Thursday, March 24 (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO NARITA
Our tour to Japan commences this morning when we assemble at the Japan Airlines check-in lobby at the airport for baggage check-in procedures. We will depart Honolulu on Japan Airlines for Narita International Airport. Lunch and a snack will be served on board the flight.
Friday, March 25 (Day 02)
NARITA AIRPORT TO FUKUOKA
We’ll arrive Narita Airport in the afternoon and after completing entry and customs formalities, transfer to check in for our domestic flight to Fukuoka International Airport on Kyushu, the third-largest and southernmost island of Japan. We’ll transfer to our hotel in Fukuoka/Hakata, the capital city of Fukuoka prefecture to check in for two nights.
Accommodations at NISHITETSU GRAND HOTEL or similar
Saturday, March 26 (Day 03)
FUKUOKA/HAKATA (B)(D)
Originally two separate towns - divided by the Nakagawa River - Fukuoka & Hakata merged to become the largest city in Kyushu Island. The train station is still known as Hakata while the airport is called Fukuoka Airport. We will enjoy a full day of sightseeing including a visit to the Hakata Machiya Furusato-mura, a folk museum featuring displays of the culture of Hakata, mainly of the Meiji and Taisho eras. At the Machiya Hall, see an example of traditional architecture restored to provide a glimpse into the past. Located nearby is Kushida-jinja Shrine, with an enormous mikoshi (float) used for one of Kyushu’s largest festivals. A view of Fukuoka Tower can be seen as we drive through the city - the highest seaside tower in Japan and the landmark of the city. Enjoy a stroll through Tenjin - a popular district in downtown Fukuoka with a shopping arcade and an underground shopping complex.
Accommodations at NISHITETSU GRAND HOTEL or similar
Sunday, March 27 (Day 04)
FUKUOKA * KARATSU * IMARI * TAKEO (B)(D)
After breakfast, 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 noted as 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 (The Village of Secret Kilns) - a small ceramic village in the city of Imari, lined with many porcelain shops. A few working kilns are still in operation. We’ll travel to Arita, a pottery town where a Korean potter first introduced the art of manufacturing porcelain. We’ll visit 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 Saga prefecture to spend the night. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.
Accommodations at TAKEO CENTURY HOTEL or similar
Monday, March 28 (Day 05)
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 you cruise through the islands. We’ll continue our drive on the Saikai Bridge to Nagasaki, visiting some of the well-known sites of the city. 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 with a breathtaking view 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 with displays, photos, relics and documents related to the bombing. Located nearby in the Hypocentre Park, a black stone column marks the exact point where the bomb exploded above 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 from around the world. We will spend the night in the city of Nagasaki.
Accommodations at NEW NAGASAKI HOTEL or similar
Tuesday, March 29 (Day 06)
NAGASAKI * 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 Mizunashi-Honjin Fukae, (Avalanche Stricken Homes Preservation Park), a preservation 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 with one of Japan’s finest reconstructed castles - Kumamoto-jo. Architect Kato Kiyomasa built this castle with ingenious engineering and its size and numerous 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 in Kumamoto.
Accommodations at KUMAMOTO NIKKO HOTEL or similar
Wednesday, March 30 (Day 07)
KUMAMOTO * 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 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 our drive south 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-tein - 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 elegant onsen resort hotel this evening.
Accommodations at IBUSUKI IWASAKI HOTEL or similar
Thursday, March 31 (Day 08)
IBUSUKI * CHIRAN * MIYAZAKI (B)(D)
This morning, we’ll travel to the little town of Chiran, noted for its fine collection of preserved samurai houses and 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 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 the scenic Nichinan Kaigan Coast on Ao-shima Island, a tiny island located in the northernmost part of 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