JAPAN PORTS AND CITIES
JAPAN PORTS AND CITIES
| Beppu | Fukuoka | Hiroshima | Iwo Jima | |
| Kagoshima | Muroran | Nagasaki | Nagoya | |
| Okinawa | Osaka | Otaru | Yokohama |
Beppu
A Cruise to Beppu in Japan is Hot Stuff
Beppu is a glitzy hot-springs resort situated on a wide bay at the base of volcanic slopes in the north east corner of Kyushu Island, Japan. Scalding water surfaces at 3,750 hot springs and 168 public baths and they are awash with variations on the theme of hot baths. Beppu is also noted for the Boiling Hells (jigoku), ponds of mineral coloured water which project mud high into the air. Other cruise tours include Kitsuki castle, Suginoi Palace (hot spring fantasy), Mount Tsurumi, Lake Shidaka, and the the Kijima plateau.
Fukuoka
You May Meet a Baron on Your Cruise to Fukuoka, Japan
A Japanese city in north-west Kyushu on Hakata Bay. The city is divided by the Naka River into Fukuoka on the west bank, an old castle town of a family of feudal barons dating back to 160 and Hakata on the east bank, the main commercial area. Visit the Fukuoka Tower, Hawks Town resort, Saibu Gas Museum, City Museum and the Hakata Machiya Folklore Musem. Other attractions include the temple of Shofuku-ji, the Kushida and Sumitoshi shrines and Nagoya Castle.
Hiroshima
On Your Cruise to Hiroshima in Japan, Reflect on The Will of the Human Spirit to Overcome Tragedy
Now a modern city of broad avenues. On your cruise to Hiroshima, discover the Peace Memorial Museum which opens a window on the sombre reality of Hiroshima's tragic past. Today Hiroshima is a monument not only to the destructive forces harnessed by men, but also to the indomitable will of the human spirit to overcome tragedy. On August 6, 1945, human history was irrevocably altered when the American B-29 bomber Enola Gay dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. Its detonation left half the city in ruins and aflame. At the heart of the city lies the Peace Memorial Park and the Atomic Bomb Dome that commemorates this day. The gutted walls of the city's old Industry Promotion Hall and the skeletal remains that support its copper dome—vaporized in the blast—are instantly recognizable symbols of Hiroshima. Hiroshima is also the jumping-off point for the picturesque island of Miyajima, known for its Itsukushima Shrine. Hiroshima Castle was originally built in the late 16th century and destroyed in the atomic blast, a perfect reproduction of the original was recreated.
Iwo Jima
A Scenic Cruise to Iwo Jima, Japan
Half way between Japan and the Northern Marianas lie the hallowed grounds where many thousands of men lost their lives. Cruise to this submerged caldera, the Japanese named Iwo Jima or Sulfur Island. Once a pockmarked black volcanic island wreathed in sulfurous fumes and steaming vents, this submerged extinct caldera shows signs of life, with a green cover of shrubbery and grasses. This location has historic significant as 100,000 men battled on this small island for 36 days during World War II. The struggle for Iwo Jima ended with the decimation of the Japanese garrison. And it was here that Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer Joe Rosenthal photographed the Marines raising the American flag on Mount Suribachi. Sail around the sunken caldera and ponder the bloody history and the lives lost, but not forgotten. The joint American-Japanese Memorial and the Landing Beach sites commemorate the more than 28,000 lives lost here on Iwo Jima. Iwo Jima's dominating geographical feature is Mount Suribachi, an extinct volcano that forms the narrow southern tip and rises to an altitude of 400 feet. The hospital cave complex was transformed into a Japanese hospital. In 1984, mummified remains of several Japanese soldiers were found here, complete with weapons and uniforms.
Kagoshima
A Cruise to Kagoshima in Japan will Create Memories of the Most Stunning Setting in Japan
Cruise to the south coast of Kyushu Island, where the city of Kagoshima has one of the most stunning settings in Japan, looking out across Kagoshima Bay to the brooding silhouette of Sakurajima volcano. Tsurumaru-jo, Kagoshima's once formidable castle has all but disintegrated, but the Reimeikan, a well-organized ethnographic museum, and the City Art Museum now occupy the site. Shiroyama, Kagoshima's highest summit, offers excellent views of the city and the mighty smoking Sakurajima just offshore, which you can visit. Visit the semi tropical bayside Iso-Teien Garden, the most visible public legacy of the Shimazu family, the local theatre or the City Aquarium, set on an artificial island in the harbour.
Muroran
Muroran in Japan is Your Cruise Gateway to the Dramatic Landscape of Hokkaido Island
Located on the southwest part of the island of Hokkaido, Muroran is a major industrial centre and your cruise gateway to Hokkaido's natural beauty. This island's unhurried pace is a welcome contrast from the hustle and bustle of Honshu and Kyushu. Relatively uncrowded and unspoiled, Hokkaido offers dramatic landscapes ranging from dense forests and hot springs to active volcanoes and calm lakes nestled in calderas. The Historic Village's 60 structures were painstakingly reproduced from traditional models that reflect typical 19th-century life in a replicated small town, fishing village, farming village, and mountain hamlet. Jigokudani, in Hokkaido's Valley of Hell, walking paths explore the 1,476-foot crater, surrounding fumaroles and mineral springs. Sapporo, designed by American architects in the 1870s, this capital of Hokkaido was the host city for the 1970 Winter Olympics.
Nagasaki
A Cruise to Enchanting Nagasaki in Japan will Offer Reflection of Past Destruction
The atmosphere of Nagasaki is richly cosmopolitan and the beautiful seaside scenery quite enchanting. Standing over the Nakashima River is Japans first Chinese-style stone bridge, the Spectacle Bridge, which reflects as ovals on the surface of the water. It is said that bridges here were only built on roads that led to temples, ornate structures that still adorn many of the streets. Etched in the memory of Nagasaki is the 1945 atomic bomb that destroyed much of the city. A cruise to today's Nagasaki can still be seen poignant reminders, such as Peace Park and the A-Bomb Museum
Nagoya
Temples Overflowing with Art and Culture can be Experienced on your Cruise to Nagoya, Japan
Long important for its strategic location, your cruise will take you to the head of Ise Bay on the south eastern coast of central Honshu, to Nagoya. It is Japan's fourth largest city. Sights of interest include Nagoya Castle (1610 rebuilt 1959) - one of the largest of the Edo period, Tokugawa Art Museum - offers visitors a chance to learn about Japanese arts and culture, Nagoya Fine Arts museum - a recent and fine addition to the city's cultural treasures, Citizen Hall, the Toyota Museum of Industry and Technology, Aichi Cultural Centre, Chunichi Hall, and Misono Theatre. You can also visit the zoological and botanical gardens in Higashiyama Park. Further afield, the Atsuta Shrine (home to the revered Kusanagi Sword) is one of Japan's three most important shrines (Ise and Meiji Temples are the other two). Just 20 miles north of Nagoya is Inuyama Castle, the oldest of Japan's few remaining original castles built more than 450 years ago. Not far from the castle, Uraku-en Garden is typical of a well-planned and serene Japanese green. Its Jo-an Teahouse is known as one of the finest in the country.
Okinawa
A Cruise to Okinawa in Japan Will Entice with White-Sand Beaches and Fishes Dancing Through the Corals
Okinawa, lying nearly halfway between Kyushu and Taiwan, consists of more than 100 islands and isles of different sizes and is situated at the southern extremity of the Japanese Archipelago. The climate there is mild and comfortable to live, with temperatures not falling below the springtime levels in Tokyo and Osaka even in winter. Be enticed by crystal blue sea with white-sand beaches and colourful fishes dancing through corals, Shuri Castle and the castles of the Kingdom of Ryukyu, registered as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
Osaka
Leap in to an Architectural Future on a Cruise to Osaka, Japan
Cruise to Japan's third largest city, Osaka which combines historical and cultural attractions with modern developments. Before World War II, Osaka was an exotic maze of crisscrossing waterways and traditional wooden buildings, but unfortunately most of these were destroyed in the bombings. Today however, the city has leapt into the architectural future with such buildings as the Imperial Hotel, the inverted U-shape of the Umeda Sky Building and the enormous Ferris wheel on top of the HEP Five complex. But just a short distance away, you'll see the gentle side of Japan. Kyoto, the former capital, is a serene city of geometric gardens, geisha houses, cherry trees, temples and palaces. Witness the ritual of the tea ceremony or savour a teriyaki lunch in the loveliest of Japanese cities.
Otaru
Scenic cruising to Otaru, Japan
Travel on your cruise to Otaru, which is located on Ishikari Bay on the eastern side of Hokkaido Island. With a name meaning "sandy beach", Otaru developed as a modern town in the late 19th century. Provided with a good natural harbour, it is the port for the city of Sapporo, the largest city and capital of Hokkaido Island and site of the 1972 Winter Olympics. Visit the Asarigawa Spa, Otamoi Park, and the Otaru Aquarium, one of the largest in Japan. Sapporo, laid out in 1871, features wide, tree-lined boulevards and some beautiful Botanical Gardens incorporating the Ainu Museum and Sapporo Art Park. The Sapporo Beer Garden and Museum and the Historical Village of Hokkaido are also well worth visiting.
Yokohama
Cruise in to Yokohama, one of the finest harbours in the world. Tokyo, Japan
Facing Tokyo Bay in Japan, experience a spectacular cruise in to Yokohama, one of the finest harbours in the world. Only a little over 100 years ago, Yokohama was an insignificant village of one hundred farming-fishing families. Since then it has survived several calamities to become a prosperous city of over three million people and Japan's major commercial gateway to the world. It's also the gateway to Japan's frenetic, futuristic and fast capital – Tokyo. The most striking aspect of travel to Tokyo is its sheer level of energy. It's a place where the urgent rhythms of consumer culture overlap with the quieter moments that have survived from centuries-old traditions. With almost 30 million people living within a 22-mile radius of the Imperial Palace, the crowds, the traffic and the fact that no buildings carry addresses will make your visit here unforgettable. The Ginza blazes with endless neon, its magnificent shops offering the best of Japanese goods and global fashions. Eating out is your chance to try fresh sushi or sashimi (sushi without the rice!). For an insight into Japanese culture, visit the temples and shrines at Kamakura or browse in the stalls adjacent to Tokyo's Asakusa Kannon Temple. Tokyo is a glittering example of the 'miracle' of post-WWII Japan.
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