34-night Isles Of South Japan, Pacific Passage & Glacier Bay Cruise

Yokohama is located on the southern part of Honshu Island, on the western shore of Tokyo Bay, and is our gateway to Tokyo. It has excellent harbour facilities and is one of the leading ports industrial centres of Japan. There are numerous shrines, temples, and Christian churches and a number of beautiful parks. A small fishing village in 1854, Yokohama was almost totally destroyed in 1923 by an earthquake. Gradually reconstructed the city is now among the most modern in Japan. It was heavily bombed in 1945, during World War II.

Situated off the coast of Kagoshima, this picturesque island is blessed with a subtropical climate, beaches with "star sand," and an abundance of flora and fauna. But there is more to this island than just its scenic beauty. Amami Oshima has inspired an arts and crafts culture that is as rich as its heritage. The cultural center at Amami Park is usually one of the first places visitors come to, as it contains the Museum of Amami where you can find detailed information about local customs, traditional culture, and the history of the Amami Islands. Another popular site is the Tanaka Isson Memorial Museum, which celebrates this famed Japanese painter's career and his ties to the island. Other artistic endeavors woven into the culture include the richly dyed tsumugi textiles, which date back more than 1,300 years. These fabrics are famous for being used to make high-quality kimonos. Music is a large part of the island's identity and it is known for its shimauta (island songs), accompanied by the sanshin, a three-stringed musical instrument. A mouthwatering variety of tropical foods can be found in the restaurants and local markets, particularly the passion fruit and mango, cultivated in the warm southern climate, are exceptionally delicious.

Naha is the port for Okinawa Island lying southwest of the main Japanese islands. Landmarks in the city include the Commodore Perry Memorial, the 16th-century Sogen-ji Ishimon Gates and Tsuboya pottery quarter. Explore Shuri the 500 year old former capital that contains various shrines, temples and ceremonial gates including the famous Shurei Gate. The island, tropical and encircled by coral reefs, also houses Japan's largest sub tropical park (Okinawa Memorial Park) that includes an Aquarium, Museum and amusement park. It is also possible to visit the Okinawa Battle Sites and a number of war memorials recording the American victory in 1945.

Keelung is situated along East China Sea on Taiwan's northeast tip and has been an important Taiwanese seaport. It is gateway to the island's most magnificent coastal scenery and a convenient location to begin a journey overland to Taipei.

Keelung is situated along East China Sea on Taiwan's northeast tip and has been an important Taiwanese seaport. It is gateway to the island's most magnificent coastal scenery and a convenient location to begin a journey overland to Taipei.

Ishigaki Island is the main island of the Yaeyama Islands. The island offers visitors calm beaches, snorkeling, and diving in the surrounding coral reefs.  Visitors can also explore the jungle like scenery around the rivers by taking a river kayak tour. At Tamatorizaki Observation point the platform offers lovely views of the cape.  Ishigaki also has the highest mountain in the region, which afford visitors great hiking trails throughout the island's hilly interior.

One of Japan's most historic cities, Nagasaki was a major port, trading with the Portuguese and Dutch in the 16th century. You can still see this colonial legacy in the brick buildings, old forts, canals and curving cobblestone streets. On a hill overlooking the bay, beautiful Glover Mansion, the setting of Madame Butterfly, is typical of the fine homes built by wealthy foreign residents. But Nagasaki's ties with Korea and China are equally apparent in the famous Chinese temple, a large Chinese colony and the numerous fine Korean and Chinese restaurants.

Kagoshima, a seaport on Kyushu Island, Japan, is sheltered within Kagoshima Bay and is the commercial and cultural center of southern Kyushu. Products manufactured here include a famous type of earthenware known as Satsumaware. Sights of interest include the Iso Garden and the local Theatre.

Shimizu is located on the northwest coast of Suruga Bay on the island of Honshu. Protected by a sandspit, it is a major commercial port and fishing centre. Places of scenic and historic interest include the Pine Groves of Miho, the Ryuge Temple, containing a fern palm believed to be more than 1,000 years old, and the nearby Nippon-Daira plateau.

Yokohama is located on the southern part of Honshu Island, on the western shore of Tokyo Bay, and is our gateway to Tokyo. It has excellent harbour facilities and is one of the leading ports industrial centres of Japan. There are numerous shrines, temples, and Christian churches and a number of beautiful parks. A small fishing village in 1854, Yokohama was almost totally destroyed in 1923 by an earthquake. Gradually reconstructed the city is now among the most modern in Japan. It was heavily bombed in 1945, during World War II.

This island has an excellent reputation for its beauty. Miyako is the main island among a chain of eight islands, with its main city located in Hirara.  Visitors will enjoy the coral sand beaches, and emerald green sea, perfect for swimming. The island also has a beautiful coastline fringed with the coral reefs.  The scale of coral reefs far outshines others. Travellers will also enjoy visiting the many historical sites symbolizing the life of the island.

The fan shaped city Hakodate was once an island but now straddles a sandbar linking it to the mainland. Sites worth visiting include Mount Hakodate (cable car), the Old Public Hall, the Russian Orthodox Church and Goryokaku Fort. Nearby is the Onuma Quasi-National Park and Mount Komagatake.

Kushiro offers visitors a variety of attractions to enjoy including the Fisherman's Wharf MOO. It's unique architecture and location make it a perfect place for photos. The complex also houses many restaurants and excellent shopping. Kushiro also has one of the largest zoo's in Japan, a Wetland, and Marsh Observatory with luscious walking trails.

Travel across the International Dateline and step forward or backward in time one day.

Dutch Harbour is a port in the Aleutian Islands. Geologically, the archipelago is a continuation of the Aleutian Range, which is on the Alaskan mainland, and contains a number of volcanic peaks. Few trees, all of stunted growth, are found, but grasses grow in abundance. Although a few good harbours are found in the archipelago, navigation is dangerous because of almost perpetual fog and numerous reefs.

Kodiak, home to Alaska's largest fishing fleet, offers a taste of Alaska's Russian heritage. Visit Russian Orthodox Church, and the Baranof Museum (located in Alaska's oldest wooden structure, a historic fur storehouse). Over 200 species of birds have been recorded in the Kodiak Archipelago, and bird watching is a main attraction. Special wildlife viewing is found at Miller Point within Ft. Abercrombie State Historic Park. During the early summer, gray, humpback, and minke whales can be spotted as they migrate through nearby Whale Passage. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge was established to protect the habitat of the brown bear. Kodiak is home to extensive fishing, hunting and photographic opportunities.

Spread across an impressive 3.2 million acres in southeast Alaska, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve offers an inspirational glimpse of what Mother Nature does best. The head of Glacier Bay is Tarr Inlet, where scientists have found exposed rock believed to be more than 200 million years old. The Tarr Inlet is home to Grand Pacific Glacier, an active body of ice slowly making way toward Margerie Glacier, which it last touched in 1912. Johns Hopkins Inlet is home to no less than nine glaciers. Framed by rocky slopes stretching skyward more than 6,000 feet, these wondrous bodies are eclipsed only by mighty Mount Fairweather, which at more than 15,300 feet is the highest point in southeast Alaska. In northeast Glacier Bay, the snow-covered Takhinsha Mountains feed active Muir Glacier. The brilliant blue glow of a calving glacier and the thunderous roar of ice crashing into the water below are sights and sounds to remember for the rest of your life. With such diverse landscape, the park provides a variety of habitats for animals.

Resting between snowcapped mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Sitka is one of the most beautiful seaside towns in Alaska and the biggest city in America - encircling 4,710 square miles on Baranof Island. No symbol shows Russian influence more than the landmark St. Michael's Cathedral. Original artifacts and icons, including the Sitka Madonna, were saved from fire and are on display. Visit Castle Hill, once site of a two-story log mansion known as Baranof's Castle, which overlooked Sitka Sound during the town's fur trading days. Only stone walls and mounted cannons remain from Russia's bloody battles against native Tlingit. Sitka National Historical Park offers information and artifacts relating to the Tlingits, including totem poles as a chronicle of early life on this fertile ground. Alaska Raptor Rehabilitation Center cares for as many as a dozen bald eagles and other birds at a time. The facility caters to rare wildlife recovering from injuries incurred in the wild. Among the more popular trails is Indian River Trail, which parallels a salmon stream, and the three-mile-long Gaven Hill Trail.

Ketchikan is known as "Alaska's First City" because it's the first major community travelers come to as they travel north. The city is built on steep hillsides and is billed as salmon capital of the world. A quaint village, the town is three miles long and three blocks wide. With fishing boats sailing in and float planes ascending from the water, this seaside town is bustling with activity. With the world's largest collection of totem poles, Totem Bight State Historical Park offers insight into various native cultures of the Pacific Northwest. These wood-carved creations tell colorful, intricate tales – often showing a family history or depicting a local legend. Ketchikan has many options for adventure of relaxation, including mountain bike tours, sea kayaking, seaplane riding, or strolling down the boardwalk of Creek Street, Ketchikan's most famous section with a historic cable car and quaint boutiques. Blessed with an abundance of hiking trails, Ketchikan offers many breathtaking vistas, including the panoramic, 360-degree view from the top of Deer Mountain.

Imagine being confronted with a myriad of mysterious channels. Following each fjord to the interior, encounter massive mountain ranges, towering cliffs, tumbling waterfalls, virginal forests of two-hundred foot tall spruce, while whales, bears, seals, salmon, eagles and other wildlife. Always they were stopped by an inevitable face of ice - glaciers pushing inexorably downward to meet the sea. What must have been a mapmaker's nightmare is today cherished as the continent's last great untouched wilderness, harbouring the world's largest temperate rain forest. An Eden of the North to captivate the every modern-day explorer. The string of islands of the Inside Passage create a protective barrier to the open sea running from the Washington State/Canadian border and the bottom of Vancouver Island all the way up to the top of Chichagof Island, where the Gulf of Alaska begins its curve westward, offering a supremely serene cruising environment in some of the most dramatic surroundings on earth.

Seymour Narrows is as a segment of the Discovery Passage in British Columbia.  This section is well known for its strong tidal currents which can reach a velocity of up to 15 kn. The Seymour Narrows is well known for the infamous Ripple Rock, which was removed by an explosion back in 1958, and is known to Canada as being one of the countries National Historic Events.

Nanaimo is located on central Vancouver Island. Having something for everyone, activities in and around the city include diving, hiking, biking and kayaking to shopping, golfing and visiting local galleries.

Vancouver is a thriving metropolis surrounded by natural beauty. With parks, beaches, gardens, museums, art galleries and the second-largest Chinatown in North America, Vancouver lives up to its promise of offering something for everyone. With modern buildings set against green, rolling hillsides, this city is breathtaking; no location offers a more spectacular view than Stanley Park - with a zoo, aquarium, totem poles and honking geese. A short walk from the park leads to Robson Street, which offers the town's best window-shopping. Stores with European flavor share the avenue with delicatessens and tea rooms ready to serve. As architectural heart of the city, Robson Square features a central plaza with a food fair and an old provincial courthouse, which now houses Vancouver Art Gallery. Be sure to stop at 8 Pender St. - "the narrowest building in the world." Other points of interest include the Museum of Anthropology; Japanese-style Nitobe Memorial Garden; and VanDusen Botanical Garden. Capilano Canyon is site of the world's longest and highest suspension footbridge.