PONANT has unveiled its new Japanese luxury expedition program for 2024 featuring sailings in the Nippon archipelago as well as three new itineraries never offered before. Commencing in March 2024, PONANT is expanding its programme with the addition of sailings in Kyushu’s islands between Kagoshima and Fukuoka, and in the Seto Inland Sea from Kagoshima to Kobe.
Travellers sailing onboard Le Jacques-Cartier and Le Soleal will not only be among the first to explore some of Japan south islands on a luxury expedition but can also expect to discover the unexpected Christian heritage off the coast of Nagasaki – a religion which survived being banned for three centuries during the Edo period. At the intersection of Western and Japanese traditions, guests will access various UNESCO sites and hidden Christian sites, including Sakitsu and Kamigoto on Yakushima Island.
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Each sailing promises a rich itinerary combining some of Japan’s most diverse and sometimes under-the-radar assets, from luxurious vegetation to sharp rugged cliffs; from green-topped volcanoes to white-sand beaches; from modern metropoles to ancestral remote towns.
The new itineraries add to PONANT’s existing routes across Japan’s subtropical islands, taking travellers away from the lively Kobe, Fukuoka and Onomichi, to the exotic and remote provinces of Iheyajima, Kerama or even Ishigaki. On select itineraries, guests will have the chance to embark on a wider Asian exploration stopping by some of South Korea’s most famous southern ports of Busan, Yeosu or Jeju, Keelung in Taiwan, or Ha Long in Vietnam.
The just-released 2024 program is the result of a highly curated selection of the country best-kept secrets carefully curated by Ryo Ijichi, PONANT’s Expedition Leader and Commercial Manager for Japan and Korea who commented on the expansion of the existing Japan program whilst staying true to PONANT’s ethos of unparallel and meaningful expedition sailings.
“As an island state, Japan was originally more connected by sea than by land. Most of the cities, the gateways to these regions, there faced the ocean. Imagine what a great playground this is for an expedition ship discovery. When one considers Japan, one often thinks of the contemporary pace of Tokyo and the traditional aspects of Kyoto, but it is my hope from our itineraries that our guests will learn and experience an entirely different way or being in this unexpectedly rich country,” Ryo said.
NEW
Kyushu’s Secret Islands and Ancestral Heritage
From Kagoshina to Fukuoka – 8 days | 20-27 April 2024 | From AU$8,990 per person*
A new itinerary for the 2024 season, travellers can expect to uncover an unsuspected side of Japan onboard Le Jacques-Cartier, combining enchanting nature and unexpected Christina heritage at the intersection of Western and Japanese traditions. From bustling Kagoshima, travellers will head to the mountainous island of Yakushima, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site for its rich wildlife and unspoiled nature, before reaching Koshikijima Islands and their majestic cliffs.
Guests will then discover the island region of Amakusa, off the coast of Nagasaki, once the refuge of Christians fleeing the ban on Catholicism during the Edo period, including an immersion in the emblematic UNESCO-listed church of Sakitsu. Further North, in Goto Islands’ Kamigoto, further traces of this under-the-radar heritage can be found across small towns. Pursuing this new discovery expedition, travellers will then unveil the secrets of Iki, a little-known island between South Korea and Fukuoka, set amongst verdant-topped rock formations, heavenly beaches and no less than 150 shrines.
The new sailing will conclude in Fukuoka after a stop by the volcanic island of Jeju in South Korea.
This itinerary also operates in reverse from 20-27 April 2024.
Save up to 30% when you book early – conditions apply.
NEW Japan, natural archipelago, and secular heritage
From Kagoshina to Kobe – 9 days | 4-12 May 2024 |From AU$10,270 per person*
A new itinerary for the 2024 season, PONANT invites guests to discover one of Japan’s unique heritages between Kagoshima and Kobe through a 9-day trip. Sailing through the Seto Inland Sea and its picturesque villages, Le Jacques-Cartier will son set course to the fascinating Koshikijima Islands and its monumental cliffs, before heading for the island region of Amakusa, once the refuge of Christians fleeing the ban on Catholicism in the Edo period and visiting Sakitsu’s UNESCO-listed church. After a stop in South Korea’s second-largest city, Busan, travellers will return to Japan and discover Moji on the northern tip of Kyushu, a preserved architectural jewel evoking the traditional Japan of the Meiji era. After a trip to Onomichi, home to numerous temples and emblematic shrines, guests will visit Tomonoura and its craggy landscape before reaching Kobe.
Save up to 25% when you book early – conditions apply.
View Ponant’s full Japan program at au.ponant.com/
