Japan

7 Days Luxury Yacht Charter Experience

Overview

Japan’s Seto Sea is sometimes called the ‘Japanese Agean’, due to its calm nature, Mediterranean-like climate and scattered string of islands. Famous sites include the islands of Miyajima and Okunoshima, and the historic attractions of Mitarai and Takehara

NAOSHIMA

Day 1

Naoshima is a small island located between Okayama and Kagawa.

Once home to a dwindling population that was subsisting on the proceeds of a small fishing industry, Naoshima now has a number of world-class art galleries and installations, and has attracted creative types from all over Japan. The island is famed for its museums and modern art galleries, sculptures and architecture. One of the most notable attractions is the Chichu Art Museum, which is built into the hillside, and houses paintings from Monet's “Water Lilies” series.

Japan - NAOSHIMA - Luxury Charter Itinerary | C&N

TAKAMATSU

Day 2

Takamatsu, also known by the nickname the ‘Udon Kingdom’, is the number one place for udon noodles and bowls of these thicker, chewy noodles are slurped-up all over the city.

Visit Takamatsu’s wonderful Ritsurin Park, which was built as a place for the Sanuki and Sasuna warlords to relax. The park has now been declared a Japanese National Treasure.

In Tamamo Park you can see what is left of Takamatsu castle, built in 1588. The castle is one of very few that were built on a waterfront, and it has a moat fed by the sea.

ONOMICHI

Day 3

Onomichi is the gateway to the Sikoku mainland and is a port city in southwest Honshu.

Onomichi itself is very narrow, sandwiched by the sea in the South and mountains in the North.

Connect with the ancient religions and culture of Japan when you follow the temple path - a walk that winds its way between 25 temples and also leads you to an alley that is a haven for the local population of cats.

For a unique view of the cherry blossoms, take the cable car to the top of Mt. Senkoji.

OKUNOSHIMA

Day 4

Okunoshima is a small island with a rather dark side to its history. It was home to a government-funded factory which produced poison gas between 1929 and 1945 and during this period, the island was removed from Japanese maps. The factory site was turned into a museum in 1988.

The island is now home to thousands of rabbits, many of which are descended from rabbits that were intentionally released into the parks after World War II - it is assumed that these animals had previously been laboratory test subjects.

OSAKI SHIMO-JIMA

Day 5

Osaki shimo-jima is a beautiful and fascinating island located in the middle of the Seto inland sea, where the sound of ships being built in the remaining yards can be heard, and the sound of the sea breeze rustles the leaves of the citrus fruits.

During the Edo era its port, Mitarai, became famous under the name of ‘Kawe Machi’, an old saying that means ‘waiting for the wind’. Mitarai thrived as an anchorage port for commercial boats during the Japanese medieval ages.

Today, the island is known for its oranges.

Japan - OSAKI SHIMO-JIMA - Luxury Charter Itinerary | C&N

MIYAJIMA

Day 6

While officially named Itsukushima, this small island in the bay of Hiroshima is more commonly referred to as Miyajima, which is Japanese for ‘shrine island’.

The giant orange Great Torii Gate marks the entrance to the Itsukushima Shrine, which was built in the 12th century. The shrine is lit up at night and the red colors have a captivating and solemn beauty - the sight is ranked amongst the top three views in Japan.

While there are usually many day tourists, in the evening the area becomes much quieter and more peaceful, and the island’s deer come out from amongst the trees to wander along the pathways and around the temple sites.

HIROSHIMA

Day 7

Hiroshima, tragically famous for being the victim of the 1945 atomic bomb, is today a modern metropolis on the coast of Japan’s Honshu island.

There are many different monuments and memorials, the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum is particularly notable, to remind visitors of the event.

Take a walk in the beautiful Japanese garden of Shukkei-en, which was constructed in 1620 - it’s an astonishingly peaceful haven in the heart of the city.