14 Night Circle Japan Intensive Voyage – September 2019

Start with the live tuna auctions at the Tsukiji Fish Market, the largest and busiest fish market in the world, then head to Tsukiji’s electronic equivalent, Akihabara Electric Town (Denki-Gai), for the very latest in gadgetry and games, and of course a classic sushi experience is a must. Slow down at the serene Meiji Shrine, the beautiful Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, or take it all in from high above at the Tokyo City View, the 52nd floor observation deck at Mori Tower in Roppongi Hills.

In a quintessential story of old meets new, Tokyo is fast-paced, trendy and high tech, but is never very far away from its enchanting past.

Hop on a tram that can take you from one end of the city to the other in just 45-minutes or enjoy a leisurely stroll through the area that takes you past historical buildings. Looking for a break and some soothing relaxation? The Yunokawa Onsen is a spa resort area offering up many hot spring hotel and inn options.

How about enjoying the company of wildlife while you relax? How about some snow monkeys? Within the Yunokawa Onsen area you’ll find the Hakodate City Tropical Botanical Garden where about 100 free-range Japanese macaques (a.k.a. snow monkeys) have been known to warm up in the luxurious mineral water.

Meanwhile, it’s easy to bring a little piece of Hakodate home thanks to the ample souvenir shopping locations. Then, once you’ve had your fill of the urban experience, a quick express train will take you to the suburbs of Onuma, a beautiful resort area full of mountains, lakes and forests, where you can soak up natural beauty.

The city has a medieval past, but today it offers up a young, energetic spirit with its year-round festivals and street parades. There is also a prosperous art community, including several fine art museums and the Kakunodate Samurai District, showcasing the samurai way of life.

Shrines, temples, and stunning waterfalls are all close to the city and provide a wonderful escape. Akita will have you feeling at one with nature and is the perfect place to decompress.

Stroll over the small bridges of the Naga-machi Buke Yashiki (samurai district) or admire the charming tiled streets and weathered wooden buildings of the Higashi Chaya (geisha district.) Stop into a traditional tea house, tended by geisha, or any number of artisan shops, where you’ll find fine handcrafted items such as wooden chopsticks.

Discover Tera-machi, Temple Town, where you’ll find 70 temples grouped together. Visit the D.T. Suzuki Museum, a peaceful homage to Zen Buddhism, or the giant glass walls of the 21st Century Museum of Modern Art, shaped like a UFO. Be sure to sample the region’s sake, known for it superior quality. Explore the small bustling alleys of the colorful Omichi Market, which dates back nearly 300 years, always overflowing with local vendors. Discover something new and interesting or savor the familiar delight of plenty of fresh seafood—crab, broiled scallop or eel, and oysters or sea urchins right from the shells. Sample fruit and ice cream, and linger over tea.

The fishing industry is so important to Sakaiminato that every July the city holds the Sakaiminato Port Festival, complete with parades and fireworks. And the festival opens with prayers for another successful fishing season.

Sakaiminato is more than just its abundant fishing industry, it’s also the birth place of Shigeru Mizuki, the creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro, the manga stories that birthed so many of Japan’s favorite comic characters. Take a walk down Shigeru Mizuki Road, a street lined with more than 150 statues of his Japanese characters. If you’re a Manga fan, be sure to also visit the Shigeru Mizuki Memorial Museum to learn more about Mizuki and his creative characters.

Koreans consider raw fish both a delicacy and an everyday meal, so for a look or a taste, head to the fish market, where the seafood is so fresh it’s still swimming.

Cultural explorations include the 9th century Beomeosa Temple in town, or a trip to the ancient capital of Gyeongju, a “museum without walls”, containing the ruins of temples, palaces, and pagodas of the 1000-year Silla Kingdom, which once ruled most of the Korean Peninsula.

Begin your visit at the Seishin Cathedral, a neo-Gothic church that has become a symbol for the city. Then, take a ferry to Kuro-shima Island, one of the 208 Kujūku islands that dot Japan’s western coast. No visit to Sasebo is complete without a visit to Huis Ten Bosch. This amusement park tells the history of Japan’s relationship with the Netherlands. A precise replica of a Dutch village in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages, Huis Ten Bosch boasts Dutch-style buildings and canals, international restaurants, and captivating museums where you can be transported to another place and time. Afterwards, make your way to the Yumiharidake Observatory for a stunning look at the city from above.

For a rare taste of old Japan, visit Chiran and its street of seven meticulously preserved Samurai houses and their manicured gardens. These handsome residences exemplify Japanese aesthetic principles, which reflect simplicity, and a restrained and refined sense of beauty.

Begin your visit with a trip to Kōchi Castle, one of only 12 original castles still standing in Japan. Stroll the grounds and see the bronze statue of Yamanouchi Kazutouo, the largest equestrian statue in Japan. Then, make your way to the Obiyamachi shopping arcade, which is close to the Harimaya-bashi—a replica of a bridge featured in a well-known Japanese love song. Elsewhere, history buffs should make their way to the Sakamoto Ryōma museum to learn the story of Kōchi’s beloved, favorite son.

If all this shopping and sightseeing works up your appetite, be sure to try Sawachi cuisine—a style of dish native to the region—including Kōchi’s signature dish, katsuo no tataki (seared bonito). Wash it down with a shōchū with the locals, who are well known for their joie de vivre! Or, for a drink that’s out of this world, try Tosa Space Sake, a specialty beverage prepared with yeast that was taken into space aboard a rocket in 2005.

Here vestiges of the past are easier to find than in many of Japan’s modern, high-tech cities: countless temples and shrines, the palaces and castles of shoguns and emperors, and narrow lanes paved in stone and lined with wooden buildings housing shops and restaurants that have been serving travelers for centuries.

Bustling with activity from the region’s busy fisheries, the Port of Shimizu is a vibrant area full of commercial highlights you’ll want to experience before diving into the natural beauty at the town’s edges. Once you’ve ventured away from the town’s lively port, you’ll quickly understand why Shimizu, one of three wards in the city of Shizuoka, translates to Calm Hills.

A stroll through Miho-no-Matsubara will leave you not only refreshed and energized, but inspired. Home to more than 30,000 pine trees lining the seashore and a jaw-dropping view of Mount Fuji, it’s no surprise this scenic area has been the subject of many paintings, poems, and legends throughout Japanese history.