Highlights Of Korea and Japan

Welcome to Korea! You’ll be transferred to your hotel and have some free time. In the afternoon, you’ll receive information about the start of your tour.

The day begins with an early departure at 7:30 a.m. to the Cheorwon region, home to a section of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that separates North and South Korea. Upon arrival at 9:30 a.m., the group will explore the Second Tunnel, secretly constructed by the North Korean army and discovered in 1975. The journey continues to the Cheorwon Peace Observatory, which offers panoramic views of the DMZ and the first villages of North Korea. Inside, a small museum provides insight into the Korean War. The itinerary also includes a visit to the abandoned Woljeong-ri train station, followed by the Baek Ma Battle Memorial, commemorating the intervention of a French UN battalion during the conflict. The morning tour concludes with a visit to a local distillery that produces Makgeolli, Korea’s traditional rice liquor.

At 2:00 p.m., the group will depart from Cheorwon, returning to Seoul and arriving at the hotel around 4:00 p.m., where participants will have free time to relax.

In the evening, at 6:00 p.m., the group will meet the guide and take the modern and efficient Seoul Metro to City Hall, an architectural landmark shaped like a tsunami. Opposite City Hall, the Deoksugung Palace is beautifully illuminated at night, offering a perfect blend of Korea’s rich heritage and contemporary urban landscape. From there, a short walk leads to Myeongdong, South Korea’s largest and most vibrant shopping and entertainment district, whose name means “bright town.” Dinner will be included at a local restaurant before returning to the hotel via metro for an overnight stay.

Overnight in Seoul

Enjoy your breakfast and later leave for a tour of the city of Seoul, lasting five hours. We will see Changdeokgung Palace. This is a World Heritage Site formed by a group of palaces inside a large park. After the visit, we will visit Bukchon Hanok Village, a traditional historical neighborhood with tiny houses. Afterward, we will visit the War Memorial, an impressive war museum that tells of the different conflicts suffered by Korea during its history, particularly the Korean War with the United Nations in which soldiers from many other countries took part. We continue to the Gangnam District, one of the city's busiest areas, with numerous shopping and leisure centers. To finish, we stop at LOTTE WORLD TOWER, an impressive 550 m building where there will be time to climb the tower (entrance not included) or stroll in the park or around the luxury shopping centers. Lunch is included in a local restaurant. Return to the center and free time.

Overnight in Seoul

After breakfast, leave for the Gyeongbokgung Palace, an impressive palace that is 600 years old, where we will see the Changing of the Guard ceremony (if scheduled). Our next stop is the city of SUWON, the former capital of Korea, a World Heritage Site famous for its walls and Heritage of Mankind. We will stop at the Samsung Innovation Museum to learn about the history of this famous technological company. We will see the impressive wall with its fortifications and visit Hwaseong Haenggung, the summer palace. Lunch is included in a local restaurant. We continue to JEONJU, where we will see its fascinating old town (Hanok Village), its tiny houses, traditional shops, and art galleries.

Overnight in Jeonju

Post a wholesome breakfast amidst impressive mountain forest scenery, we come to HAEINSA, a Buddhist temple built in 802, where we discover the Tripitaka, the complete collection of Buddhist texts engraved on 80,000 blocks of wood. We will visit the temple and the museum on the Tripitaka. We go on to DAEGU, where we see the market of traditional medicines with its different herbs, especially ginseng, and the Museum of Oriental Medicine. Lunch included. We will move towards BUSAN, the second largest city in Korea, full of life. Time in the fantastic Doosan Haeundae complex with its more than 300 m skyscraper and a sports marina. Accommodation.

Overnight in Busan

Today will be spent in BUSAN. After breakfast, we go to the city of Busan to visit HAEDONG YONGGUNG, a 14th-century Buddhist temple located by the sea. Return to Busan. We see the memorial to the United Nations with its cemetery, where people from numerous countries are buried. We approach the largest fish market in the country, which is alongside Nampo Port. Lunch included. Then we walk to Yongdusan Park with its immense 120 m pagoda. Afternoon free. Night on a ferry, expected departure at 21.00hrs, crossing the sea of Japan in double cabins with bathroom.

 

Note: Due to the ferry´s limited capacity in double cabins, we sometimes take a fast ferry leaving Busan at 15:00 hrs. and arriving in FUKUOKA at 18:30 hrs. (border crossing, free time in Fukuoka and hotel accommodation).

Overnight in Ferry

We dock at the port of Shimonoseki at 08.00hrs (breakfast not included) and cross the border. We then depart for IWAKUNI, a small city where we will stop to admire the beautiful historic Kintai-Kyo Bridge. We then continue to Miyajimaguchi, where we take a ferry to Miyajima, the island “where men and Gods live together in peace,” with its Itsukushima shrine dedicated to the guardian of the seas, built partly over the sea. Here we have time to visit the temple, stroll through its attractive center and have lunch. Then we continue to HIROSHIMA, sadly famous as the site where the atomic bomb fell in 1945, which destroyed the whole city. We will visit the Peace Memorial Park, the Atomic bomb dome, and the impressive Peace Memorial Museum. Dinner included.

Overnight in Hiroshima

Today once you have breakfast, we will take a ferry to Shikoku Island, on a pleasant crossing that lasts two hours and a half, and see the many islands that makeup Japan. We will take the cable car to its impressive castle in MATSUYAMA. Afterward, we will visit ISHITEJI, a beautiful Buddhist temple and a place of pilgrimage. Lunch included. In the late afternoon, we will visit DOGO ONSEN (admission included), a traditional Japanese bath facility built in the 19th century.

Overnight in Matsuyama

We depart for KOTOHIRA after breakfast, a Shinto shrine dedicated to the God of sailors and a place of pilgrimage. The shrine stands on Mount Zosu and is reached by climbing 785 steps. Afterward, in TAKAMATSU, we will visit RITSURIN, one of the prettiest gardens in Japan. Lunch included. Then, in NARUTO, we cross an impressive bridge over the sea, stopping to admire the construction and walking on its glass floor with the sea 45 meters below us. Our road is surrounded by beautiful scenery and then crosses long bridges between islands over the sea. Arrival in KOBE, accommodation. This all-inclusive Japan vacation is everything you need to explore the country at its best.

Overnight in Kobe

Have breakfast and visit the Earthquake Memorial Museum, a place to remind the tragic seism that devastated the city in 1995 and its perfect reconstruction. Note: On some dates, the Earthquake Museum may be changed for the Sake Museum or a climb up Kobe Tower. We go on to Osaka. We will depart from this city to visit MOUNT KOYA, one of Japan’s sacred mountains and Japan’s main center of Shingon Buddhism. There are 120 shrines and monasteries on this mountain, a magical pilgrimage place. We will visit Okuno Mausoleum, a spiritual place and an immense cemetery in the wilderness that has more than 200,000 graves. We will visit the Kongobuji temple, built in 1593.

 

We will spend this night at a Buddhist monastery. The monks will offer us a Zen meditation session (Ajikan). Dinner included (vegetarian food). There is a religious ceremony at the temple early in the morning if you wish to attend it.

 

Note: We consider the sojourn at the monastery as an experience of great existential value. The rooms at this place are modest, without bathrooms, in the traditional Japanese style with tatamis. Bathrooms are communal.

Overnight in Mount Koya

Japanese breakfast at the temple. Then we leave early for KYOTO, to spend the whole day in the city, which was the capital of Japan between 794 and 1868 and home to the Imperial Court. During World War II the city was the only major Japanese to escape the bombardments, and so it still preserves its wealth of artistic heritage; the famous protocol restricting greenhouse gas emissions was signed in Kyoto in 1997. The visit includes a trip to one of the most important parts of the city. We will see the marvellous Shinto Shrine of Fushimi Inari, the Imperial Palace and Kinkakuji temple, “the golden pavilion” and its wonderful gardens.

Free time before visiting GION, a busy traditional quarter famous for its Geisha. Free time.

Note: If you have already visited Kyoto on your circuit, our guide will offer you information and advice on visiting the other parts of the city unaccompanied.

Overnight in Kyoto

After breakfast, transfer to the station to take the BULLET TRAIN to Tokyo. Arrival in Tokyo after almost 500 km in just over two hours. Late in the afternoon, we will visit this fascinating city by taking a trip on the metro (tickets included) to the Shinjuku district and see the crowds of people who use this modern and efficient collective transport system. Shinjuku is one of the most important nightlife districts. Dinner included, and return to the hotel.

Overnight in Kyoto

In the morning, we take a 5-hour trip with our guide to see this fantastic city, with its hustle and bustle and extremely modern districts that coexist with quiet, peaceful areas. Brief stop at the Zojoji Temple to take a beautiful photograph of the Tokyo Tower. Please pay attention to the hundred of Jizos, stone traditional protecting deities who guide us on our travels, give power to those who are weak (such as children) and those in dangerous places, and who are dressed, including hats, robes, and windmills. Then we head to the junction of Shibuya, which is said to be the most crowded in the world. The Meiji Temple is dedicated to Emperor Meiji, his wife, and their spirits. We continue on our bus along the elegant street of Omotesando. We will edge the most beautiful part of the Imperial Palace and the gardens. Stop to visit the famous Nijubashi Bridge. We will pass through the district of Akihabara, the “electric town” with icons from the popular Japanese Manga and Anime culture, and then see Kokugikan, the Sumo stadium, home of this Japanese sport. We will also visit the Buddhist temple of Sensoji, the oldest and most important temple in Tokyo, with its 55-meter-high pagoda. Then we will have some free time to visit the traditional commercial street of Nakamise in the district of Asakusa. Lunch is included in a local restaurant. Return to hotel. Free time in the afternoon. NOTE: During the Japanese Olympics, accommodation may be near Narita airport.

Overnight in Kyoto

Enjoy breakfast; make your own way to the airport to catch your onward flight.