Thursday, November 4 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO KANSAI TO OKINAWA
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines lobby at the airport for baggage check-in procedures. We will depart Honolulu on Japan Airlines for Kansai International Airport. Lunch and a snack will be served on board the flight.
Friday, November 5 (Day 02)
KANSAI AIRPORT TO OKINAWA
After completing entry and customs formalities at the Kansai Airport, we’ll depart on a domestic flight to Okinawa. On arrival at the Naha Airport, we’ll transfer to our hotel in Naha city, the capital of Okinawa to spend the next three nights. Dinner will be on your own this evening.
Accommodations at the Hotel Royal Orion or similar
Saturday, November 6 (Day 03)
SOUTHERN OKINAWA (B)(L)(D)
We’ll travel to southern Okinawa, visiting a site where some of the heaviest fighting occurred during the closing days of the Battle of Okinawa. Wandering through the maze of corridors at the Underground Imperial Navy Headquarters, visible shrapnel damage can be seen on the walls from the grenade blasts that took the lives of many men during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945. We’ll continue on to visit Himeyuri-no-to, a site where more than 200 high-school students and their teachers committed mass suicide rather than submit to the approaching American army. After lunch, we’ll visit Mabuni-no-Oka, a memorial site of the worst battle of World War II in Japan. Rows of inscribed stone tablets are scattered about the hillside and lists the name of every person who died in the Battle of Okinawa. Share the pride of Ryukyuan culture in Okinawa World, a theme park promoting Okinawan history and culture. Stroll through old Okinawa at the Traditional Crafts Village - a replica of a traditional Ryukyu village and enjoy Eisa dance performances at the Traditional Performance Plaza. We’ll visit Gyokusen-do, Japan’s second longest limestone cave with an abundance of spectacular stalactite and stalagmite formations. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at Hotel Royal Orion or similar
Sunday, November 7 (Day 04)
CENTRAL OKINAWA (B)
We’ll travel to central Okinawa and visit Shuri-jo, the reconstructed residence of the Okinawan royal family and designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The castle and main buildings demonstrate the strong Chinese influence in the Ryukyu style. Share the memory of the Okinawa of long ago at the Ryukyu Mura, a historic folk village that offers an opportunity to sample the heritage of the old Ryukyu Kingdom. Examples of Okinawan crafts are displayed throughout the village and Okinawan music and dances are performed in the main building. We’ll return to Naha city in the late afternoon to enjoy your own activities and shopping. Dinner will be on your own tonight to try some of the local cuisine of Okinawa.
Accommodations at Hotel Royal Orion or similar
Monday, November 8 (Day 05)
OKINAWA * FUKUOKA/HAKATA (B)(D)
We’ll transfer to the Naha Airport for our domestic flight to Fukuoka on Kyushu Island, the third-largest and southernmost island of Japan. On arrival at the Fukuoka Airport, we will transfer to our hotel in Fukuoka/Hakata, the largest city in Kyushu to check in for the night. Originally two separate towns, the Nakagawa is the dividing line of the city, with the castle town of Fukuoka to the west and the commercial center of Hakata to the east. Fukuoka/Hakata is also known for its elegant Hakata ningyo (clay dolls). These dolls range widely in size, delicately painted with lifelike features and generally represent geisha, samurai warriors or Kabuki actors. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon to shop at Tenjin, the fashion and cultural center in Kyushu located near our hotel. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at Nishitetsu Grand Hotel or similar
Tuesday, November 9 (Day 06)
FUKUOKA * KARATSU * IMARI * ARITA * TAKEO (B)(D)
We’ll travel west to enjoy a scenic view of Karatsu Bay and the two-mile long Niji-no-Matsubara, a grove of black pine trees extending along a sandy beach. The forest was originally planted by the feudal Lord Terasawa as a counter-measure against the strong winds and tides in Karatsu Bay but today is one of the most picturesque landscapes in Japan. Saga prefecture has been a major manufacturing source of ceramics for centuries with Imari-yaki and Arita-yaki as the most famous and distinctive. Korean potters were brought to Imari to produce porcelain mainly for the Nabeshima domain. Enjoy a stroll through Imari Okawachiyama (Village of the Secret Kilns) - a small ceramic village in the city of Imari lined with many porcelain shops and with a few working kilns still in operation. We’ll travel to Arita, a pottery town where a Korean potter first introduced the art of manufacturing porcelain, visiting the Kyushu Ceramic Museum - a facility where you can learn about the history and culture of Kyushu porcelain through exhibits and photographs. We’ll continue on to Takeo, a city located in the western region of Saga prefecture to spend the night.
Accommodations at Takeo Century Hotel or similar
Wednesday, November 10 (Day 07)
TAKEO * SASEBO * NAGASAKI (B)(D)
This morning we’ll travel to Sasebo - gateway to Saikai National Park - and board a sightseeing boat from Kashimae Pier to enjoy a relaxing and scenic cruise around Kyujukyu-Shima (99 pine-studded islets) in the inland sea. Enjoy some of the most breathtaking natural scenery in Japan as we cruise through the islands. We’ll continue our drive on the Saikai Bridge to the city of Nagasaki to spend the night. On arrival, we’ll visit Glover Garden - the former residence of British merchant Thomas Blake Glover. The mansion and other 19th century buildings are preserved on this spacious hillside garden overlooking Nagasaki Harbor. The story for Puccini’s opera “Madame Butterfly” was allegedly set here and the main character was based on Tsuru, Glover’s Japanese wife. Nagasaki became the second city to be bombed by a nuclear weapon following Hiroshima on August 9, 1945. We’ll visit the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum displaying photos, relics and documents related to the bombing. Located nearby in the Hypocentre Park, a black stone column marks the exact point where the atomic bomb exploded and devastated the city. The Nagasaki Heiwa-koen (Peace Park) was established near the hypocenter of the explosion and within the park stands a huge Peace Statue, a Fountain of Peace and several unique monuments donated from various countries around the world. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at New Nagasaki Hotel or similar
Thursday, November 11 (Day 08)
NAGASAKI * UNZEN * SHIMABARA * KUMAMOTO (B)
We’ll continue our journey to the Shimabara Peninsula to enjoy a view of Mount Unzen, an active volcanic complex of several overlapping lava domes. We’ll visit the Mizunashi Honjin Fukae (Avalanche Stricken Homes Preservation Park), a memorial site where the after effects of the devastation caused by the Unzen eruption are displayed. From the Shimabara Pier, we’ll board a ferry and cross the Ariake Sea to Kumamoto, a modern city that has one of Japan’s finest reconstructed castles - Kumamoto-jo. Architect Kato Kiyomasa built this castle with ingenious engineering and its size and interesting exhibits make it visit-worthy. Enjoy a leisure stroll through Suizen-ji-koen, a beautiful Japanese style landscape garden designed with an impression of views seen when traveling along the Tokaido - the old highway between Kyoto and Edo (present-day Tokyo). As you stroll around the park, you’ll have a magnificent feeling of nature with its beautiful lakes and trees. The lake is fed by pristine spring water from Mt. Aso and at the east end of the park is Horaitsukiyama, a replica of a miniature Mt. Fuji. Dinner will be on your own this evening to try some of the local specialties of this prefecture at one of the restaurants located near our hotel.
Accommodations at Hotel Nikko Kumamoto or similar
Friday, November 12 (Day 09)
KUMAMOTO * SAKURAJIMA * KAGOSHIMA * IBUSUKI (B)(D)
Dominating the skyline from Kagoshima is the brooding cone of Sakurajima, an active volcano with the summit split into three peaks - one of which is still active. The most violent eruption occurred in 1914 when the volcano poured out tons of lava, overwhelming villages and completely filled the narrow strait that separated the volcano from the mainland - thus converting Sakurajima from an island to a peninsula. We’ll continue on to Kagoshima, the southernmost major city in Kyushu and known to the Japanese as the “Naples of the Orient”. The Shimazu clan not only dominated Kagoshima’s history but also left the city with its principal attraction, Iso-teien, a beautiful bayside garden with one of the most impressive pieces of ‘borrowed scenery’ - the fuming peak of Sakurajima as a background. Enjoy a leisure stroll through this beautiful landscaped garden. We’ll travel to the southernmost tip of the Satsuma Peninsula to Ibusuki, a coastal town best known for its sunamushi onsens (steaming black sand baths). As an option, you may want to experience being covered in warm black volcanic sand. The weight and heat of the sand feels so good and after rinsing off, you will feel unusually energized. Relax and enjoy dinner at our onsen hotel this evening.
Accommodations at Ibusuki Iwasaki Hotel or similar
Saturday, November 13 (Day 10)
IBUSUKI * CHIRAN * MIYAZAKI (B)(D)
This morning, we’ll travel to the quiet town of Chiran, noted for its fine collection of preserved samurai houses and traditional gardens. Enjoy a stroll through ‘samurai street’, visiting a few old samurai residences and landscaped gardens. The Tokko Heiwa Kaikan (Chiran Peace Museum for Kamikaze Pilots) displays an extensive collection of correspondence, photographs, relics, and mementoes belonging to the Special Air Force Attack Group members - known as the Kamikaze Pilots. The museum’s photos, exhibits and a presentation by a guide present a positive image of kamikaze pilots as they willingly gave their lives for their country and their families to establish peace and prosperity for Japan. We’ll continue on to view the scenic Nichinan Kaigan on Aoshima Island, a tiny island located in the northernmost part of the Nichinan-Kaigan Quasi National Park. On this tiny island, enjoy the view of eroded rock formations - wavy rocks called Oni-no-Sentakuita (devil’s washboard), betel palm trees and subtropical plants. We’ll spend the night in the city of Miyazaki. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at Miyazaki Kanko Hotel or similar
Sunday, November 14 (Day 11)
MIYAZAKI * NOBEOKA * TAKACHIHO * MT. ASO * UCHINOMAKI (B)(D)
Situated in northern Miyazaki between Nobeoka on the coast and Aso-san in the center of Kyushu is the little town of Takachiho, a remote mountain resort and famed for its beautiful gorge and a number of interesting shrines. Takachiho is considered to be one of the most sacred places in Japan - surrounded by many myths and legends. The town’s major attraction is Takachiho-kyo - a scenic V-shaped ravine formed through the erosion of the Aso lava plateau with breathtaking waterfalls, overhanging rocks and sheer walls. Weather permitting, enjoy a beautiful view of Mt. Aso as we continue on to the hot spring town of Uchinomaki to spend the night.
Accommodations at Aso Tsukasa Villa Park or similar
Monday, November 15 (Day 12)
UCHINOMAKI * MT. TAKASAKI * BEPPU B)(D)
Mt. Takasaki Monkey National Park - located at the base of Mt. Takasaki is home to thousands of wild monkeys and as they come down from the mountain to interact in the communal gathering area, you will enjoy a rare opportunity to observe these wild monkeys in their natural habitat as they move about freely. We’ll continue on to Beppu, a city noted throughout Japan for its abundant hot springs and known for two types: jigoku or hells are hot springs for looking at and onsen are hot springs for bathing in. Beppu is divided into eight major hot spring areas known as Beppu Hatto and contains nine major geothermal hot spots referred to as the ‘Nine Hells of Beppu’. We’ll visit one of these hells to see several types of hot spring ponds where the water bubbles forth from underground in various colors, sizes, and shapes. Enjoy dinner and relax in the hot springs at our hotel this evening.
Accommodations at Beppu-wan Royal Hotel or similar
Tuesday, November 16 (Day 13)
BEPPU * YUFUIN * DAZAIFU * FUKUOKA/HAKATA (B)
We’ll travel west to Fukuoka/Hakata, en route visiting Yufuin, a countrified hot-spring town located on a beautiful highland plateau this morning. Enjoy a visit to the Yufuin Mingei Mura (Folk Art Village), a showcase for artisans making lathe-turned toys, blown glass, handforged steel blades, etc. We’ll continue on to the cultural city of Dazaifu, visiting the Dazaifu Tenman-gu, a shrine dedicated to poet and scholar - Sugawara no Michizane. He was exiled to Dazaifu and was later defied as Tenjin - the god of culture and protector of students and scholars. He chose as his symbol - the plum blossom and numerous plum trees are planted all around the shrine. We’ll continue on to spend the night in Fukuoka/Hakata. Dinner will be on your own this evening.
Accommodations at Nishitetsu Grand Hotel or similar
Wednesday, November 17 (Day 14)
FUKUOKA/HAKATA - KANSAI TO HONOLULU (B)
We’ll transfer to the airport for our domestic flight to Kansai International Airport, transferring for our flight to Honolulu in the evening. We’ll arrive home in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Date Line. Dinner will be served on board the flight.