Treasures Of Japan By Sea – With Smithsonian Journeys

Kobe is the capital of the Hyogo Prefecture and lies on the southern side of the main island of Honshu, Japan. A cosmopolitan port city with an international flavour it is hemmed in by Mt. Rokko, and it constantly comes up number one in expatriate rankings of the best place to live in Japan. Read more about Kobe, Japan

The modern Japanese city of Takamatsu, facing the Seto Inland Sea, is the main gateway to Shikoku Island. While the downtown is relatively easy to navigate on foot, many visitors choose to rent a bicycle. Takamatsu has a number of long arcade-style shopping streets, giving the city's shopping a more traditional feel. Read more about Takamatsu, Japan

The capital of the prefecture of the same name, Hiroshima, situated at the centre of the Chugoku region in western Honshu – Japan’s largest island – is possibly best known for being the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon. Today, though, it is a modern cosmopolitan city with wide boulevards and criss-crossing rivers. Many of the famous attractions are connected to the horrific split second of the bomb blast on August 6, 1945, and are truly well worth visiting. Read more about Hiroshima, Japan

Popularly known as Miyajima, the Shrine Island, Itsukushima is an island in the western part of the Inland Sea of Japan, located in the NW of Hiroshima Bay. The island lies 12 km WSW of the port of Hiroshima, and is famous for the Itsukushima Shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The gigantic red gate to the shrine can be reached at low tide off the north side of the island. Read more about Miyajima, Japan

Hagi is a small city (pop. 50,000) lying on the SW coast of Honshu, Japan’s largest island. Across the Sea of Japan it faces Pusan, South Korea, 220 km distant. Read more about Hagi, Japan

Sakaiminato is an important fishing port facing Mihio Bay and the Sea of Japan to the east, and inland Lake Nakaumi to the west. It lies in the middle of West Japan. South of the port is the sweeping 15km Yumi-ga-Hama Beach, and 30km to the ESE rises the great snow-capped summit of Mt. Read more about Sakaiminato (for Matsue), Japan

Busan (formerly Pusan), the second largest city and principal port of South Korea, is situated in the SE of the peninsula on the Korea Strait. The city has many steep hills, creating a delightful mix of mountains and ocean. While Busan was relatively untouched during the Korean War, the flood of refugees has shaped the city. Read more about Busan, South Korea

Kobe is the capital of the Hyogo Prefecture and lies on the southern side of the main island of Honshu, Japan. A cosmopolitan port city with an international flavour it is hemmed in by Mt. Rokko, and it constantly comes up number one in expatriate rankings of the best place to live in Japan. Read more about Kobe, Japan