Japan and South Korea Tour, 12 Days from Istanbul

We meet at 12:00 at the International Terminal of Istanbul Airport and complete passport and check-in formalities together. Turkish Airlines flight TK 50 departs at 15:50 and the journey to East Asia begins. The night is spent in the air. Accommodation: Overnight on the plane.

We land at Tokyo Narita Airport at 09:05 local time. After passport and customs formalities, a private air-conditioned coach takes us into the city. The Meiji Shrine is the first stop, built in memory of the emperor who oversaw Japan's modernisation and set inside a sacred cedar grove in the middle of Tokyo. Tokyo Tower follows, with the panorama over the city from 250 metres. On the way we pass the National Diet Building, the Japanese parliament. The day closes on Ginza, the shopping and cultural quarter of Tokyo, with free time for its coffee houses and boutiques. Accommodation: Shinjuku Washington Hotel, 3-star or similar, Tokyo.

After breakfast we set out for Mount Fuji, the emblem of Japan and 3,776 metres high. Weather permitting we drive up to the Fifth Station, the closest viewpoint to the summit. Lunch is at a local restaurant, with tempura, soba and miso soup among the regional dishes. In the afternoon we move on to Lake Ashi and take a boat trip to see Fuji reflected in the water. The volcanic hot spring area in the green hills of Hakone follows. We return to Tokyo in the evening. Accommodation: Shinjuku Washington Hotel, 3-star, Tokyo.

After breakfast we drive an hour south of Tokyo to Kamakura, the capital of Japan in the 13th century and the birthplace of samurai culture. The first stop is Kotoku-in, whose grounds hold the Daibutsu, a bronze Buddha 13.35 metres tall that has sat in the open air since 1252. It is the second largest Buddha statue in Japan. Hokoku-ji follows, one of the important centres of Zen Buddhism. We walk through its bamboo grove and take matcha at a traditional tea ceremony. We return to Tokyo in the evening. Accommodation: Shinjuku Washington Hotel, 3-star, Tokyo.

The whole day is free, set aside for the city at your own pace. Our tour leader can arrange optional excursions on request. These are not part of the tour package. The usual choices are a sushi breakfast at the Tsukiji or Toyosu fish market, Senso-ji temple and Nakamise street in Asakusa, Shibuya Crossing and the youth culture of Harajuku, the electronics and anime district of Akihabara, and the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Accommodation: Shinjuku Washington Hotel, 3-star, Tokyo.

We leave the hotel at 08:00 and transfer to the station for a two and a half hour run on the Shinkansen. The train reaches 300 km/h, and the quiet carriages and to-the-minute timekeeping are what Japanese rail is known for. On arrival in Osaka we begin a panoramic city tour. Osaka Castle, Osaka-jo, dates from the samurai era of the 16th century. The Umeda Sky Building is the city's sky garden. Dotonbori is the neon-lit street food quarter, known for its Glico Running Man sign. Accommodation: Sarasa Hotel Osaka, 3-star or similar.

After breakfast we travel to Kyoto, the capital of Japan for eleven centuries. Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, comes first. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, its exterior is covered in real gold leaf, and its reflection in the pond makes it one of the most photographed buildings in the country. Lunch is at a local restaurant, a traditional Kyoto kaiseki menu. In the afternoon we move on to Nara, the older capital. More than 1,300 deer roam free in Nara Park, where they are held sacred, and deer crackers can be bought for them. Todai-ji is the largest wooden building in the world and houses a bronze Buddha 15 metres tall. We return to Osaka in the evening. Accommodation: Sarasa Hotel Osaka, 3-star.

After breakfast we head out on a half-day tour of the port city of Kobe. The Great Hanshin Earthquake Memorial Park marks the earthquake of 1995. We then walk along the waterfront at Kobe Port and stop for photographs. Nankinmachi is one of the oldest Chinatowns in Japan. The Hakutsuru Sake Museum belongs to the largest sake producer in the country, and here we follow how rice wine is made and take part in a tasting. We return to Osaka in the afternoon, and the rest of the day is free. Accommodation: Sarasa Hotel Osaka, 3-star.

An early transfer takes us to Osaka Kansai Airport. Asiana Airlines flight OZ 115 departs at 10:50 for Seoul, the South Korean capital, landing at Incheon at 12:50. A private vehicle brings us into the city centre. The half-day introductory tour opens at Iksendong, a quarter of traditional Korean houses from the Joseon dynasty. Gwanghwamun Square is the symbolic centre of the city. We see Gyeongbokgung Palace from the outside today and watch the changing of the guard, performed in traditional dress. The day ends with free time on Myeongdong, the street at the centre of K-pop, cosmetics and street food. Flight details: Asiana Airlines OZ 115, Osaka Kansai 10:50, Seoul Incheon 12:50. Accommodation: Ramada Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel, 4-star or similar.

After breakfast we set out on a full-day cultural tour. Today we go inside Gyeongbokgung Palace, built in the 14th century as the seat of the Joseon dynasty. At the National Folk Museum of Korea we look at traditional life and history. We return to Iksendong for a longer walk through its hanok architecture. Insadong is the antiques and crafts quarter, and the right street for souvenirs. Lunch brings bibimbap, bulgogi and a spread of banchan from traditional Korean cooking. In the afternoon we visit Changdeokgung Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage Site laid out to sit within its landscape. The day closes on Namsan Hill, with the full panorama over Seoul and the well-known bridge of love locks. Accommodation: Ramada Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel, 4-star.

After breakfast we head for the DMZ, the demilitarised zone that divides the two Koreas and one of the most closely guarded borders in the world. The Imjingak Bridge of Freedom is known as the meeting point for families separated by the war. The Third Tunnel is one of the passages dug secretly southwards from North Korea. From the Dora Observatory we look across into North Korean territory through binoculars. Lunch is served with the food of the region. In the afternoon we visit the Korean War Memorial and the United Nations Memorial, then move on to the Turkish Brigade Memorial. We hold a moment of silence for the 721 Turkish soldiers who lost their lives in the Korean War between 1950 and 1953. Our tour leader recounts the battles at Kunuri, Gunu-ri and Kumyangjang-ni. We return to Seoul in the evening. Accommodation: Ramada Seoul Dongdaemun Hotel, 4-star.

After breakfast we check out and transfer to Incheon Airport. Turkish Airlines flight TK 21 departs for Istanbul at 10:45. The flight takes around 12 hours and lands at Istanbul Airport at 16:55. From the shrines of Tokyo to the slopes of Fuji, from the golden pavilion of Kyoto to the deer of Nara, from the palaces of Seoul to the memorial on the border, the 12-day route ends here.