A mysterious island nation of unsurpassed natural beauty and customs, Japan and its fascinating culture are laden with ancient spiritual rituals and rich, storied tradition. This 13-day, 12-night land and sea voyage showcases sites from the ethereal temples, jewel box pagodas and shogun castles of Kyoto to the latticed merchant houses of Hagi’s samurai district. On a specially arranged excursion to Miyajima's Itsukushima Shrine, marvel at its iconic "floating" Torii gate on the Seto Inland Sea. Explore seven different UNESCO World Heritage sites in two countries. Discover the Inland Sea of Japan and South Korea, featuring an 8-night, all‑inclusive cruise on the expedition small ship Heritage Adventurer. Emmy Award‑winning international news correspondent Jim Laurie will join us as guest speaker, sharing insights about this remarkable region on a journey to remember! Enhance your incredible visit with a Pre-Tour Extension in Tokyo and/or a Post-Tour Extension in Osaka.

Program Information

Top

Program Overview

Program Highlights

To see more about day, click on any of the Day by Day buttons

Day by Day

Day 1

Depart home city

Day 2

Osaka, Japan/Kyoto

Day 3

Kyoto

Day 4

Kyoto

Day 5

Kyoto/Kanazawa/Embark Heritage Adventurer

Day 6

Kanazawa/Shirakawa-go

Day 7

Sakaiminato/Matsue

Day 8

Hagi

Day 9

Ulsan, South Korea

Day 10

Hiroshima, Japan

Day 11

Hiroshima/Miyajima

Day 12

Uno Ko

Day 13

Osaka/Disembark/Return to Home City

To see more about day, click on any of the Day by Day buttons

Matsue Castle
Buddha statues at Bulguksa temple
Japan_Okayama_Korakuen Gardens
• Exclusive land and cruise journey introduces you to the cultural highlights of Japan plus historic sites in South Korea.
• Created in our tradition of innovative programming and educational travel.
• Access to ports unavailable to larger vessels and included excursions throughout your program.
• Specially arranged excursion to Miyajima's Itsukushima Shrine to see its iconic "floating" Torii gate on the Seto Inland Sea.
• Distinguished guest speaker Jim Laurie, former NBC News Tokyo bureau chief.
• Seven UNESCO World Heritage sites:Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto; Shirakawa-go; Town of Hagi; Hiroshima Peace Memorial; Itsukushima Shinto Shrine in Japan; Bulguksa Temple and Gyeongju Historic Areas in South Korea.
• Tokyo Pre-Tour Extension and Osaka Post‑Tour Extension.
Depart for Osaka, Japan. Please check your bags from your gateway city to your arrival city.

Arrive at Kansai International Airport or Osaka Itami International Airport. Transfer to the Kyoto Hotel Okura.

Your first evening in Kyoto is at leisure to explore on your own. Enjoy a walk through the city that is the cultural heart of Japan. Your hotel is ideally located near many restaurants, shops and other attractions. Stop by the Gohagan Hospitality Desk for suggestions and inspiration.

Visit the iconic temples of Ryoan-ji and Kinkaku-ji this morning. Ryoan-ji is a Zen Buddhist temple with a world-famous rock garden. Continue to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion. The top two stories of this stunning Zen temple are covered in gold leaf.  These two temples, along with the temples you will visit tomorrow, are on the UNESCO World Heritage list as part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto.

This afternoon, stroll the paths of the Bamboo Forest, an iconic, serene natural wonder that draws visitors with its peaceful, otherworldly atmosphere. Tall green bamboo stalks grow into a dense overhead canopy that sways gently and rustles in the breeze. Take a deep breath in this Edenic oasis in the midst of the city.

Alternately, you may choose to explore Kyoto on your own. Take a stroll through Nishiki Market, home to some 130 vendors. Kyoto residents have been shopping at this illustrious market for four centuries. Not only can you find fresh fish, tsukemono (the pickles that accompany nearly every Japanese meal), sake, seasonings and other foods and condiments, but there are shops that specialize in chopsticks, cookware, pottery, hand fans and more. There also are several restaurants, where you can enjoy the traditional flavors of Kyoto. Stop by the Gohagan Travel Hospitality Desk for sightseeing and dining suggestions.

Tonight, join your fellow passengers for a Welcome Reception, followed by dinner on your own.

First built 14 years before Kyoto was selected in 794 as the capital of Japan, Kiyomizu-dera looks over the city from its perch on the eastern hills. Many people gather on the temple’s large terrace, noted for being built without any nails, to gaze at the delicate cherry blossoms in the spring and colorful maple leaves in the autumn. After touring the temple, take a walk through the surrounding charming neighborhood, where the streets are lined with traditional shops and restaurants.

Visit Nijo-jo, a castle built by Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first ruler of the Tokugawa shogunate, in 1603. One of the distinguishing features of the castle are its nightingale floors, which squeak when walked upon. This served as an alarm system to alert the occupants of intruders. The castle is regarded as a top example of samurai residential architecture.

 

 

Take a private tour of Kanazawa and its main highlights. Visit two fascinating districts of the city. Higashi Chaya is an area known for its teahouses where geishas entertain with song and dance performances (Chaya means teahouse). The Nagamachi Samurai district is located outside Kanazawa Castle and traditionally housed the samurais. Notice the distinctive narrow lanes with private gates, earthen walls and canals that characterize this neighborhood. Finally, stroll through the beautiful Kenrokuen Garden, one of Japan’s top three landscape gardens. The grounds were formerly the outer garden of the Kanazawa Castle and took two centuries to create. Look for the beautiful cherry blossoms on the grounds. We’ll have lunch today while touring Kanazawa.

Transfer to the Heritage Adventurer for embarkation. Shortly after, gather for a welcome briefing and a safety drill.

Dinner tonight, and every night of the cruise, onboard the ship.

 

Nestled in a remote valley and flanked by the mountains of Gifu, Shirakawa-go is an isolated settlement. This UNESCO World Heritage site is famous for its traditional farmhouses, some dating back 250 years. The heavily forested region receives considerable snowfall in the winter, and the farmhouses need roofs that will easily shed the high volume of snow. Their distinctive architectural style, developed over many generations, boasts steep, thatched roofs, made without nails. The steeply pitched roofs shed the snow, and as an added bonus, they provide a large attic space used for cultivating silkworms.

Make your own plans for lunch before returning to the ship.

Tonight, join your fellow passengers for a Captain’s Welcome Reception, followed by dinner.

Visit the Adachi Museum, which has a large collection of 20th-century art and a garden that has been selected as the best garden in Japan each year since 2003 by the Journal of Japanese Gardening. Stop at the village of Matsue for an opportunity to see Matsue-jo, one of Japan’s 12 original castles that has not been damaged or destroyed and rebuilt, and its moat. It is often called the “black castle” because of its dark-tiled roof and predominantly dark exterior.
Explore Hagi, a well-preserved castle town that maintained its feudal ambience despite the industrial revolution ushered in by the Meiji Restoration, the period of Westernization in the second half of the 18th century. For this reason, the town is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Visit Toko-ji, a complex of Zen Buddhist temples. The forested compound features beautiful wooden temples and a cemetery with the graves of half of the daimyo (lords) of the Mori feudal clan, who ruled this region (the present-day Yamaguchi Prefecture) from Hagi. The Mori daimyo were among the most powerful in Japan. Continue to Kikuyake, the home of a wealthy merchant family. During a tour of the home and the grounds, learn about the history of the Kikuya family and admire the details of a patrician home. The excursion also includes a visit to the Hagi Uragami Museum, which has an impressive collection of woodblock prints by master artists Hokusai and Hiroshige. 

Spend the day getting acquainted with the ancient capital of Gyeongju, seat of the Silla Dynasty for nearly 900 years. The Gyeongju Historic Areas—comprised of pagodas, sculptures, tumuli and ruins of temples and palaces—are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. During your excursion, visit Bulguksa Temple, another UNESCO-inscribed site, which is the center of Korea’s Buddhist culture. Admire the wooden buildings sitting on stone terraces. The temple’s design is considered a masterpiece not only of Korean Buddhist architecture, but also of secular architecture.

Tour the Gyeongju National Museum, boasting many precious archaeological artifacts, including gold jewelry, pottery, art and more. Stop for lunch, where you’ll enjoy a performance of traditional music and dance. The tour concludes at Tumuli Park, part of the Gyeongju Historic Areas, and home to nearly two dozen royal tumuli, or burial mounds. Visit a fifth-century tomb, named Cheonmachong (Heavenly Horse) Tomb after a leather ceremonial saddle found during the tomb’s excavation, and see many of the artifacts that were found inside.

Visit Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park and learn about the events of August 6, 1945, when the United States dropped an atomic bomb during World War II. See the iconic domed Peace Memorial—the only building that withstood the blast— now a UNESCO World Heritage site. Tour the Peace Memorial Museum to learn more about the human toll caused by the events of that day. Today’s visit will include a talk with the family member of a Hiroshima survivor.
Take a walking excursion to one of Japan’s most iconic sites, the Itsukushima Shrine. The famous imposing, vermilion Torii gate rises 48 feet above the surface of the Seto Inland Sea. Tour this UNESCO-listed shrine, which was built in 593 B.C. to honor Empress Suiko in the first year of her reign.

Stroll through a charming 17th-century neighborhood in the city of Kurashiki. The Bikan District is the old merchant quarter, where white-walled homes, shops and storehouses preserve the ambiance of the affluent years of an important trading port on the Kurashiki River.

Return to the ship for lunch.

Visit the tranquil Koraku-en garden in the heart of Okayama. Built over several years beginning in the late 1600s, the garden was a retreat for the daimyo, the feudal lords. Vast lawns surround ponds and small pools of water. Admire the various pavilions and buildings interspersed around the garden. This garden is iconic and recognized throughout Japan as one of the top three parks in the country. It is located just beside Okayama Castle, which can be seen from the garden as “borrowed scenery.”

Join your fellow passengers for a Farewell Reception and Dinner, and raise a glass to your amazing adventure!

The ship arrives in Osaka this morning. Following breakfast, disembark and depart for Kansai International Airport or Osaka Itami International Airport for your return flight home.

Dates & Rates

Top
All rates are in U.S. dollars, per person, based on double occupancy, including taxes.

Port taxes in the amount of $350 per person are included in the prices listed below. Deck plans available upon request.

View Terms and Conditions here

*The Discount Rate is no longer available. However, if you book 120 days before departure and pay in full at the time of booking, you can still save $500 per person.
Select Travel Date
Select Occupancy
Category Description Standard
Rate
Discount
Rate

Stateroom

Porthole windows (do not open). 236 sq. ft. Deck 3.

$9,245 $11,469 NA NA

Superior lll

Panoramic window (does not open). 236 sq. ft. Deck 4.

$10,245 $12,719 NA NA

Superior ll

Panoramic window (does not open). 236 sq. ft. Deck 5.

$11,845 $23,340 NA NA

Superior l

Panoramic window (does not open). 236 sq. ft. Deck 6. (Limited Availabilty.)

$13,445 $26,540 NA NA

Heritage Suite

Luxury accommodations including sitting area. Panoramic window (does not open). 473 sq. ft. Deck 6. (Limited Availabilty.)

$17,845 $35,340 NA NA

Stateroom Single

Solo Traveler Offer!
Porthole windows (do not open). 236 sq. ft. Deck 3.

N/A $11,595 N/A NA
Heritage Adventurer
Heritage Adventurer Deck Plan

Pre / Post - Program

Top

Tokyo Pre-Tour Extension

Pass through Tokyo’s Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) to visit the seventh-century Senso-ji Temple. Tour the Tokyo National Museum, one of the largest art museums in the world. Enjoy a full‑day excursion to Hakone, home to majestic Mount Fuji, or an in-depth exploration of Old and New Tokyo. Wrap up with a journey aboard the memorably high‑speed Shinkansen, or bullet train.

The Optional Extensions are available at additional cost. Details will be provided with your reservation confirmation.
Tokyo - Sensoji-ji, Temple in Asakusa, Japan

Osaka Post-Tour Extension

This vibrant, bustling port city is the second largest in Japan. Visit the Osaka History Museum, with its fascinating exhibits and lovely views of Osaka Castle. Enjoy an excursion to the tranquil city of Nara. Visit the iconic Horyu‑ji, one of the world’s oldest wooden structures, and Todai-ji, with its imposing 50-foot bronze Buddha.

The Optional Extensions are available at additional cost. Details will be provided with your reservation confirmation.

Japan_Nara_Horyu-JiTemple

Guest Speaker

Top

Jim Laurie

A distinguished international writer and broadcaster who has witnessed defining moments in Asia’s history for more than 50 years, Jim Laurie first visited Japan as a young reporter in 1970 before embarking as a war correspondent in Indochina. He served as ABC News bureau chief in Tokyo in the late 1980s. Laurie’s Emmy Award-winning documentary film, “Myths Behind the Miracle,” examined Japan’s economic success in the late 20th century and some of the social reasons that it could not be sustained.

Jim Laurie

Accommodations

Top

Heritage Adventurer

Expedition Small Ship

Built for adventure in 1991 at Finland’s Rauma shipyard and specifically designed for polar exploration, Heritage Adventurer boasts an impressive history of polar and remote region exploration. Originally designed to accommodate 184 guests, we now welcome only 140 expeditioners on board, to create a spacious, comfortable experience with exceptional, personalized service synonymous with the Heritage company name. 

Learn more about the Heritage Adventurer >

Heritage Adventurer Exterior
Heritage Adventurer Interior
Heritage Adventurer Observation Lounge
Heritage Adventurer Poolside
Heritage Adventurer Exterior
Heritage Adventurer Interior
Heritage Adventurer Observation Lounge
Heritage Adventurer Poolside

Request Reservation

Top

Would you like us to contact you about this program?

Our Passenger Care Team is standing by to assist with your travel plans. Just fill out this form and someone will contact you directly to make your reservation and confirm your spot. We are here to streamline all the details for you so you can just relax and start packing for your next adventure. Start planning today with no obligation and no hassle.

Selected Program: Inland Sea of Japan & South Korea

"*" indicates required fields

Please tell us the Program you are looking to reserve.
Please tell us the program's departure date you are looking to reserve.
Please indicate your primary cabin category or room category preference.
Please let us know which college/university alumni association or other organization you are looking to travel with on this program.
First Name*
Please enter the first name of the guest that would like to make a booking.
Last Name*
Please enter the last name of the guest that would like to make a booking.
Email Address*
Please enter and email address that we can contact you.
Please enter and phone number that we can contact you (###) ###-####.
Please provide us with any additional information you would like to provide us to help make your reservation. For example: "Please add the Pre- and/or Post Tour option to my booking".
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
Reservations / Contact Us