OVERVIEW

Explore the city of Naha, the capital and largest city of Okinawa Prefecture, and former capital of the Ryukyu Kingdoms. Drive to Shuri Castle, the administrative center and residence of the Ryukyu royal family for over 400 years, until Okinawa became a Japanese prefecture in 1879. Due to the fire on October 31st 2019, Shurijo Castle was burned to the ground, and more than 400 precious arts and crafts are estimated to be lost. You will now be entering the Shuri Castle’s paid admission area and Seiden main hall. Also, reopening is a section in the Seiden where visitors can see the underground ruins of the original castle structure, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Take a photo of the ornate Shurei Gate known as the Gate of Courtesy, it typifies Okinawan architecture and serves as a symbol of modern-day Okinawa. Visit Shikinaen Garden, known as one of the best Japanese Style Gardens in Okinawa and listed among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. Although its style follows that of most Japanese gardens, its architecture and flora give it a uniqueness that is unmistakably Okinawan. Before heading back to the port, you’ll enjoy time at leisure at Kokusai-dori, Naha's main street, stretching for roughly one mile through downtown. Stroll through the neighborhood on your own, exploring fashionable shops and restaurants offering local products such as exquisite bingata fabrics, colorful tsuboya-yaki pottery and awamori liquor made from long-grained rice.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Visit a serene shrine and one of Japan’s most stunningly natural seaside settings, both lying in the shadow of majestic Mount Fuji, Japan’s highest mountain. Settle in for a drive into the beautiful countryside that lies in the foothills of Mount Fuji. Japan’s national symbol and one of its most extraordinary settings, Mount Fuji has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site as a sacred place and source of artistic inspiration. Prior to ascending Mount Fuji, climbers often pray at Fujisan Hongu Sengen Taisha Shrine, which you’ll visit. The shrine has been considered a guardian deity that prevents natural disasters and ensures easy childbirth. More than 500 cherry trees grace the surrounding grounds. Inside, there is a pond fed by melting snow and ice from Mount Fuji. The pond has been designated a Special Natural Monument and attracts pilgrims that come to purify themselves in the clear water. Next stop is the Mt. Fuji's 2th Station, at approximately 4,700 feet. You will have chance to see dynamic view of Mt. Fuji. The 2th Station offers stellar views of the mountain's magnificence! Last stop is the Mt.Fuji World Heritage Centre. This is newly openened in December 2017 and consists of three buildings. The central building is covered with the wood lattice and characteristic shaped of the inverted cone. This wood lattice is made from Fuji cypress. From the top floor, you will enjoy magnificent view of Mt. Fuji as picturesque!

Sample a selection of sake made with water from Mount Fuji and then visit a heritage center dedicated to the mountain and its influence throughout Japan.

A scenic drive through the countryside will bring you to Fuji Takasago, a sake brewery founded in 1831 at the foot of Mount Fuji, where its groundwater is most abundant. The water from the snow melt that runs off the mountain takes nearly 100 years to filter through the earth’s underground layers, leaving the water extraordinarily pure.

Following an enlightening tour of the brewery, where you will watch rice being turned into sake, you will be offered a selection of Fuji Takasago’s rice wines. During the sampling, you may notice that the Mount Fuji water imparts a mild taste to the sake. Being high in amino acids, these sakes are also rich in umami, a flavor associated with rice wine.

You will gain a different perspective of Japan’s most celebrated peak at the Mount Fuji World Heritage Center nearby. Its exhibitions include Japanese art and literature that the mountain has inspired and paper screens that show Mount Fuji changing with the seasons. Another highlight is the building’s inverted lattice cone sculpture that mimics the shape of Mount Fuji when viewed in the reflecting pool.

The center was named to recognize UNESCO declaring Mount Fuji to be a World Heritage site for its solitary beauty, iconic shape and deep impact on Western art. It may well be the world’s most famous stratovolcano.

OVERVIEW

Discover the Ryukyu Folk Village where you can experience traditional Okinawan culture, and Naha, former capital of the Ryukyu Kingdoms. Drive to Shuri Castle, the administrative center and residence of the Ryukyu royal family for over 400 years, until Okinawa became a Japanese prefecture in 1879. Due to the fire on October 31st, 2019, Shurijo Castle was burned to the ground, and more than 400 precious arts and crafts are estimated to be lost. You will now be entering the Shuri Castle’s paid admission area and Seiden main hall. Also, reopening is a section in the Seiden where visitors can see the underground ruins of the original castle structure, a UNESCO World Heritage site. There will also be a chance to take a photo of the ornate Shurei Gate known as the Gate of Courtesy, it typifies Okinawan architecture and serves as a symbol of modern day Okinawa.Head to the Ryuku Folk Village, where several old homes gathered from around the Ryukyu Islands help preserve the ancient Okinawan culture. At the village, see artifacts and displays that detail the customs and lifestyle of traditional Okinawa. Observe demonstrations of pottery making, weaving and bingata, the time-honored Okinawan style of fabric dyeing (demonstrations dependent upon activity schedule at Ryukyu Folk Village).

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Marvel at glorious Mount Fuji while riding a cable car to a hilltop Shintō shrine and then delve into the Japanese culture by making chopsticks. While some people climb the 1,000 or so steps leading to the Kunozan Toishogu shrine, you will ride to the summit. The higher you ascend, the greater the views of the city below and majestic Mount Fuji beyond. No other sight in Japan is more iconic than the snow-capped mountain, the tallest peak in Japan. More wonders await you within the shrine complex, a collection of brightly painted ornate buildings dedicated to the shōgun that unified Japan in the early 17th century. Be sure to notice the well-armed guardian statue near the Romon gate. You will experience Japan’s creativity at Sumpu Takumi Shuku, a cultural workshop where artisans produce traditional crafts using centuries-old techniques. There you will have the opportunity to produce your own pair of lacquered chopsticks hands-on.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Ride a cable car to hilltop Shintō shrine while admiring the views of Mount Fuji.
• Browse the shrine, which is dedicated to a revered shōgun that brought peace to Japan.
• Create your own lacquered chopsticks at a workshop for traditional artisans.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Visit two traditional Buddhist temples and several unexpected attractions that reveal much about Hualien’s modern culture. Gang Tian is the city’s largest temple and is dedicated to Matsu, the benevolent goddess of the sea. The more modest Japanese-style ChingHsiou Temple holds historical artifacts that include dozens of small stone statues of Buddhist gods and a larger one of Acalanatha, a fearsome deity that protects the practice of Buddhism from all challengers. You will also see the serene Pine Garden residence that was built for a military official during the Japanese colonial rule. Hualien’s most unusual architectural treasure is a Starbucks café made from recycled shipping containers. The containers are stacked at random angles that are meant to reflect the branches of coffee trees. You will also stop in a unique shop that sells mochi, a pounded sticky rice cake that is a traditional sweet.

HIGHLIGHTS
• View architectural landmarks in Hualien that include two serene Buddhist temples.
• Visit the residence of a former colonial officer that perches atop the city’s highest point.
• Stop in a Starbucks café built from dozens of recycled shipping containers.
• Try a rice treat known as mochi at a shop that sells a variety of these sweet treats.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

This mostly panoramic tour affords you magnificent views of Mount Fuji from both a hilltop outlook and a beautiful coastal pine grove so stunningly scenic that artists have captured its beauty for centuries.

Head to Nihondaira Park Outlook, which offers a glorious view of Suruga Bay and majestic Mount Fuji. You might also catch a glimpse of Kunozan Toshogu Shrine, perched high above the outlook.

Your scenic drive takes you to the seaside pine grove - Miho no Matsubara. The grove consists of more than 50,000 pine trees, including a 650-year-old tree thought to have mythical powers. The view from the shore with Mount Fuji lording over the scenery has been rated one of the top three views in Japan.

See how the clear mountain spring water that originates on Mt. Fuji is used for rainbow trout farming and to grow wasabi. After about 50 years of underground filtering, the water emerges in natural springs or is extracted to supply the people of the Shizuoka Prefecture with water of extraordinary quality. The area supports more rainbow trout farms than anywhere else in Japan, one of which you will visit. It will be an enlightening experience as you will discover how these beautifully colored fish are cultivated in great numbers. The majority of the wasabi consumed in Japan also comes from the prefecture. After observing how it is grown, you will sample a rice ball that contains freshly ground wasabi and rainbow trout. Few foods are so emblematic of the area and the obsession with the pure water from Mt. Fuji. At Jimba Waterfall, you will watch that water gently cascade into a pool below.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Gain insight into how rainbow trout are farmed in water that originates on Mt. Fuji.
• Visit a farm that relies on that same pure water to grow wasabi or Japanese horseradish.
• Sample a traditional rice ball made with wasabi and rainbow trout.
• Behold the beauty of Jimba Waterfall, whose water comes from Mt. Fuji.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

OVERVIEW

Gain a broad understanding of the local Taiwanese culture through a remarkable variety of attractions, many of them of Japanese origin. Visiting the Pine Garden will offer a window into the time when Taiwan was under Japanese rule as it was built in 1942 as the residence of a military officer. The wooden ChingHsiou Temple presents an earlier perspective of the colonial period through its Japanese architecture and statues of Buddhist gods. Then, there is Tzu Chi, a complex for a Buddhist foundation that provides compassionate, charitable relief. While meandering through this inspiring setting, you will discover how its volunteers engage in projects ranging from environmental protection to bone marrow donations. The mood will become much lighter at A Mei Mochi, a lively shop that carries sweet treats, especially mochi. Despite being a traditional Japanese snack, mochi may have originated in China. Regardless, it is delectable, whether steamed, toasted or dipped in soy sauce and sugar

HIGHLIGHTS
• See Japan’s influence on Hualien’s colonial architecture at the ChingHsiou Temple.
• Visit the residence of a former colonial officer that perches atop the city’s highest point.
• Meander about a Buddhist complex whose volunteers provide charitable and disaster relief.
• Try a rice treat known as mochi at a shop that sells a variety of these sweet treats.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Delve into Japanese culture by visiting an art museum, enjoying a ritualistic tea ceremony and admiring one of the most spectacular views of sacred Mount Fuji.

Visit the Tokaido Hiroshige Art Museum in the fishing village of Yui. More than a thousand woodblock prints from Utagawa Hiroshige, a 19th-century master of the ukiyo-e genre, are beautifully displayed here. As you will discover while browsing the works of art, the ukiyo-e genre typically depicts subjects of everyday life that include landscapes, birds and flowers.

Hiroshige’s genius for landscape composition and color in works such as The Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido influenced European painters such as Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.

At a tearoom in a nearby park, you’ll enjoy a tea ceremony. You will be served traditional green tea, but the ceremony involves more than merely the beverage. It is a ritualistic art form in which the tea must be prepared and presented in a certain manner known as the Way of Tea.

Drive to the seaside pine grove Miho no Matsubara. The grove consists of more than 50,000 pine trees, including a 650-year-old tree thought to have mythical powers. The view from the shore with Mount Fuji lording over the scenery has been rated one of the top three views in Japan.

See the attractions that define Hualien, both historical and contemporary, and come away with an accurate impression of this culturally important city on Taiwan’s eastern shore. The natural beauty of the coast will be on full display at Qixingtan Beach, a crescent-shaped stretch of sand speckled with white and black pebbles. The Pine Garden atop Hualien’s highest point also offers gorgeous views and insight into Taiwan’s colonial period as this residence was built for a Japanese military officer. You will touch upon the Buddhist influence as well by visiting the Chingsiou Temple, which was also constructed when Japan ruled the island from 1896-1945. The attention will turn to more modern landmarks upon arriving at the visually stunning Starbucks café that was built with shipping containers stacked like the twigs of a tree. You will get a literal taste of Taiwan with a seafood-inspired lunch at an aquafarm and by sampling rice treats known as mochi at a sweet shop.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Admire Hualien’s natural beauty at Qixingtan Beach and from the city’s highest point.
• See Japan’s influence on Hualien’s colonial architecture at the ChingHsiou Temple.
• Stop in a Starbucks café built from dozens of recycled shipping containers.
• Try a rice treat known as mochi at a shop that sells a variety of these sweet treats.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.

Explore the natural wonders in the Taroko National Park, which is named for the deep and precipitous Taroko Gorge that the Liwu River has carved over eons through a white marble mountain. After entering the park through a colorful arched gate, you can’t help but be in awe of the dramatic canyons, thundering waterfalls, winding tunnels and near-vertical cliffs. A hike along the Shakadang Trail will present an even closer view of the park’s natural beauty as the trail follows a turquoise stream strewn with boulders. Despite the rugged terrain, numerous shrines and temples have been painstakingly built into some of the cliffs. One of the more famous shrines is the Eternal Spring, whose name refers to the waterfall that flows beneath it year-round. The shrine honors the 200 or so soldiers that died while constructing the nearby Cross-Island Highway. As you will see, the shrine is in a precarious location, which is why landslides have repeatedly damaged it.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Behold the breathtaking natural beauty in the Taroko National Park.
• Hike the gorgeous Shakadang Trail that follows the crystal-clear Shakadang River.
• Marvel at the precarious cliffside location of the Eternal Spring Shrine.

HELPFUL HINTS
• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.