14 March to 15 March

Japan: Nagoya

Nagoya is Japan’s fourth largest city, though it remains well off the radar of most tourists, overshadowed by nearby Tokyo and Kyoto. The city is an important manufacturing hub, home to companies including Toyota and Lexus, and sights include a fascinating railway museum featuring maglev and ‘shinkansen’ bullet trains.

16 March to 18 March

Japan: Kyoto

Wonderful Kyoto is Japan’s cultural and spiritual heart, scattered with tranquil gardens, traditional teahouses and some 2,000 temples and shrines. If you want to really get under the skin of Japanese culture then this is the place to come, with the chance to learn about everything from the importance of cherry-blossom season to the latest trends in manga.

18 March

Japan: Nara City

18 March to 20 March

Japan: Osaka

Osaka, Japan’s third largest city, is a pulsating commercial hub, famous for its food, and the cityscape rivals Tokyo for neon-lit futurism. If you need respite from the urban sprawl seek out Osaka Castle and the surrounding Nishinomaru Garden, a particularly pretty spot during the cherry blossom season.

21 March

Japan: Imabari

22 March

Japan: Miyajima

Miyajima island, officially known as Itsukushima, is famous for its incredibly photogenic torii (shrine gates) which seem to float above the water. Renovation work beginning in June 2019 means that the gates will be obscured by scaffolding for a couple of years, but the shrine itself will remain open.

22 March

Japan: Hiroshima

On 6 August 1945 the world witnessed the terrifying power of nuclear weapons for the first time, unleashed on the unsuspecting Japanese city of Hiroshima. The modern city's sobering Peace Memorial Park commemorates that fateful day, which left more than 140,000 dead.

23 March

Japan: Shimonoseki

24 March

South Korea: Busan

Busan is South Korea’s second biggest city and one of the world’s busiest container ports, but it’s an easygoing place with a discernibly different character to Seoul. Haeundae beach is a popular summer holiday destination for Koreans, while the pungent Jagalchi market sells every type of fish and sea creature imaginable.

25 March

Japan: Sakaiminato

The port of Sakaiminato is known for its fishing industry and superb seafood, and it’s a short drive from Matsue and its famous medieval ‘Black Castle’. Sakaiminato is also the home of the popular Japanese manga artist Mizuki Shigeru, and the town is full of statues celebrating his work.

26 March

Japan: Kanazawa

Kanazawa rivals Kyoto for historical significance, though the city is far less overrun with tourists. The 17th-century Kenroku-en garden is the jewel in Kanazawa’s crown, filled with pretty ponds and waterfalls, and the city is also home to exceptionally well preserved samurai and geisha districts.

27 March

Japan: Sado Island

Remote Sado Island is rarely visited by foreign tourists, and for many years served as a penal colony for political exiles. Take a ride in one of the unique tarai bune ‘tub boats’, search for the endangered Japanese ibis and learn about the art of taiko drumming in Kodo village.

28 March

Japan: Niigata

Set amongst snowy mountains on the west coast of Honshu, the city of Niigata is known for its ski resorts, seafood and hot springs, and produces some of the finest sake in Japan. Other attractions nearby include Shibata’s impressive castle and the town of Murakami, renowned for its traditional wind-dried salmon.

29 March - At sea

30 March

Japan: Aomori

The city of Aomori, at the northern tip of Honshu island, is best known for its summer Nebuta Matsuri festival, which lights up the streets every August. There is still plenty to see during the rest of the year, including elegant Hirosaki Castle, pretty Lake Towada and the Seiryu-ji Temple, home of the largest Buddha statue in Japan.

31 March

Japan: Hakodate

Situated at the southern tip of Hokkaido, Hakodate was one of the first Japanese ports to open up to international trade in the 19th century, and a scattering of European-style buildings remain. Take a ride on the historic streetcar, tuck into delicious seafood or enjoy a revitalising dip in an onsen (hot spring).

1 April

Japan: Miyako (Iwate)

Cave exploring, kayaking, and coastal hiking is what visitors to Miyako, on Honshu's eastern shore can expect, with its dramatic, rocky shoreline of bays, cliffs and coves along the 300-km Sanriku Coast. Don't miss the stunning white pebbled shores of Jodogahama Beach, punctuated by jagged, rocky islands.

2 April

Japan: Oarai

3 April

Japan: Shimizu

Shimizu is one of the most spectacular ports in Japan, a sweeping bay in the shadow of the iconic Mount Fuji. You can spend some time admiring the views and wandering through peaceful pine groves, or visit the unique Shimizu Sushi Museum at the S-Pulse Dream Plaza shopping mall.

4 April

Japan: Toba

5 April

Arriving in Osaka

Osaka, Japan’s third largest city, is a pulsating commercial hub, famous for its food, and the cityscape rivals Tokyo for neon-lit futurism. If you need respite from the urban sprawl seek out Osaka Castle and the surrounding Nishinomaru Garden, a particularly pretty spot during the cherry blossom season.