Discover South Korea & Japan

Seoul announces itself immediately — a city of ten million people, five centuries of royal palaces and one of the most dynamic food and culture scenes in Asia.
Check in to your 5-star hotel and spend the evening exploring at your own pace. Gyeongbokgung Palace and Bukchon Hanok Village are both within easy reach for a first impression of the city’s extraordinary range. The Myeongdong street food district is the finest possible introduction to Korean cuisine at its most alive and generous. Silver Muse departs from Incheon tomorrow.

Incheon is the gateway to Seoul and one of Korea’s most historically layered port cities.
The Chinatown district, where Jjajangmyeon noodles are said to have been born, is a vibrant hybrid of Chinese and Korean culture just minutes from the port. The MacArthur Statue in Freedom Park marks the 1950 Incheon Landing. This afternoon Silver Muse departs and the voyage north toward China begins.

The Yellow Sea crossing toward China is one of the most historically significant passages in Asia.
These waters have carried merchants, diplomats and envoys between China, Korea and Japan for thousands of years. Beijing is just over the horizon, and whatever the programme holds in the Connoisseur Club or at La Terrazza tonight, the enrichment lecture on Chinese history and the Forbidden City is worth prioritising before tomorrow.

Tianjin is the gateway to Beijing, and the journey inland to one of the world’s great capitals takes around three hours.
Tianjin itself rewards the curious visitor with the Five Avenues district, where French, British, Italian and German concession-era architecture from the late 19th century lines the streets in an extraordinary colonial architectural collage. The Tianjin Eye, a ferris wheel fused with a river bridge, is one of the most distinctive structures in China. The Ancient Culture Street, a Qing Dynasty market street still very much in use, is the most atmospheric afternoon in the city. For most, however, Beijing is the draw, and your shore excursion credit is extraordinarily well deployed here.

A second day in the Beijing region and the options are almost overwhelming.
The Forbidden City, the largest imperial palace complex in the world with over 800 buildings and a reputed 9,999 rooms, is best visited at opening when the early light catches the yellow roof tiles of the inner courts. Tiananmen Square, the largest public square in the world, lies directly to the south. But the most extraordinary experience in the region is the Great Wall, which snakes across the mountains northwest of the city in a UNESCO World Heritage landscape that genuinely exceeds every photograph of it. The Mutianyu or Jinshanling sections offer the most rewarding access. Silver Muse sails south from Tianjin this evening.

A sea day returning south through the Yellow Sea after two extraordinary days in China’s capital region.
The contrast between the imperial scale of the Forbidden City and the intimate refinement of Silver Muse is one of the most satisfying transitions in travel. The spa, the pool deck and a long, unhurried dinner at La Terrazza are all waiting. Jeju tomorrow.

eju is South Korea’s island paradise, a volcanic UNESCO World Heritage gem where dramatic black lava coast meets tangerine orchards and the summit of Hallasan rises above everything in permanent cloud.
The island holds a rare triple UNESCO designation covering its volcanic features — the only place in Korea to do so. The Manjanggul lava tube is one of the longest in the world, its cathedral-like chambers carved by flows from Hallasan’s eruptions millennia ago. The haenyeo, Jeju’s legendary female free-divers who still harvest abalone and sea urchin from the ocean floor without equipment, are one of the most distinctive living cultural traditions in Korea. The seafood in Jeju, particularly the raw fish and black pork, is considered among the finest in the country.

Busan is one of the great surprises of Northeast Asia — a city of three and a half million people where lush mountains plunge directly into the sea and the energy is entirely its own.
The cliff-perched Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, built in 1376 above the crashing waves of the East Sea, is unlike any other temple in Korea. The hillside shantytown of Gamcheon Culture Village has been transformed into a vivid outdoor gallery of flamingo-pink, lemon-yellow and sky-blue houses where local artists have covered every surface in murals and installations. Haeundae Beach is the most popular urban beach in Korea, and the Jagalchi fish market is a visceral, extraordinary immersion in Korean food culture at its most elemental. Bibimbap from a street vendor and the night view of the Gwangan Bridge illuminated across the bay make for a complete Busan day.

Nagasaki’s natural harbour is one of the finest in Japan, and arriving by ship allows you to understand immediately why it became Japan’s most important international port for three centuries.
The story of Nagasaki is the story of Japan’s relationship with the outside world — from the Portuguese missionaries of the 1540s and the Dutch enclave of Dejima that kept a thread of Western knowledge alive during two centuries of isolation, to the shipbuilding industry that made it a wartime target. On 9 August 1945 Nagasaki became the second city struck by an atomic bomb. The Peace Park, the Hypocenter Park and the National Peace Memorial Hall bear witness to that event with great dignity. The Urakami Cathedral, rebuilt after complete destruction, stands nearby as a symbol of the city’s extraordinary resilience. Nagasaki today is a warm, cosmopolitan and deeply moving city that rewards every hour spent in it.

Aburatsu is one of the most distinctive and rarely visited ports on the Japanese coast, and Silver Muse’s intimate size makes calling here possible.
The Nichinan Coast of Miyazaki Prefecture is a landscape of subtropical plants, dramatic rock formations and clear Pacific water that feels almost Caribbean in its colour and warmth. The Udo Shrine, carved into a sea cave on the cliff face above the ocean, is one of the most atmospherically situated Shinto shrines in Japan. The ancient cedar forests of Miyazaki Prefecture and the Nichinan palm-lined beaches offer a completely different Japan from the cities — quieter, wilder and deeply memorable.

Hiroshima is one of the most important cities you will ever visit, and the experience of walking its streets carries a weight unlike anywhere else in Japan.
The Peace Memorial Park and its central Genbaku Dome, the ruin of the building directly beneath the detonation point deliberately left standing, is a site of profound solemnity. The Flames of Peace burn in the park’s central pond and will continue to do so until all nuclear weapons in the world have been destroyed. The Children’s Peace Monument, adorned with thousands of paper cranes, is equally moving. Beyond the Peace Memorial, the island shrine of Miyajima, where the famous torii gate appears to float on the water at high tide, is just 30 minutes by ferry and one of Japan’s most photographed landscapes. In June, hydrangea blooms colour the park grounds and temple gardens throughout the city.

The Japanese city of Kobe needs no introduction. The name is synonymous with its home grown superstar. We are not talking of its stunning shrines, cherry trees laden with blossom during sakura or effervescent city, buzzing with life 24/7. We are of course talking of a much more grass roots hero – its eponymous beef. The delicacy might have put the city on the map, but there is far more to Kobe than its meat. Naturally, Kobe wears its cuisine as a badge of honour. View less

Its port history has given it a gastronomy that is quite different from its neighbours. Seafood and sushi is naturally some of the freshest and most diverse you can find, but Kobe’s multi-cultural nature (the city is home to 98 different nationalities) means that it has one of the most diverse gastronomic cultures in Japan. Bread and bakeries are also an (unexpected) delicacy. Additionally, Sake is taken very seriously – Kobe even has its own museum dedicated to the national spirit. Historically, Kobe has always been a key city for Japan. Renamed in 1889, it was known as Owada no Tomari during the Nara Period (710-784 C.E.). Kobe’s location on the calm Inland Sea between Osaka and Kyoto has proven to be pivotal in Japanese history; it is mentioned in famous literary works such as The Tale of Genji (from approximately late 9th century) and the Taiheiki (14th century). The city and region are home to many attractions including the Himeji Castle (widely considered to be Japan’s most beautiful feudal castle), a short ride away.

The Japanese city of Kobe needs no introduction. The name is synonymous with its home grown superstar. We are not talking of its stunning shrines, cherry trees laden with blossom during sakura or effervescent city, buzzing with life 24/7. We are of course talking of a much more grass roots hero – its eponymous beef. The delicacy might have put the city on the map, but there is far more to Kobe than its meat. Naturally, Kobe wears its cuisine as a badge of honour. View less

Its port history has given it a gastronomy that is quite different from its neighbours. Seafood and sushi is naturally some of the freshest and most diverse you can find, but Kobe’s multi-cultural nature (the city is home to 98 different nationalities) means that it has one of the most diverse gastronomic cultures in Japan. Bread and bakeries are also an (unexpected) delicacy. Additionally, Sake is taken very seriously – Kobe even has its own museum dedicated to the national spirit. Historically, Kobe has always been a key city for Japan. Renamed in 1889, it was known as Owada no Tomari during the Nara Period (710-784 C.E.). Kobe’s location on the calm Inland Sea between Osaka and Kyoto has proven to be pivotal in Japanese history; it is mentioned in famous literary works such as The Tale of Genji (from approximately late 9th century) and the Taiheiki (14th century). The city and region are home to many attractions including the Himeji Castle (widely considered to be Japan’s most beautiful feudal castle), a short ride away.

The final sea day of the voyage, sailing the Inland Sea toward Tokyo as Japan’s coastline makes one last appearance on the horizon.
The Inland Sea, one of the most historically significant bodies of water in Japan, connects the islands of Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu through a channel dotted with small islands, fishing villages and ancient castle towns. Silver Muse’s final evening is the occasion for a farewell dinner at whichever of the eight dining venues has claimed your loyalty over the past two weeks. Tokyo tomorrow — and one more night in one of the world’s greatest cities.

Tokyo arrives after sixteen nights of extraordinary discovery and the city does not disappoint.
Silver Muse docks as the city’s skyline fills the horizon. Transfer to your 5-star hotel and let Tokyo begin its final chapter. The Shibuya Crossing, the temples of Asakusa, the precision of Tsukiji’s outer market and the quiet gardens of the Imperial Palace are all within reach. June in Tokyo is warm and vibrant, with the city’s hydrangea season in full bloom and the summer festival season beginning to stir.

Your Discover South Korea and Japan journey draws to a close today.
Transfer from your Tokyo hotel to Narita or Haneda for your flight home. From Seoul’s palaces to the Great Wall of China, Jeju’s volcanic coast, Busan’s energy, Nagasaki’s solemnity, and finally Tokyo’s extraordinary everything — it has been a voyage worth every moment. Ask your Cruiseabout specialist about extending your Tokyo stay before you fly.