GRAND JAPAN FROM END TO END & SOUTH KOREA ABOARD NORWEGIAN JADE with Qatar Airlines, 14 Nights

We meet our guide at Istanbul New Airport 4 hours before departure. After completing check-in, we fly to Doha for our connecting flight.

Early in the day, we take our flight to Incheon, South Korea. Upon arrival, we transfer to the hotel.

We transfer from the hotel to the ship. Guests who wish may join the optional Seoul City Tour organized by our guide at an additional cost. Sights on our tour include Gyeongbokgung Palace, built in 1395 by King Taejo, the founder of the Jaseon Dynasty; Insa Dong Street in the heart of the city; and Myeong-Dong Street, home to many luxury brands.

After breakfast on board, guests who wish may join the “Yakcheonsa Temple & Yeomiji Botanical Gardens & Cheonjeyeon Waterfall” tour. On this beautiful day, we will explore South Korea’s Jeju Island—one of the most exciting days of our tour! Our adventure begins with a scenic drive to the Jungmun resort area on Jeju Island for a day filled with dazzling colors and delightful experiences. We visit Yeomiji Botanical Garden, the largest botanical garden in Asia. Here, you will discover a three-decare glass greenhouse centered around a 38-meter observation tower. Breathtaking displays feature more than 2.000 varieties of exotic plants and flowers, alongside 24 decares of themed outdoor gardens. We then head to Cheonjiyeon to photograph its dazzling three-tiered waterfall and bright red bridge, carved with seven maidens representing a local legend. We embark on a spiritual journey at Yakcheonsa Temple, Asia’s largest Buddhist temple, majestically built in the style of the early Joseon Dynasty. After our temple visit, we have free time to shop for souvenirs at the colorful Maeil Olle Market. At the end of the tour, we return to our ship.

After breakfast on board, guests who wish may join the optional Nagasaki City Tour organized by our guide at an additional cost. We begin our tour by heading to Peace Memorial Park. Here, we take in views of the distinctive Megami Ohashi Bridge, the city and the Mistubishi shipyard. Peace Memorial Park is located near Ground Zero of the explosion on 9 August 1945. The Atomic Bomb Museum documents the events leading up to the bombing and the bombing itself. Walk to the Atomic Bomb Hypocenter, a black monolith marking Ground Zero. We visit the reconstructed Urakami Cathedral and the one-legged Torii gate. From here, we continue to Dejima Island and visit the Dejima Museum, which explains how the unique Japanese-Dutch trading system operated for two centuries. We walk to Glover Garden in the Foreign Settlement area, home to seven historic buildings, including Japan’s first Western-style wooden house.

After breakfast on board, guests who wish may join the optional “Kamikaze Museum & Sanganen Japanese Garden Tour” organized by their guide at an additional cost. Our first stop on this moving tour is the Chiran Peace Museum, which tells the story of the Kamikaze pilots and their aircraft during World War II. Knowing they were embarking on their final missions, these pilots faced death for their country without hesitation, while the Americans were unable to disclose information about them publicly until the end of the war. We then enjoy a walk through Senganen, considered one of the country’s finest traditional Japanese gardens, gaining a deeper appreciation of this beautiful art. We visit the residence within the garden, cherished by generations of the Shimadzu family. We enjoy the Japanese gardens and distinctive views of Kagoshima Bay and Sakurajima volcano. We learn about the lifestyle of Prince Shimadzu Tadayoshi and discover how the Shimadzu family welcomed distinguished guests from Japan and overseas at Sengan-en. Sengan-en and the Shoko Shuseikan Museum were inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 2015. Following free time on Kagoshima’s main street, our tour ends at the port.

After breakfast on board, guests who wish may join the optional Hiroshima City Tour organized by our guide at an additional cost. We begin by visiting Itsukushima Shrine, designated a World Heritage Site, National Treasure and Important Cultural Property. The shrine’s distinctive architecture, known as Shinden, is typical of aristocratic residences from the late Heian Period. The elegant red-lacquered shrine and its supporting buildings, connected by long corridors and cloisters, extend across a platform above the tidal flats. At high tide, the sixth-century Itsukushima Shrine and its picturesque red Torii gate appear to float on the water. We then return to Hiroshima to visit Peace Memorial Park and its museum. Here, we see the Atomic Bomb Dome, whose skeletal structure stands as a silent symbol of the destruction. We visit the Children’s Peace Monument, inspired by a girl who died of leukemia as a result of the atomic explosion. The park now receives approximately 10 million paper cranes each year in the name of world peace. During our visit, we see the colorful paper cranes hanging throughout the site. At the end of the tour, we return to our ship.

After breakfast on board, guests who wish may join the optional Kochi Castle & Kochi City Tour organized by our guide at an additional cost. Discover how Kochi became a center of pro-imperial ideology at the end of the feudal era as you explore two of the city’s most revered landmarks. We head from the pier to Kochi Castle. Built more than 400 years ago by feudal lord Yamanouchi Kazutoyo, the “donjon,” or main tower, rewards the climb to the top with renowned panoramic views across the city. Your tour takes you through the beautifully restored Tsumemon Gate, connecting the castle’s second enclosure to its inner sanctuary. No visit is complete without seeing the living quarters, or “honmaru,” which house local and historical treasures. After a walk through the castle grounds, you board your bus and head to beautiful Katsurahama Beach. Here stands a statue of Sakamoto Ryoma, one of Japan’s most beloved historical figures, credited with transforming feudal Japan into a modern, unified nation. At the end of the tour, we return to our ship.

After breakfast on board, guests who wish may join the optional Nijo Castle & Heian Shrine tour organized by our guide at an additional cost. We begin our Nijo Castle and Kyoto City Tour. Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Nijo Castle is the finest surviving example of castle architecture from Japan’s feudal era in the 17th century. Built almost entirely of cypress, its lavish interiors are decorated with gold leaf and intricate wood carvings. To protect the Shogun, the builders of Nijo Castle installed floors known as “nightingale floors”: if an intruder entered the corridors, the floors would squeak like birds. Some rooms in the castle also feature special doors and secret chambers where guards could hide. We then head to Heian, also known as the Shrine of Peace, considered one of Kyoto’s most important and visually impressive Shinto shrines. Dedicated to the spirits of the first and last emperors to rule from the city, its 82-foot torii gate was built in 1895 to commemorate Kyoto’s founding in 795. Although photography and filming are not permitted inside Nijo Castle (Ninomaru Palace) and Heian Shrine (Shinto Altar), your exterior visit to the Golden Pavilion offers many wonderful photo opportunities. Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a National Special Historic Site, the Pavilion is one of Japan’s most popular attractions. At the end of the tour, we return to our ship.

After breakfast on board, guests who wish depart for the optional “Nagoya City Tour” organized by our guide at an additional cost. Explore attractions that reveal how the region has changed over the centuries while learning about its cultural and historical heritage. Discover Nagoya Castle, destroyed during World War II and faithfully reconstructed, offering insights into 17th-century Japan, as well as Honmaru Palace. At the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology, learn about the development of textile, automotive and steam-engine technology, and explore the Shinto religion at Atsuba Shrine. After the tour and free time, we return to our ship.

After breakfast on board, guests who wish may join the optional Lake Ashi & Towns with Views of Mount Fuji Tour organized by our guide at an additional cost. Once our ship docks at Shimizu Port, we head to the enchanting Lake Ashi, approximately 1,5 hours away. Following a boat trip lasting around half an hour, we explore towns around Mount Fuji that offer an excellent introduction to traditional Japanese culture. As we listen to the legendary tales of these towns overlooking Japan’s famous Mount Fuji, we discover life beyond the major cities before returning to our ship.

After breakfast on board, we transfer to our hotel. Hotel check-in is at 15:00. Guests who wish may join the optional Kamakura Tour organized by our guide at an additional cost. With its temples and statues, this former seat of government in Japan invites you into an entirely different world. One of the renowned sites at the heart of the tour is Tsurugaoka Hachimangu Shrine—Kamakura’s most important Shinto shrine and a symbol of samurai culture. During your visit, you will experience history alongside the tranquility of nature. At the end of the tour, we transfer to our hotel.

After breakfast at our hotel, enjoy a full day of free time. Guests who wish may join the optional Tokyo City Tour organized by our guide at an additional cost. We begin in Ginza, one of the city’s most popular shopping districts, filled with luxury boutiques and first-class cocktail and sushi bars. As one of the world’s most luxurious shopping districts, Ginza welcomes countless visitors from across the globe. We then visit the Buddhist Asukasa Temple, also known as Sensoji Temple, considered one of Tokyo’s oldest and most colorful temples. Also called Santa-jama (Temple of the Three Gods), Asakusa is popular with both tourists and locals. It is one of the few temples in Tokyo to have survived the bombing raids during the final year of World War II, so its original structure remains intact. The temple also hosts the Santa Festival every May. According to legend, Asukasa Temple was built by 2 fisherman brothers to pay their respects to Kannon, the goddess of mercy. After visiting the temple, we see the shopping street known as Nakamise. We then continue our tour with a visit to Akihabara, one of Tokyo’s most internationally renowned neighborhoods. At the end of the tour, we transfer to our hotel. Overnight at our hotel.

After breakfast at our hotel, we transfer to the airport. Guests who wish may join the optional Tokyo Shopping Tour organized by our guide at an additional cost. We explore Tokyo’s largest shopping streets. On this tour, you can purchase a wide range of electronics at very reasonable prices, as well as clothing from brands such as Uniqlo that are not available in Türkiye. We meet at the time specified by our guide and transfer to the airport. We depart for Doha on Qatar Airways flight QR807, scheduled to take off at 21:55.

After our flight lands in Doha at 04:45, we wait for our Doha–Istanbul flight. Our flight from Doha to Istanbul departs at 07:45 on Qatar Airways flight QR239. We land at Istanbul New Airport at 12:20.