At its core, Japan is a place of tranquility and spirituality, where nature’s beauty remains abundant and unspoiled. Tour the Land of the Rising Sun via a beautifully appointed small ship and experience some of the most serene and breathtaking gardens in the world.

Highlights:

• Visit the Korakuen Garden, one of the three best landscape gardens in Japan
• See a special performance of the Kagura dance at Itsukushima Shrine
• Be a guest of the Abbot at Kofukuji Temple in the heart of Nagasaki. Kofukuji is the oldest and one of the most important Chinese-founded temples in the city and the birthplace of the Obaku school of Zen Buddhism in Japan.
• Visit Matsue Castle, made entirely out of pine and built in 1611. It remains as it was in the 17th century, and the uppermost floor offers fine views.
• See an old sake brewery, the Amazake Chaya Teahouse, the Uchikoza Theater, and the Kami Hagitei, the former home and workshop of one of Uchiko’s most influential families.
• Explore scenic tea plantations en route to Chiran, a small town known for its fine collection of samurai houses and their enclosed gardens. Several residences are still being used by samurai descendants.
• Travel by ferry to Naoshima Island’s “Art Island,” the whimsical and curious destination sprinkled with surrealist art, sculptures, and architecture.

Top-Rated Accommodations and Program Inclusions:

• 8-night cruise aboard the deluxe Le Soléal
• Visit to Kofukuji Monastery in Nagasaki and a tea ceremony, as described in the itinerary
• Welcome and farewell cocktail receptions aboard ship
• All meals aboard ship, including early risers’ coffee and pastry, breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner
• Open bar aboard ship, including select wines with lunch and dinner
• Enrichment program of lectures and discussions by featured guests
• Physician aboard ship
• Comprehensive pre-departure materials
• Baggage handling and airport transfers aboard on the designated program arrival and departure dates
• Port taxes and charges
• WiFi on board
• Gratuities to shipboard personnel, porters, guides, and drivers

Brochure and Reservation Form

For more information and to make reservations, please contact Susan Klejst, Vice President of Development at (703) 768-5700 ext. 127, or email development@ahsgardening.org. Our fax number is (703) 768-8700.