Ship: Odyssey (ZE)
Itinerary: Treasures of Japan with a day in Gyeongju, Korea
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Miyajima Island Shrine at sunset
cabins & deck plans | additional itineraries | cancellation policy | Testimonials
| Day 1 : | Arrive Osaka, Honshu, Japan / Kyoto |
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| Day 2 : | Kyoto |
| Day 3 : | Kyoto / Kobe / Embark Clipper Odyssey |
| Day 4 : | Okayama (Uno-Ko) / Kurashiki |
| Day 5 : | Hiroshima / Miyajima |
| Day 6 : | Hagi |
| Day 7 : | Tsushima Islands / Pusan, South Korea |
| Day 8 : | Gyeongju |
| Day 9 : | Matsue, Honshu, Japan |
| Day 10 : | Kanazawa |
| Day 11 : | Sado Island / Niigata |
| Day 12 : | Niigata / Disembark Clipper Odyssey / Tokyo |
| Click for full itinerary |
| Days | Dates | Deck + Cabin Type | ||||||
| Category 1/ A-Deck | Category 2/ Main | Category 3/ Main | Category 4/ Lido | Category 5/ Bridge | Category 6/ Balcony Suite | Owners Suite | ||
| 12 | Apr 22, 2010 | $10,280 | $10,780 | $11,180 | $11,680 | $12,180 | $12,680 | $14,380 |
| Destinations : Asia, Japan, South Korea Activities : Cultural Activities, History, Nature Viewing, Photography |
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- All rates are quoted in USD and are based on double occupancy. Single rates may be available at 1.7 times the share rate.
Discover the incomparable treasures of Japan as you cruise the Inland Sea, exploring the cultural highlights, natural attractions, and dramatic coastlines of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu Islands. From imposing castles and timeless villages to a moving exploration tour of Hiroshima, from elegant court dancers and sacred Shinto shrines to exquisite formal gardens, your voyage presents an intricate tapestry of Japanese riches. In addition, enjoy a full day excursion to Kyongju, Korea, a World Heritage Site encompassing hundreds of excavated monuments, temples, tombs, and pagodas.
Day 1 : Arrive Osaka, Honshu, Japan / Kyoto
Cross the International Dateline and arrive in Osaka. Transfer to your hotel in Kyoto.
Day 2 : Kyoto
After breakfast enjoy a morning tour of Japan’s lovely cultural capital, Kyoto. Founded in the 8th century, Kyoto was the Emperor’s residence for more than one thousand years. Today, its historic shrines, monuments, art, and architectural landmarks represent nearly 20 percent of Japan’s national treasures. Among the tour highlights is a walk through the serene Sagano Bamboo Grove. Visit the Heian-jingu Shrine and its gardens, built in 1895 to commemorate the 1100th anniversary of the founding of Kyoto; the 12th-century Sanjusangen-do Temple, housing the Thousand-Armed Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy; and the exquisite Kiyomizu-dera Temple with its sacred waterfall. After lunch in the city return to your hotel with the remainder of the afternoon at leisure. Meet your expedition team tonight during an orientation dinner. Overnight at your hotel.
Day 3 : Kyoto / Kobe / Embark Clipper Odyssey
Depart Kyoto this morning on board one of Japan’s famed shinkansen, bullet train, for the trip to Kobe. Back-dropped by the Rokko Mountains, this important port city has been entirely rebuilt since the 1995 earthquake and international trade and commerce continue, as they have for centuries. Board motorcoaches for a drive to the spectacular city overlook on the verdant slopes of Mount Rokko. In town visit the Kobe City Museum where exhibits focus on international cultural exchange between East and West. Later this afternoon embark the Clipper Odyssey and set sail this evening into the fabled Inland Sea.
Day 4 : Okayama (Uno-Ko) / Kurashiki
Disembark this morning in Okayama Uno-Ko and drive to the nearby town of Kurashiki, first established as an administrative center for the Shogunate in the early 17th century. The village evolved into a regional commercial center for rice, sake, and cotton and its name translates from kura, “warehouse” and shiki, “village.” Today the old village is a historic jewel, its black-tiled warehouses fronting a willow-lined canal which is criss-crossed with old stone bridges. The O’Hara Museum, whose collections were started by a local textile magnate, houses works by Cezanne, Monet, Degas, Picasso, Matisse, and other Impressionists. Return to Uno-Ko and enjoy a walk through one of Japan’s most beautiful gardens, Koraku-en, a 17th-century formal garden encompassing 28 acres of walking trails, ponds, plum and cherry trees, and a classic teahouse. This afternoon reboard the ship and sail for Hiroshima.
Day 5 : Hiroshima / Miyajima
This morning arrive in Hiroshima to visit the compelling Peace Memorial Park located in the heart of the city. A World Heritage Site, the park and its monuments are dedicated to the hope for world peace; an arch-shaped cenotaph includes the names of all the known victims of the atomic bomb. Return to the ship for lunch and make your way to Miyajima.
Considered one of Japan’s scenic wonders, Miyajima, “shrine island,” offers a superb vista of the scarlet Torii, a giant camphor wood gate at the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine and a sacred site of pilgrimage. At high tide it appears to float in the surrounding waters. We go ashore to explore the World Heritage Site shrine, sacred both to Shintoism and Buddhism. Founded in the 6th century and dedicated to three sea goddesses, the temple complex is connected by bridges and walkways.
Day 6 : Hagi
Disembark in Hagi this morning, on the western tip of Honshu, to visit this exquisite medieval samurai town which served as the capital of the local daimyo, feudal lords, between 1603 and 1868. A castle, perfectly preserved 17th-century wooden samurai houses, a network of small canals teeming with koi, and famous working pottery kilns combine to present a look back into quintessential Japan.
Day 7 : Tsushima Islands / Pusan, South Korea
Today enjoy an expedition stop — Japanese-style. The island of Tsushima, renowned for its rugged beauty, was blasted apart in 1896 by the Japanese navy to create a ship canal. Today, an 80-meter arched bridge connects the two island segments.
Conditions permitting, board Zodiacs to visit some of the small towns and sites here. On the northern island, Kami, we visit Watazumi Jiniya, built in A.D. 895 as a shrine to the god of the sea. The Mt. Eboshi Observatory offers beautiful views of the coast and Aso-wan Bay. In the afternoon sail for Korea, arriving in Pusan in the late evening. An overnight in port allows for an early start to Kyongju in the morning.
Day 8 : Gyeongju
Disembark for your full-day excursion to magnificent Gyeongju, considered by UNESCO as one of the world’s ten most historically significant sites, and often described as a “museum without walls.” As the ancient capital of the Shilla Dynasty, Gyeongju’s cultural heritage dates back to the first millennium when the dynasty began its rule of Korea after conquering and uniting divergent monarchies. The cultural flowering of Gyeongju reached its artistic pinnacle in the 8th century as craftsmen created masterpieces in wood, metal, stone, and pottery.
Today, stroll among some of the hundreds of excavated monuments, temples, tombs, and pagodas, and listen as a cultural historian provides enlightening discussions of the social, political, and cultural impact of the brilliant Shilla dynasty. You will have time to explore the National Museum with its exceptional collection of finely worked gold jewelry, metal weapons, and distinctive pottery. At lunch sample Korean delicacies and enjoy a cultural performance of traditional dance.
Day 9 : Matsue, Honshu, Japan
The San-In coastline along the north shore of Honshu offers splendid views of craggy rock faces and rugged shores sculpted by waves. Cruise inland to explore this very traditional region set in the stunning natural landscape of the Izumu Plain— serene lakes, clear rivers, and a backdrop of high mountains. Matsue, the “town of water,” nestles between a scenic lake and a large lagoon. Here you may choose to visit the cultural attractions of the town which include the Matsue Castle and a 250-year-old samurai house complete with tatami rooms, or explore the richly varied countryside.
Day 10 : Kanazawa
Kanazawa is a thriving center of the arts, long renowned for its lacquerware, superb collectible Kutani-style pottery, gold-leaf workmanship, delicate hand-painted kimono silks, and Noh theater dramas. The narrow and winding cobblestone streets have a quaint photogenic charm—around each bend is a traditional house, museum, art gallery, crafts shop, historic samurai residence, or even a geisha house to explore. And the fascinating open-air market displays a vast variety of items from flowers to fish to local handicrafts.
Next to the Kanazawa Castle ruins is one of Japan’s premier botanical highlights—the famed Kenroku-en Garden. Sophisticated, centuries-old designs create an artful aura of seclusion and contemplation. A serene teahouse perches on a small peninsula in the middle of a pond, while carved stone lanterns line the footpaths. Kanazawa’s ponds have their own residents—spot-billed ducks, gray herons, and other waterfowl, while along the ocean shore, birders may spot grebes, eastern reef herons, and ancient murrelets.
Day 11 : Sado Island / Niigata
Well off the beaten path of most travelers, Sado Island possesses both the pastoral charm of verdant rice paddies and bamboo groves, and the dramatic beauty of surf-pounded seacoasts. Go ashore on the western side of Japan’s fifth largest island and traverse the island via a scenic skyline drive, passing tiny fishing villages, temples, and shrines, to Sado, once the home of political exiles—deposed emperors, Buddhist priests, and intellectuals who were condemned to live in this isolated setting of great natural beauty. Along the way visit a sake brewery to learn about the venerable process, then explore the Sado Kinzan Gold Mine in Aikawa which operated for 400 years, closing down only about 12 years ago. Arrive in the town of Ryotsu where you board ship and sail for Niigata to overnight pierside.
Day 12 : Niigata / Disembark Clipper Odyssey / Tokyo
After breakfast disembark the ship and transfer to a bullet train headed for Tokyo. On arrival, transfer to the airport where you will board your independent flight home.
Ship Description: Odyssey (ZE)
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Odyssey
The Odyssey was built in 1989 in Tsu, Japan, by Japanese craftsmen to the design of a master Dutch yacht designer, Studio Acht, and is eminently suited for the year-round itineraries in the Pacific. These range from as far south as New Zealand and Australia's Great Barrier Reef, to as far north as Japan, the Kuril Islands, and the Russian Far East, including the Kamchatka Peninsula.
The Odyssey measures 340 feet long, 51 feet wide, and has a draft of 14 feet. Staterooms are all outside and average a generous 186 square feet in size, and are furnished with either twin or queen-size beds and a sitting area with a sofa. Each cabin features a spacious bathroom with tub baths and shower, individually controlled air-conditioning, in-room music system, ample wardrobe space, three-sided mirrors, personal safe, refrigerator, and television.
A fleet of Zodiac landing craft can be launched in minutes to take passengers ashore in places where no infrastructure exists. The vessel is equipped with state-of-the-art satellite navigation and communication equipment including telephone, fax, and email.
An outdoor swimming pool, dedicated jogging track, and two sun decks offer ample opportunities for outdoor recreation. Inside, the spacious public areas of the ship include two lounges, a small library, and a single seating dining room.
An experienced cruise staff, physician, and onboard lecturers accompany all voyages to enhance the passengers’ enjoyment of the places visited.
All meals are prepared to order on board. The ship's chefs, graduates of the finest American culinary schools, combine the highest quality American ingredients with the influences and spices of the places the Odyssey visits. The resulting "fusion cuisine" provides a taste of the destinations visited.
Category 1/ A-DeckA Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area, portholes. Approx. 185 sqft |
Category 2/ MainForward Main Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area and a window. Approx. 175 sqft |
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Category 3/ Main Main Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area and a window. Approx. 175 sqft |
Category 4/ Lido Lido Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area and a window. Approx. 175 sqft |
Category 5/ BridgeBridge Deck, Outside Double Cabin with sitting area and a window. Approx. 230 sqft |
Category 6/ Balcony SuiteBridge Deck, Outside Suite with private veranda. Approx. 230 sqft |
Owners SuiteBridge Deck, Outside Suite with separate bedroom and private veranda. Approx. 310 sqft |
