Japan & The Far East Tour Highlights

Alishan is one of seven national parks in Taiwan, and a popular refuge from the city thanks to its spectacular mountain scenery and famous forest railway.

An hour’s drive inland from the industrialized eastern plain, Sun Moon Lake offers an idyllic retreat in the lap of spellbinding alpine scenery.

Taipei is Taiwan's premier city, a bustling hotbed of culture, history, and development. Dominating the skyline is the massive Taipei 101 building, a remarkable edifice built to resemble a trunk of bamboo, and to symbolise the country's emerging modernity.

Mt Seoraksan, ‘Snow Crag Mountain’, is Korea’s third-highest peak and its coldest area, with abundant wildlife, impressive rock formations and ancient temples protected by the country’s benchmark national park.

The Sillia dynasty’s former capital on the South Korean coast holds an unparalleled wealth of ancient monuments, as well as a dramatic hinterland dominated by its sacred mountain, Namsan.

Hi-rise, hi-tech, hi-speed Seoul, the South Korean capital, is a city racing towards the future at a dizzying pace, though one whose cutting edges are softened with a handful of old relics and delightful natural spaces.

Hokkaido is the northernmost of Japan’s four major islands and has a wild, remote feel, with large swathes of national parks, forest, mountain ranges, gorges, sparkling caldera lakes and wide, open pastures.

The western end of Honshu includes delightful scenery and many areas of historical and cultural significance. Its primary destinations include Okayama for its must-see garden, and Hiroshima.

Shikoku is an island located to the south of Kansai. Accessible from the main island of Honshu via several bridges or by boat, the region offers a change of pace from the excitement and adrenaline rush of Japan’s major cities.

Home to the cities of Osaka and Kyoto, the Kansai (aka ‘Kinki’) region, on the southern-central side of Honshu Island, is Japan’s cultural and historic heartland.

The Kii Peninsula – ‘Kii-hantō’ in Japanese – is a mountainous region southeast of Osaka that’s little explored by foreigners, but which boasts a fabulously wild coastline and some beautiful pilgrimage sites hidden in the cedar forest.

Second only to Kyoto as a storehouse of traditional Japanese art and culture, Nara was the country’s first fully fledged capital and remains one of its premier visitor destinations, with a brace of World Heritage sites.