total walking over mostly flat terrain. Comfortable shoes and sun protection are highly recommended. Guests may get wet during the tarai bune boat ride, so you should wear clothing that will not be damaged by water.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Sakata Highlights
The coastal town of Sakata owes its prosperity to the high-quality rice produced on the fertile plains of its hinterland and to the port's role in coastal shipping during the Edo period. This excursion introduces you to three of Sakata's most significant highlights.
The Honma Museum of Art, opened in 1947 as the first privately-owned museum in postwar Japan, is on an estate originally designed as a vacation home for the head of the Honma clan, at one time among the richest families in Japan. Its serene gardens and spacious villa, both built in 1813, are the original home of the museum and display selected pieces of lacquerware, sculptures, and pottery from the collection. A new, larger structure, was erected next to the garden in 1968 and now serves as the main museum, featuring additional items from the Honma collection in rotating exhibitions.
Ken Domon was one of postwar Japan's most influential photographers, a leading proponent of realism and an unflinching recorder of daily life. His 1957 study of Hiroshima, now in the Met in New York, is a landmark in photo-journalism. A native of Sakata, Domon gifted his entire collection of photographs to his hometown, and in response, the city built the Ken Domon Museum of Photography to house them.
Sankyo Rice Warehouses are emblematic of Sakata, an enduring symbol of the source of the city's wealth. Constructed in 1893, the storehouses are a remarkable example of building to purpose—thick whitewashed walls, double roofs, soil floors, and a barrier of zelkova trees to provide shade create an ideal environment, where each of the dozen storehouses, nine of which are still in use, hold up to 5,000,000 pounds of rice. Nine of the storehouses are still in use, while the remaining three have been converted into shops and a museum illustrating the history of rice cultivation.
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This is a moderate excursion with a total of approximately one mile of walking over uneven ground, with steps at both museums. It is not recommended for guests with limited mobility. Note that you will be required to remove your shoes at the Honma Museum.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.National Treasure of Mt. Haguro
An hour's drive south of Sakata brings you to Mt. Haguro, one of three sacred mountains known as the Dewa Sanzan, where you will visit the site of a five-story pagoda and a shrine to the gods of the three mountains.
Go-Jyu-No-Toh, the five-story pagoda, has been designated as one of Japan’s National Treasures—a wooden structure standing over 95 feet tall built entirely without nails. It has remained standing for more than 600 years, in part because of a pendulum in the center that allows the building to sway during tremors—a remarkable feat of engineering that has informed modern techniques for constructing earthquake-proof buildings.
At the top of the mountain, visit the Sanjin Gosaiden Shrine. Because Mt. Haguro, unlike the other two mountains, remains accessible throughout the year, this shrine represents all three of the deities of the scared mountains. Pilgrims reach this scarlet-colored shrine, one of the holiest in Japan, by following a path of 2,446 steps up the mountainside.
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This is a strenuous excursion, involving a total of about a mile of walking over uneven surfaces, including some 650 steps up and down. Guests are required to remove their shoes before entering the Gosaiden Shrine. Note that throughout 2024, the five-story pagoda will be undergoing renovations and may be behind tents and scaffolding. Driving time is a total of two hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Mt. Chokai and Tamasudare Falls
This excursion is designed to highlight the natural beauty of the northern end of Honshu on a panoramic drive into the undeveloped mountainous region northeast of Sakata.
Your drive begins along the scenic coast and then turns inland as you make your way to Mt. Chokai, which at 7,335 feet, towers over the surrounding plain. Disembark your coach at the trailhead for a half-mile hike to the 4th station on the mountain climbing route, where you will be rewarded with spectacular views over the Sea of Japan. Back on the coach and down the mountain, pause at intriguing Maruike-sama, an emerald-green pond fed by spring-water from the mountain top.
Your final stop before returning to the ship is at Tamasudare Falls. Legend has it that the Buddhist monk and master calligrapher, Kobo Daishi, discovered the falls and gave them their name, which means "beaded curtain." Worshipped ever since as a sacred location, the falls are accessed via a 15-minute walk on a paved path. It is possible to walk right up to the base of the falls, which are about 18 feet wide and plunge some 200 feet straight down, where the spray of falls is said to purify visitors’ bodies and souls.
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This is a strenuous excursion, involving a total of 1.25 miles of walking up and down inclines over uneven terrain. It is not suitable for guests with limited mobility. Note the views at Mt. Chokai and at Mauike pond are weather dependent. As always, sturdy shoes and layered clothing are recommended. Driving time is a total of 2 ½ hours.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.Kamo Aquarium & Sankyo Rice Storehouses
This excursion showcases Sakata's relationship with both land and sea, as you visit the local aquarium and a fascinating group of rice warehouses.
The Kamo Aquarium hosts a collection of fresh and saltwater fish from local waters, as well as an outdoor pool for seals. But the clear highlight is the aquarium's collection of jellyfish—the largest collection of these ethereal sea creatures in the world. Their rhythmic motions are curiously calming to watch, particularly against the colored backlighting of the Jellyfish Dream Theater, an enormous, five-meter-wide, tank specially designed to showcase the 'jellies' .
Sankyo Rice Warehouses are emblematic of Sakata, an enduring symbol of the source of the city's wealth. Constructed in 1893, the storehouses are a remarkable example of building to purpose—thick whitewashed walls, double roofs, soil floors, and a barrier of zelkova trees to provide shade create an ideal environment, where each of the dozen storehouses, nine of which are still in use, hold up to 5,000,000 pounds of rice. Nine of the storehouses are still in use, while the remaining three have been converted into shops and a museum illustrating the history of rice cultivation.
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This is an easy excursion, involving a total of less than half a mile of walking over mostly flat surfaces and a total of 20 steps. Comfortable shoes and layered clothing are recommended.
Included
According to availability, price per passenger.