KOREA AND KYUSHU ADVENTURE

April 2 - 12, 2012 (11 days and 9 nights)

Seoul (4 Nights),  N Seoul Tower , Kim Chi School, “JUMP”, DMZ, Suwon KBS Drama Center, Gyeongbokgung Palace, National Folk Museum, Namdaemun Market, Kyushu (5 Nights), Fukuoka, Niji-no-Matsubara, Imari Okawachiyama, Kyujukyu-Shima, Glover Garden, Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Nagasaki Heiwa-koen, Mizunashi Honjin Fukae, Kumamoto-jo, Suizen-ji koen, Beppu, Dazaifu 

Twin Rate	Single Supplement	Land Only
$ 4895 per person	$ 495 per person	call to inquire

(All arrangements to meet the group are not included)

Accommodations at SEOUL LOTTE HOTEL or similar

Wednesday, April 4 (Day 03)
SEOUL (B)(L)(D)
After breakfast, we’ll enjoy a full day of sightseeing, visiting some of the major attractions in the city of Seoul. Standing high on Mt. Namsan in the heart of the city is N Seoul Tower, the symbol of Seoul and the city’s most recognizable landmark. We’ll ride a cable car to the top of the tower to the observation deck, providing a breathtaking view of the city and its surrounding areas. A scene in the encore Korean drama ‘Beautiful Days’ was filmed in the pavilion located adjacent to the tower. At the Kim Chi School, we’ll have a lesson on the art of making kim chi, including the opportunity to make some of your own. Have fun wearing the hanbok, the colorful traditional Korean style costume for a nice photo souvenir. This afternoon, we’ll enjoy a performance of “JUMP’, a show that combines the traditional Korean martial arts with incredible gymnastic skills in a comical style.

Accommodations at SEOUL LOTTE HOTEL or similar

Thursday, April 5 (Day 04)
SEOUL (B)(L)(D)
This morning, we’ll travel to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) - one of the most fascinating place in the world to visit. The DMZ is a strip of land running across the Korean peninsula that serves as a buffer zone between North and South Korea. We’ll visit The 3rd Tunnel - a massive tunnel dug in 1978 by North Korea, planned as a pathway for invasion to South Korean territory and Dora Observatory - situated on top of Mount Dora. The observatory is part of the South closest to the North and you can see the territory of the North through telescopic lenses. This afternoon, we’ll visit the Suwon KBS Drama Center, featuring state-of-the-art production facilities of their indoor and outdoor sets. Many scenes of the popular soap operas and historical drama series were filmed here at this production center.

Accommodations at SEOUL LOTTE HOTEL or similar

Friday, April 6 (Day 05)
SEOUL (B)(L)(D)
We’ll visit Gyeongbokgung Palace - the most comprehensive and grandest of the five palaces of the Joseon Dynasty and the National Folk Museum of Korea - the only national museum focusing on folklore with items and exhibits displaying the traditional way of life. We’ll spend the rest of the day shopping at Namdaemun Market - popular among local residents to shop for merchandise at discounted prices. Known as a shopper’s paradise, the main street is lined with shops and sidewalk stalls offering a wide selection of merchandise at a fraction of the normal price. Have fun bargaining with the local vendors for the best prices here. 
Accommodations at SEOUL LOTTE HOTEL or similar

Saturday, April 7 (Day 06)
SEOUL TO FUKUOKA, JAPAN (B)(D)
This morning, we’ll transfer to the Incheon International Airport for our flight to Fukuoka located on Kyushu Island, the third-largest and southernmost island of Japan. On arrival at the Fukuoka Airport, we’ll 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. These clay dolls range widely in size, delicately painted with lifelike features and generally represent figures of geisha, samurai warriors, or Kabuki actors. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon to shop at Tenjin, the fashion and cultural center of Kyushu located near our hotel. Dinner will be provided for you this evening.

Accommodations at HAKATA EXCEL HOTEL TOKYU or similar

Sunday, April 8 (Day 07)
FUKUOKA * KARATSU * IMARI * ARITA * TAKEO (B)(D)
We’ll proceed 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. Today, this 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. The streets are lined with many porcelain shops with a few working kilns still in operation. We’ll continue on to Takeo, a city in the western region of Saga prefecture to check-in for the night.

Accommodations at TAKEO CENTURY HOTEL or similar

Monday, April 9 (Day 08)
TAKEO * SASEBO * NAGASAKI (B)(D)
This morning, we’ll travel to Sasebo - gateway to Saikai National Park. We’ll 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 in Nagasaki, 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 photographs, relic and documents related to the atomic bombing and the Nagasaki International Peace Memorial Hall - built in memory of those who perished in the atomic 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

Tuesday, April 10 (Day 09)
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 Mount Aso, Japan’s largest active volcano. 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 the hotel.

Accommodations at HOTEL NIKKO KUMAMOTO or similar

Wednesday, April 11 (Day 10)
KUMAMOTO * MOUNT ASO * BEPPU (B)(D)
We’ll travel past Mount Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan located in the Aso Kuju National Park in Kumamoto prefecture. We’ll spend the night in Beppu, one of Japan’s most famous hot spring resorts, producing more hot spring water than any other resort in the country. Noted as Japan’s onsen capital with its abundant hot springs, Beppu is divided into eight major hot spring areas known as Beppu Hatto and contains nine major geothermal hot spots, sometimes 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 hot water bubbles forth from underground in various colors, sizes, and shapes. Enjoy dinner and relax in the soothing hot spring bath at our hotel this evening.

Accommodations at BEPPU SUGINOI HOTEL or similar

Thursday, April 12 (Day 11)
BEPPU * DAZAIFU * FUKUOKA TO HONOLULU (B)
En route to the Fukuoka Airport, we’ll visit Dazaifu Tenman-gu, one of the most important Tenmangu Shrines in Japan, dedicated to the spirit of Sugawara Michizane, a scholar and politician of the Heian Period. His rise to power with his political career resulted in rivalries with the Fujiwara clan and was later exiled to Dazaifu. Michizane passed away in Dazaifu and the main shrine was built on the site of his grave. We’ll continue on to the Fukuoka Airport to check-in for our flight to Honolulu, via a stop-over at the Incheon International Airport in Seoul, Korea. We’ll transfer to board our flight home, arriving in the morning on the same day due to the crossing of the International Date Line. A late meal will be served on board the flight.

The tour price is based on double occupancy and a minimum group size of 20 passengers. Fare adjustment may apply for groups of 20 or less. The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 6/01/11.  Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase, increase in government taxes, additional fuel charges and fluctuation of the rate of exchange between U.S. and foreign currency.  In the event of revaluation, the land portion of the tour price may be adjusted prior to your final statement.