23-Night Far East Cruise on Sapphire Princess

Tokyo, Japan

Depart 4:00 pm

Huge department stores brim with shoppers, neon flashes from dusk to dawn, and the entire world pays heed to the slightest fluctuation on the Nikkei Index. From the Imperial Palace and Meiji Shrine to the fabled Ginza district, 20th-century Tokyo is an intriguing composite of East and West. Yuppies sporting Walkmen bow formally in greeting. Women in kimonos and Dior suits stroll side-by-side. Geishas play samisens while disc jockeys play the Top Forty. Japanese houses of wood and paper stand in the shadow of towering steel and mortar. Not far away, one of the world's most impressive sights soars 12,388 feet to its snow-clad peak: Mount Fuji, the majestic symbol of Japan.

Toba, Japan

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 4:00 pm

Wakayama

Arrive 9:00 am · Depart 6:00 pm

Kochi, Japan

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 3:00 pm

Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan

Arrive 9:00 am · Depart 6:00 pm

This large city is an excursion base from which to explore the dramatic coastlines, national parks and volcanic mountains of Kyushu, Japan's third largest island. Mount Sakurajima, an active volcano, can be reached by ferry. To the north, Kirishima-Yaku National Park is a scenic area of smoking volcanoes, craters and lakes. South of the city, Ibusuki, the island's most popular seaside resort, welcomes kimono-clad bathers to its sandy beaches and warm, underwater springs.

Yatsushiro, Japan

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 3:00 pm

Busan (Kyongju), South Korea

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 4:00 pm

Korea''s "museum without walls" is akin only to China in its depth and cultural wonder. From Pusan, you can journey to the ancient Silla capital of Kyongju, a dynasty which reigned in Korea for almost a thousand years. Today this small provincial town is virtually a museum without walls, dotted with many splendid ruins. Nearby, the forested mountains and valleys shelter hundreds of beautiful Buddhist shrines including the renowned Sokkuram Grotto, and Tongdosa and Pulguksa Temples. Pusan is also a shopper''s mecca and Korea''s vital southern link to Japanese and American trade.

KANMON STRAITS, JAPAN (SCENIC CRUISING)

Arrive 4:30 pm · Depart 6:30 pm

Hiroshima, Japan

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 5:00 pm

Set on a bay in the Inland Sea, Hiroshima was the infamous site of the first atomic bomb explosion of August, 1945. But perhaps the best reason to visit Hiroshima is the enchanting island of Miyajima with its famous Itsukushima Shinto shrine, considered one of Japan's three most beautiful sights. Its famous torii stands just offshore, a tall, vermilion-colored symbol of Japan, which appears to float during high tide.

AT SEA

Tokyo, Japan

Arrive 6:00 am · Depart 4:00 pm

Huge department stores brim with shoppers, neon flashes from dusk to dawn, and the entire world pays heed to the slightest fluctuation on the Nikkei Index. From the Imperial Palace and Meiji Shrine to the fabled Ginza district, 20th-century Tokyo is an intriguing composite of East and West. Yuppies sporting Walkmen bow formally in greeting. Women in kimonos and Dior suits stroll side-by-side. Geishas play samisens while disc jockeys play the Top Forty. Japanese houses of wood and paper stand in the shadow of towering steel and mortar. Not far away, one of the world's most impressive sights soars 12,388 feet to its snow-clad peak: Mount Fuji, the majestic symbol of Japan.

AT SEA

Miyako, Japan

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 5:00 pm

Hakodate, Japan

Arrive 8:00 am · Depart 10:00 pm

Aomori, Japan

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 5:00 pm

Akita, Japan

Arrive 8:00 am · Depart 6:00 pm

Niigata, Japan

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 4:00 pm

Kanazawa, Japan

Arrive 8:00 am · Depart 5:00 pm

Sakaiminato, Japan

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 5:00 pm

Busan (Kyongju), South Korea

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 4:00 pm

Korea''s "museum without walls" is akin only to China in its depth and cultural wonder. From Pusan, you can journey to the ancient Silla capital of Kyongju, a dynasty which reigned in Korea for almost a thousand years. Today this small provincial town is virtually a museum without walls, dotted with many splendid ruins. Nearby, the forested mountains and valleys shelter hundreds of beautiful Buddhist shrines including the renowned Sokkuram Grotto, and Tongdosa and Pulguksa Temples. Pusan is also a shopper''s mecca and Korea''s vital southern link to Japanese and American trade.

Nagasaki, Japan

Arrive 7:00 am · Depart 4:00 pm

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.

AT SEA

Shimizu, Japan

Arrive 10:00 am · Depart 5:00 pm

Tokyo, Japan

Arrive 6:00 am

Huge department stores brim with shoppers, neon flashes from dusk to dawn, and the entire world pays heed to the slightest fluctuation on the Nikkei Index. From the Imperial Palace and Meiji Shrine to the fabled Ginza district, 20th-century Tokyo is an intriguing composite of East and West. Yuppies sporting Walkmen bow formally in greeting. Women in kimonos and Dior suits stroll side-by-side. Geishas play samisens while disc jockeys play the Top Forty. Japanese houses of wood and paper stand in the shadow of towering steel and mortar. Not far away, one of the world's most impressive sights soars 12,388 feet to its snow-clad peak: Mount Fuji, the majestic symbol of Japan.