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Silver Discoverer, Silversea

Japan to the Philippines

17-day cruise

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Summary

In Brief

  • 2 Nights Kobe
  • 1 Night Okayama
  • 1 Night Takamatsu
  • 1 Night Hiroshima
  • 1 Night Moji
  • 1 Night Kumamoto
  • 1 Night Yakushima
  • 1 Night Amami Ōshima
  • 1 Night Naha
  • 1 Night At Sea
  • 1 Night Batan Island
  • 1 Night Salomague Port
  • 1 Night Hundred Islands
  • 1 Night Manila

About

Recommended for:
Expedition cruise

A combination of modern and traditional, of UNESCO World Heritage Sites and national parks, of spirit and human worlds. A journey of sandy beaches and fishing villages, Spanish churches and limestone houses. Contemplate the great floating Torii gate, immerse yourself in fascinating history, wonderful wildlife and stunning seasonal beauty, as two cultures collide in perfect geographical fusion.

Day by day itinerary

Day 1
Fly UK to Japan

Fly overnight to Kobe Japan.

Day 2
Kobe, Japan

Upon arrival, take your included shared transfer to your hotel, Okura Kobe, for an overnight stay on a B&B basis

Located on the calm waters of the Inland Sea, Kobe has served as an important port town for hundreds of years. It was one of the first harbours to accept foreign traders in 1868 when Japan was just emerging from its centuries of isolation. What followed was a surge of Western trade and exports. Today, Kobe is quite multicultural, with expatriates from 98 different nations in residence, providing a cultural diversity most easily visible in restaurants serving every kind of cuisine, including the now world famous Kobe beef.

Day 3
Kobe

Check out of your hotel and take your included shared transfer to the port to embark Silver Discoverer for this delightful Silversea Expedition across the East China and Philippine Seas. This afternoon, you will attend a safety briefing before leaving Kobe. Later on, important members of the crew will be introduced, as well as your Expedition Team.

We invite you to familiarise yourself with your new home away from home, meet some of your fellow travellers and in the evening enjoy the first of many memorable meals in The Restaurant.

At dinnertime Silver Discoverer will head for the Harima-nada Sea.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: D

Day 4
Okayama

A day of diverse cultural experiences awaits us, as we will head for one of Japan’s most significant gardens. Although the “Korakuen” Garden was severely damaged in WWII, the descriptions and paintings from the Edo period permitted an exact reconstruction. Designed in the “Kaiyu” style it is one of the “Three Gardens of Japan” and has been designated a “Special Scenic Location.” We will have time to stroll through the garden and taste Japanese Green Tea – a specialty of the area.

Lunch will be served at a local restaurant before we continue to Kurashiki, a town known as the centre of rice-distribution in the Okayama area. Many old warehouses next to the preserved canal have been converted into museums, boutiques and cafes.

The Ohara Museum, which we are going to see during the afternoon, was the first Japanese Museum to permanently exhibit Western Art. We can see an eclectic mix of paintings and objects by El Greco, Renoir, Gauguin, Pisarro, Degas, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec, Matisse, Rodin, and Picasso, as well as pieces from Jackson Pollock, de Chirico and Jasper Johns.


Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 5
Takamatsu

Takamatsu is located on Shikoku, the smallest of the four main Japanese Islands.

Your day will start with the visit to Ritsurin Garden. The 75-hectare park features six ponds, thirteen hills, a waterfall, plum, cherry, and pine trees, a bamboo forest, a tea house, and more. The garden is recognized one of the most beautiful strolling gardens in Japan and was awarded three stars in the Michelin Green Guide Japan.

The Japanese cuisine is famous for its sushi and noodles and today you can try an Udon making experience. Not only will you learn how to prepare them, but you will also have a chance to taste the Udon noodles you just made!

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 6
Miya-Jima andHiroshima

During the morning we will visit the small island of Miyajima (“The Shrine Island”) and get to see one of “The Three Most Beautiful Views” of Japan: the Floating Torii Gate. Built in the water, the Torii Gate leads to the Itsukushima Shrine and at high tide it seems to float. The Torii Gate is one of the most photographed sites in all of Japan. There are many more shrines and path on Miyajima that invite to be walked. Mount Misen has cable car leading partly up to the top with nice views and wild monkeys and deer roaming the trails.

The name Hiroshima is linked to the dropping of the Atomic Bomb and the end of World War II. We will drive to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in central Hiroshima. The area where the park lies was Ground Zero for the Atomic Bomb on August 6, 1945. The park is dedicated to those who lost their lives in the attack. The park has many memorials and monuments, and we will stroll through it before we visit the Peace Memorial Museum. The museum surveys the history of Hiroshima and the advent of the nuclear bomb, focusing on the events of August 6.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 7
Moji

From Moji we will drive to Kokura, the financial and business capital of this area. Kokura’s landmark is its castle, which has been beautifully restored. In addition to visiting Kokura Castle, we will stroll the remarkable garden located next to the main castle.

After lunch we will see the Hiraodai Limestone Plateau, Japan’s most representative karst plateau. Approaching the area one could mistake the pure white limestone scattered throughout the landscape for sheep grazing in the grass. Truly a natural treasure, the plateau also contains underground caves. We will explore Hiraodai Senbutsu Cave accompanied by local guides. To get deep into the cave you will have to walk in the stream running through the cave.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 8
Kumamoto

Built in the early 17th century, the Kumamoto Castle is one of the three most famous castles of Japan. The castle has a number of interesting features, such as a stone wall and the beautiful black and white castle tower. However, it is the 800 cherry trees that add unrivalled elegance to the castle. The main varieties are Yoshino cherry as well as mountain cherry trees and Higo-zakura which make the square in front of the castle tower and the front of the long wall a wonderful spot for cherry blossom viewing, which we hope to still see in mid-April. This vast castle area is also a cultural place, and houses the Kumamoto Prefectural Museum of Art, the Kumamoto City Museum, and the Botanical Garden.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 9
Yakushima

Yakushima, Japan’s first UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993, is famous in botanical circles for its great many garden plants, including dwarf plants which have evolved to grow smaller than their mainland cousins.

We will spend time on nature walks including Yakusugi Land, a nature park populated by a number of the island’s ancient cedar trees, including the Buddhasugi (a 2500-year-old cedar), Futagosugi and Sennensugi. There are different trails for different levels of activity and while walking, we will see the very clear stream running through the forest and the unique plant life on the island. There will also be a chance to see Yaku Monkey and Yaku Deer.

After your walk in the forest you will visit the Yakusugi Museum, which tells about the vegetation of Yakusugi, as well as the history of Yakushima.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 10
Amami Oshima

Amami Oshima is an unspoilt natural paradise situated in the Amami islands and surrounded by transparent waters with brightly coloured coral reefs and tropical fish. Our day will start with a visit to Oshimatsumugi Kimono village where we can watch the process of making tsumugi and kasuri silk-cotton fabrics. This is a craft complex in a beautiful hillside setting among flowers and many of the plants used in the process of dyeing.

In Bashayama Village we will have lunch including Keihan -one of the best specialities in Amami, Keihan consists of chicken, egg and other various ingredients placed on rice and covered in chicken broth. During lunch we will also have a chance to see local people playing the Shamisen.

After lunch, we can relax at the beautiful beach or stroll through Kenmunmura village with its traditional houses.

If you prefer a visit with a little more activity, then choose the canoeing tour in Amami Oshima’s Mangrove Park. Amami Oshima holds Japan’s second-largest mangrove primeval forest –inhabited by the Amami Rabbit, a national protected species. You will be canoeing for approximately an hour amongst the mangroves.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 11
Naha, Okinawa

Okinawa is a typical Japanese subtropical region with a warm climate where cherry blossoms bloom in late January, and the swimming season lasts from April to October. There are more than sixty islands between the main island of Okinawa in the North and Yonaguni Island at the south-western end.

Departing from the pier and travelling towards the southeast corner of Okinawa, the first stop will be at the former Japanese Navy Underground Headquarters. One can walk down the 101 steps into the narrow tunnels to get a unique insight into the conditions and experiences of the soldiers and officers inside the headquarters.

Then we will visit Shuri Castle, the administrative center and residence of the Ryukyu royal family for over 400 years. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the castle rests on a hill providing outstanding views of Naha and the sea. Surrounded by tall curved walls, the bright red castle is a mixture of Japanese and Chinese architectural styles. You will see the lavishly decorated Main Hall and the ornate Shurei Gate. Known as the Gate of Courtesy, it typifies Okinawan architecture and serves as a symbol of modern day Okinawa.

The final stop will be Shikina-en Garden, constructed in the end of the 18th century; it features beautiful, relatively simple, wooden palace buildings with Okinawan-style, red tile roofs and a spacious Japanese-style landscape garden. A section of the old stone pavement that ran from the Shuri Palace to Shikina-en still exists. While the garden is designed in a style seen elsewhere in Japan, the architecture and flora of Shikina-en are uniquely Okinawan. Although the original garden was destroyed during World War II, it has been beautifully restored.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 12
At Sea

While Silver Discoverer sails south, our lecturers will recap the Japanese experiences and will prepare you for the interesting ports to be visited in the Philippines.

The Executive Chef, and his or her team, would like to demonstrate how to prepare some of the culinary specialties they have chosen for your dining experiences and you might want to try cooking your own fish or meat at the Hot Rocks dining experience out on deck this evening.

Day 13
Batan Island

During the morning Silver Discoverer will continue to sail south across the Philippine Sea.

Have a leisurely breakfast, join a seminar or workshop, and get ready for our first stop in the Philippines’ northernmost province. Arriving in the late morning, we have to clear into the Philippines, and then will want to make the most of our visit to Batan Island.

Upon arrival there will be a cultural presentation with traditional songs and dances. We will see traditional houses and hear about their importance. In addition, be ready to reach lookout points and at the Basco Lighthouse enjoy a food demonstration and tasting. Further stops and photo opportunities will be at Chawa, the Valugan Boulder Bay and Rakuh A Payaman (known locally as Marlboro Country for the communal pasture). Another cooking demo and tasting of local delicacies, specifically the various ways to prepare sweet potatoes, will take place before we return to the pier and Silver Discoverer.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 14
Vigan, Salomague Port, Philippines

As we land in Salomague, on Luzon’s northwestern shore, we will be welcomed by a local band before heading south to Vigan and its historical district. We will see the Bantay Church and bell tower that is one of Ilocos’ oldest structures dating back to 1590. A Filipino style “fiesta” lunch will be had in a beautiful garden known as the Hidden Garden. There will also be a demonstration of how to prepare Pinakbet, which is a popular northern dish of mixed vegetables steamed in fish or shrimp sauce. Following these activities, visit a pottery factory specializing in jars and ride in horse-drawn carriages to the Syquia Mansion, a museum dedicated to the Philippines’ sixth President. A walk through the Vigan Heritage Village with its mestizo district of old colonial, Spanish-style houses and tasting of local delicacies will end the excursion before we head back to the Silver Discoverer after a full day ashore.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 15
Hundred Islands, Philippines

At the aptly named Hundred Islands National Park, we will initially disembark by Zodiac and transfer to local boats to do some island hopping, as well as swimming, snorkelling and sunbathing. The local outrigger boats will pass and stop at several of the descriptively named islands, including Marcos, Cathedral, Quezon, Bat, Cuenco, Children’s, Mayor’s and Governor’s Islands. Watch for dolphins, dugong and sea turtles that have been recorded in this national park and marine reserve.

Another option for you is to visit the Coral Garden on the other side of Quezon (one of only three developed islands in the area) for some snorkelling.

In the afternoon, Silver Discoverer will continue south along the coast of Luzon and while aboard, be sure to attend the Videographer’s presentation of our voyage documentary.

Stay: Silver Discoverer (Deluxe)

Meals: B L D

Day 16
Manila

MANILA, the capital city of the Philippines, was founded in 1571 by Spanish conquistador Miguel López de Legazpi. It is one of the oldest cities in the country and was the seat of power for most of the colonial rules of the Philippines. It is situated on the eastern shore of Manila Bay and contains a multitude of landmarks, some of which date back to the 16th century. It is home to the baroque 16th-century San Agustin Church as well as Fort Santiago, a storied citadel and military prison. In the 19th century Manila became one of the most modern cities in Asia.

Debark and take your included shared transfer to the airport for your flight back to the UK, arriving the following day.

Meals: B

Day 17
Arrive UK

Arrive in the UK and continue your journey home

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