2026 Okinawa & Kyushu

Featuring Sakura-no-Mori & Miyagi Island

January 28 —February 9, 2026  (13 Days & 11 Nights)

Haneda , Okinawa, Okinawa  (6 nights), Underground Imperial Navy Headquarters, Okinawa World, Himeyuri Peace Museum, Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, Shuri-jo, Shuri Ryusen, Handkerchief hands-on-activity, Ryukyu Village, Okashigoten Onna, Miyagi Island, Katsuren-jo Site, Seaside Station Ayahashikan, Yaedake Sakura-no-Mori Park, Nakijin Castle Ruins, Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Kyushu  (5 nights), Fukuoka, Niji-no-Matsubara, Imari Okawachiyama, Kujuku-shima Cruise, Nagasaki, Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum, Nagasaki Heiwa-Koen, Kumamoto, Suizenji Park, Kusasenri Plateau, Daikanbo, Kumamoto Castle, Beppu, Toto Museum, Strawberry Picking , Hakata doll hands-on-activity, Hakata, Fukuoka

$100 EARLY BOOKING DISCOUNT
(deposit of $100 per person received by 7/31/2025)

Wednesday, January 28  (Day 01)
HONOLULU TO HANEDA
Our tour commences this morning when we assemble at the airport for baggage check-in procedures.  We will depart Honolulu for our flight to Haneda International Airport.  Lunch and a snack will be served on board the flight.

Thursday, January 29  (Day 02)
ARRIVE HANEDA to NAHA, OKINAWA
We’ll arrive Haneda Airport in the late afternoon and after clearing entry procedures, we’ll transfer to the domestic ticket lobby to check-in for our flight to Okinawa.  On arrival at the Naha Airport in the late evening, we’ll proceed to our hotel in Naha, capital city of Okinawa.  We’ll spend six exciting nights in Okinawa.  Our hotel is conveniently located along Kokusai-dori, a major shopping street lined with souvenir shops for your shopping pleasure.

Accommodations at HOTEL JAL CITY NAHA or similar

Friday, January 30  (Day 03)
SOUTHERN OKINAWA  (B)(D)
We’ll embark on a sightseeing tour in southern Okinawa, the most populated area of Okinawa.  As you wander through the maze of corridors at the Former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters, visible shrapnel damage can be seen on the walls from the grenade blasts that took the lives of many men during the closing days of the Battle of Okinawa in 1945.  Share the pride of Ryukyuan culture at Okinawa World, a theme park promoting Okinawan history and culture with its main attraction, Gyokusen-do, Japan’s second longest natural cave.  The interior of the cave is well-maintained with walking paths featuring spectacular stalactites and stalagmite formations.  Enjoy eisa dance performances at the Traditional Performance Plaza and various workshops introducing traditional Okinawan crafts such as weaving, dyeing, paper making, glass-blowing and more.  Located within the park is the Cornerstone of Peace, a memorial featuring names of the thousands who lost their lives inscribed on the monument walls.  We’ll visit the Himeyuri Peace Museum built on the grounds of Himeyuri-no-to, a memorial site to commemorate the hundreds of high-school students and their teachers who sacrificed their lives during the Battle of Okinawa.  Visitors to the museum are greeted by a large stone monument located at the entrance.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at the hotel.

Accommodations at HOTEL JAL CITY NAHA or similar

Saturday, January 31  (Day 04)
SOUTHERN OKINAWA  (B)(D)
We’ll visit the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum, located in the Peace Memorial Park on Mabuni Hill, the main memorial to the Battle of Okinawa which took place during World War II.  We’ll travel to visit Shuri-jo, the reconstructed residence of the Okinawan royal family, situated at the top of a small hill overlooking the city of Naha.  Almost destroyed during the battle of Okinawa, Shuri-jo is a good place to get a sense of Ryukyuan culture—designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Shureimon, the second of Shuri-jo’s main gates reflects strong Chinese influence alongside indigenous religious traditions.  Four Chinese characters are framed on the gate:  Shu, rei, no, and kuni—which means “Land of Propriety”.  The structure of the gate is similar to Chinese three-bay turret gates and is covered with a red-tile roof.  We’ll visit Shuri Ryusen, the first plant dyeing research institute in Okinawa created to revive red molds and developing and passing on dyeing techniques. Subject to confirmation, we’ll participate on a unique hands-on-activity to dye your own handkerchief with a special technique using coral.  We’ll return to our hotel in Naha.  Dinner will be provided for you at a local restaurant this evening.

Accommodations at HOTEL JAL CITY NAHA or similar

Sunday, February 1  (Day 05)
CENTRAL OKINAWA  (B)
We’ll travel to visit Ryukyu Village, a small theme park providing traditional Okinawan culture in the form of a recreated village from the times of the Ryukyu Kingdom.  The village includes a traditional residence with a red-tiled roof, a shrine, and various workshops featuring Okinawan crafts. Special performances of eisa, taiko drumming, dances and re-enacted historical ceremonies are held in the village.  You’ll have an opportunity to try some popular Okinawan dishes and shop for a wide range of local souvenirs.  We’ll visit Okashigoten Yomitan Main Shop, offering a large variety of delicious Okinawan products made with the traditional purple sweet potato and brown sugar.  A popular souvenir to bring home from Okinawa is a boat-like pastry filled with purple sweet potato paste (beni-imo) piped in a rippled pattern.  Subject to availability, we may be able to view the production of this pastry through glass windows.  Beni-imo is an ingredient used in many desserts such as pastries, cookies and ice cream.  Dinner will be on your own this evening to try some local specialties of Okinawa.

Accommodations at HOTEL JAL CITY NAHA or similar

Monday, February 2  (Day 06)
CENTRAL OKINAWA * KATSUREN PENINSULA * MIYAGI ISLAND * URUMA  (B)(L)
Enjoy a scenic drive along the Kaicho Doro, a pleasant interisland road crossing over the waters between Okinawa and the Katsuren Peninsula, a place of untouched nature.  We’ll visit Miyagi Island, one of the eight Yokatsu Islands on the peninsula.  On the eastern coast of the island, we’ll visit the Nuchi Masu Salt Factory, known to produce the most mineral-rich salt in the world.  Enjoy a guided tour of the salt-making process through large viewing windows.  We’ll visit the remains of Katsuren-jo, a fascinating historical site of this former castle located on a hill near the coast, offering breathtaking views over the landscape below.  This site is included as one of the ‘UNESCO World Heritage – designated Castles of the Ryukyu Kingdom’.  Dinner will be on your own this evening.

Accommodations at HOTEL JAL CITY NAHA or similar

Tuesday, February 3  (Day 07)
NORTHERN OKINAWA * MOTOBU  (B)(D)
We’ll travel to the Motobu Peninsula in northern Okinawa to visit the Yaedake Sakura-no-Mori Park, located along the slopes of the majestic Mount Yaedake.  Weather permitting, enjoy the sight of beautiful pink cherry blossoms (kanhizakura) in bloom in Okinawa. Cherry blossoms bloom the earliest in Okinawa and are called kanhizakura with a darker shade of pink.  Weather permitting, one of the best locations for cherry blossom viewing in Okinawa is at Nakijin Castle Ruins, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We’ll continue on to enjoy an intriguing world of marine life at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium, Japan’s largest aquarium located at the Ocean Expo Park in Motobu, the site where the international Ocean Exposition was held in 1975.  See the whale shark and the world’s first successfully bred-in-captivity manta ray swim with ease in Kuroshio Sea - the main tank which reproduces the environment of coral reefs below the water’s surface.  Subject to confirmation, enjoy an exciting show performed by trained dolphins in the outdoor Dolphin Theater.  We’ll spend the night in a fabulous hotel in Motobu, located within walking distance of the aquarium.  Dinner will be provided for you this evening at our elegant hotel.

Accommodations at HOTEL ORION MOTOBU RESORT or similar

Wednesday, February 4  (Day 08)
MOTOBU TO NAHA AIRPORT to FUKUOKA (KYUSHU ISLAND)  (B)
We’ll proceed to the Naha Airport to board a flight to Fukuoka, capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture on Kyushu Island.  On arrival, we’ll transfer to our hotel in Fukuoka to spend the night.  The rest of the day is at your leisure for your own activities.  Our hotel is conveniently located across the Hakata Train Station with many shopping and dining opportunities.  Dinner will be on your own this evening.

Accommodations at MIYAKO HAKATA HOTEL or similar

Thursday, February 5  (Day 09)
FUKUOKA * NAGASAKI  (B)
We’ll travel to Mount Kagamiyama, a historical mountain famous for its breathtaking view of Karatsu city, Karatsu Bay and Niji no-Matsubara -, a two-mile long grove of black pine trees.  The forest was originally planted by the feudal lord Terasawa as a counter-measure against the strong winds and tides in Karatsu Bay.  The scene is noted as one of the most picturesque landscapes in Japan.  The pottery towns of Arita and Imari in Saga Prefecture has been a major manufacturing source of ceramics for centuries with Imari-yaki and Arita-yaki as the most famous and distinctive.  Enjoy a stroll through Imari Okawachiyama (the Village of Secret Kilns), a small artisans’ village located in the city of Imari that has been producing unique pottery for centuries and kept its methods a secret – hence the name ‘Village of Secret Kilns’.  We’ll continue on to Kashimae Port to board a sightseeing boat and enjoy a relaxing and scenic cruise around Kujuku-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 on to spend the night at an elegant hotel in Nagasaki, capital city of Nagasaki Prefecture.  Dinner will be on your own this evening.  Our hotel is conveniently located nearby a shopping mall with many shopping and dining opportunities at your leisure.

Accommodations at NAGASAKI MARRIOTT HOTEL or similar

Friday, February 6  (Day 10)
NAGASAKI *KUMAMOTO  (B)
This morning, we’ll visit the Nagasaki Heiwa-Koen (Peace Park) established near the hypocenter of the explosion.  Remnants of a concrete wall of Urakami Cathedral are still visible.  At the park’s north end stands a 10-meter-tall Peace Statue and the south end features a Fountain of Peace.  We’ll visit the Nagasaki Atomic-Bomb Museum featuring photos, relics and documents related to the bombing and the Nagasaki International Peace Memorial Hall, a commemorative monument to remember and pray for those who died in the 1945 atomic bombing.  We’ll visit Dejima, a man-made island in the port of Nagasaki, constructed to segregate Portuguese residents from the Japanese population to control their missionary activities.  We’ll proceed to the Shimabara Port to board a ferry and cross the Ariake Sea to Kumamoto Port.  On arrival, we’ll visit Kumamoto Castle, a 400-year-old hilltop castle and noted as one of the three premier castles in Japan.  We’ll spend the night in Kumamoto, capital city of Kumamoto Prefecture.  Dinner will be on your own this evening to try some of local specialties of this prefecture.  Our hotel is conveniently located adjacent to a shopping arcade and a department store with many dining and shopping opportunities.

Accommodations at KUMAMOTO NIKKO HOTEL or similar

Saturday, February 7  (Day 11)
KUMAMOTO * BEPPU  (B)(D)
We’ll visit Suizenji Park, a spacious scenic Japanese style landscape garden, best enjoyed by strolling along its circular path.  The garden reproduces the 53 post stations of the Tokaido, an important road connecting Edo (Tokyo) with Kyoto.  We’ll continue on to visit Kusasenri Plateau, a sweeping grassland at the peak of Mount Aso.  The five peaks of Japan’s largest volcano -one of which is still active and currently smoking, are clearly visible on the near horizon.  Enjoy a visit to Daikanbo, located on the edge of the outer rim of the Aso caldera, offering a panoramic view of the Five Peaks of Aso - resembling a Buddha lying down and the Kuju Mountain Range.  We’ll continue on to spend the night in Beppu, noted as one of the most famous hot spring resorts in Japan.  The city known for its ‘hells or jigokus’ spectacular hot springs for viewing rather than bathing, displaying steaming ponds of various colors, bubbling mud pools and other hydrothermal activity.  We’ll visit one of the most beautiful – Umi-Jigoku (sea hell), a pond of boiling steaming blue water.  Within the spacious garden is a clear water pond with large lotus flowers floating on the surface and another red-colored (blood) pond nearby.  Enjoy dinner and relax in the soothing hot spring waters of our onsen hotel this evening. 

Accommodations at BEPPU SUGINOI SORA TOWER or similar

Sunday, February 8  (Day 12)
BEPPU * KITAKYUSHU * HAKATA  (B)
We’ll travel to Kitakyushu to discover the interesting world of toilets at the Toto Museum, Japan’s premier manufacturer of toilet and washroom products.  The museum provides us with the history of Toto, its products, and the production from the past to the present.  One of the main features is to view the super-modern architectural design of the building, featuring rounded and rimmed curves with a glowing white finish.  Subject to availability, we’ll enjoy a ‘strawberry picking hands-on-activity’ at a local farm.  Hakata dolls are traditional clay dolls and one of the most elegant and famous art and craft souvenirs in Hakata.  Enjoy a hands-on-activity to paint your own Hakata figure at the Hakata Doll Hall Shogetsudo to take home as a souvenir.  We’ll spend our last night in Hakata.  Dinner will be on your own this evening to try some of your favorite local specialties at the various restaurants located at the train station across the hotel.

Accommodations at MIYAKO HAKATA HOTEL or similar

Monday, February 9  (Day 13)
FUKUOKA * HANEDA/HONOLULU  (B)
We’ll proceed to Fukuoka Airport to check-in for our domestic flight to Haneda Airport.  On arrival at Haneda Airport, we’ll transfer by shuttle to the Haneda International Terminal for our evening flight home to Honolulu, 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 under.  The rate is based on tariffs and exchange rates effective 5/1/2025.  Tour fare is subject to change according to any airfare increase 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.  We reserve the right to revise content of the itinerary if necessary due to unforeseen issues, weather and safety concerns.

Land portion based on 145 Yen = $1.00 U.S.

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