Watch wide-eyed at Japan’s pink cherry blossoms with a cruise, FREE Tokyo hotel stay and a FREE Mount Fuji tour from $322pp per night
SponsoredFrom the serene Meiji Shinto Shrine to flashing, neon-lit streets, Tokyo is Japan’s capital city with attitude and sharp contrasts.
Now you can get a taste of this fascinating city and experience Japan’s famed cherry blossom season with Imagine Holidays’ exclusive, 14-nights cruise onboard Holland America’s Westerdam which will sail the country’s coastal wonders with a 4-night hotel stay in Tokyo plus a breathtaking tour of Mount Fuji from as little as $5,799pp** with departures in March and April 2024.
To book, call Imagine Holidays at (02) 7254 2124 or click here for more details.
Be mesmerised by the beauty and riot of pink-hued cherry blossoms with streets covered with garlands of stunning Sakura flowers during the peak March to April season. Each year, thousands of Japanese gather to watch the Sakura bloom and fall – a stark reminder that life is beautiful but also ephemeral and short.
You will then board Westerdam for your delightful voyage around the country’s coastal treasures. Highlights include calls to Keelung where you can view wide-eyed at Taipei’s 101 highrise sitting next to Taoist temples and Shimizu, brimming with astounding-looking, natural landscape. You will overnight in the port of Kobe where you can indulge in some amazing cuisine in many, top-quality restaurants.
When Westerdam arrives in Tokyo, you will enjoy a three-night hotel stay with an unforgettable tour of Mount Fuji to marvel at the amazing, majestic view in all its glory. You will also experience the Hakone Ropeway cable car, take a boat ride in Lake Ashi before boarding the famous bullet train back to Tokyo.
Holland America’s Westerdam offers a leisurely pace of life at sea with a great variety of activities and dining options. In the evenings, you can spend your time listening to classical music at the Lincoln Center Stage; rock ‘n’ roll at BB King’s or take part in a jolly karaoke session at Billboard Onboard. The ship’s Mainstage also offers a range of comedy, song and dance performances.
Your Japanese adventure kicks off when you spend one night in Tokyo discovering the Imperial Palace, home to Japanese royalty, go shopping in Ginza known for its eclectic range of upmarket and funky clothing shops and when dusk falls, head to Nakameguro Cherry Blossom illuminations where some 800 cherry trees are all lit-up along the rived lined with red lanterns and festive food stalls.
The next day, you will board the Westerdam and enjoy two days at sea enjoying the ship’s attractions including the Vista Show Lounge with its superb live entertainment.
Your first port of call is Naha in Okinawa with its majestic hilltop Shuri Castle and Shikinaen gardens.
You will be gobsmacked by Japan’s answer to the Caribbean – tropical Ishigaki island with its white-sandy beaches, mangrove-lined rivers and mountains, perfect for hiking. Ishigaki is a nature lover’s paradise.
Your next port of call is Hualien, one of Taiwan’s biggest cities and gateway to to Taiwan’s hiking trails, waterfalls and hot springs. Make sure you visit Taroko National Park with its 12-mile-long canyon – an amazing spectacle of craggy rocks and cascading waterfalls.
At Kagoshima, you will be able to view its towering active volcano. A geothermal wonderland of hot springs and geysers where you can also view plum blossoms, spring flowers with over 800 cherry trees lining the banks of Kotsukigawa River. Make sure you sample one of Japan’s best sake, brewed from Satsuma sweet potatoes.
Westerdam will then cruise into the seaside city of Miyazaki where you will be explore the remnants of Obi Castle, a former Samurai stronghold dating back to the 1400s.
Embrace one of Japan’s attractive city of Kobe, nestled between the mountains and the sea with its charming cafes, teppanyaki restaurants serving local speciality, Kobe beef.
Your next stop is the town of Shimizu where you can spot the snow-topped Mount Fuji. Shimizu Park is one of the country’s top 100 cherry blossom viewing sites – be prepared to be dazzled.
You will then disembark in Tokyo where you will enjoy a further three-night stay to explore Japan’s dynamic city and watch young Japanese dressed in unconventional and outlandish clothes as they parade the streets of fashionably cool Shibuya.
During your Tokyo stay, you will be taken on a tour of the sacred Mount Fuji, take a sky ride on the Hakone Ropeway Cable Car before whizzing back to Tokyo on a bullet train.
The next day you will fly home with wonderful memories and photographs taken no doubt on your mobile phone.
To book, call Imagine Holidays at (02) 7254 2124 or click here for more details.
Your holiday summary
Full-board cruise
- 14-night full-board cruise onboard Westerdam
- Overnight in Kobe port
FREE hotel stay*
- 4 night four-star hotel stay at the Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba or similar
FREE fully escorted tours
- Tour of Mount Fuji including the Hakone Ropeway cable car
- Boat trip across Lake Ashi
- High-speed bullet train to Tokyo
