Japan and Korea Tour: 14 Days from Istanbul

We meet at Istanbul Airport's International Departures Terminal at 12:00. After passport and baggage procedures, Turkish Airlines flight TK 50 departs at 15:50 for Tokyo, the heart of Japan. The flight takes about 12 hours, and we spend the night on board. Flight details: TK 50, Istanbul (IST) to Tokyo (NRT), 15:50 to 09:05 the following day. Overnight: Onboard.

We land at Tokyo Narita Airport at 09:05 local time. After customs and passport control, our private bus takes us into the largest metropolis of the Far East. Our Tokyo city tour begins at Meiji Shrine, known for its peaceful forest and gardens. We then ride up Tokyo Tower for a panoramic view of the city, passing the National Diet Building along the way. The day closes with free time on Ginza, one of the world's most exclusive shopping and cultural streets, before we check into our hotel. Accommodation: Shinjuku Washington Hotel or similar (3-star). Included services: Airport transfer and panoramic city tour.

After breakfast we set off on a full-day tour to Mount Fuji, Japan's highest peak. As our private bus heads toward the Hakone region, our guide shares insights into Japanese culture and local history. Weather permitting, we climb to Mount Fuji's 5th Station at 2,305 metres for views above the clouds. Lunch is a set menu of traditional Japanese dishes at a local restaurant. In the afternoon we take a boat tour on Lake Ashi, a UNESCO-protected site, watching Mount Fuji's reflection on the water. We return to Tokyo in the evening. Accommodation: Shinjuku Washington Hotel or similar. Meals: Breakfast and lunch.

After breakfast we spend a full day exploring Kamakura, one of Japan's former capitals, about an hour south of Tokyo. We begin at Kotoku-in Temple, home to the Great Buddha, a bronze statue dating to the 13th century. At Hokoku-ji Temple, one of Zen Buddhism's important centres, we walk through the famous bamboo garden and pause for traditional Japanese tea. Our guide tells us about the region's samurai-era history along the way. In the evening we return to our hotel in Tokyo for dinner at a local restaurant. Accommodation: Shinjuku Washington Hotel or similar. Meals: Breakfast and dinner.

After breakfast we transfer to Tokyo Station and board the Shinkansen bullet train at 08:30 for Hiroshima, covering roughly 800 kilometres in comfort. On arrival we explore Hiroshima's city centre: the Peace Memorial Park and Museum, which carries the memory of the Second World War, and the UNESCO-listed Atomic Bomb Dome. We spend free time in the streets of modern Hiroshima, with a chance to try the city's famous okonomiyaki. After the tour we check into our hotel. Accommodation: Hiroshima. Meals: Breakfast.

After breakfast we head by train or private vehicle to Kobe, the capital of Hyogo Prefecture. Set between mountains and the sea, this port city was one of Japan's first gateways to the outside world. We walk along the waterfront at Kobe Port Area (Meriken Park), home to the red Kobe Port Tower, and visit the site preserved in memory of the 1995 earthquake. In Kitano-cho, at the foot of Mount Rokko, we wander among 19th-century Western-style houses, then sample local snacks in Nankinmachi, the city's Chinatown. After the tour we check into our hotel for dinner. Accommodation: Kobe. Meals: Breakfast and dinner.

After breakfast a short journey brings us to Osaka, where we begin a panoramic city tour covering both its historic and modern sides. We visit Osaka Castle, known for its imposing walls and wide moat, then take in a bird's-eye view of the city from the observation deck of the Umeda Sky Building. The tour concludes in Dotonbori, Osaka's lively heart, with free time among neon signs, canal-side restaurants and shopping streets, and the chance to try takoyaki or okonomiyaki. Accommodation: Osaka. Meals: Breakfast.

After breakfast we head to Nara, considered the cradle of Japanese culture, spending a full day in this open-air museum of a city. At Nara Deer Park we can hand-feed the deer that roam freely, regarded in Shinto belief as sacred messengers. We visit Todai-ji Temple, one of the world's largest wooden structures, home to a 15-metre bronze Buddha statue, and Kasuga Taisha Shrine, known for its thousands of stone and bronze lanterns. We spend free time in the narrow streets of Naramachi among traditional Japanese houses, then return to Osaka in the evening. Accommodation: Osaka. Meals: Breakfast and lunch.

After breakfast we head to Kyoto, where Japanese culture survives in its purest form, spending a full day among the city's UNESCO World Heritage sites. We visit Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion, its upper two floors covered in gold leaf and reflected in the pond below, then Kiyomizu-dera Temple, built without a single nail, for a panoramic view over Kyoto. At Fushimi Inari Shrine we walk through tunnels formed by thousands of orange torii gates. The tour ends in Gion, home to traditional tea houses. We return to Osaka in the evening. Accommodation: Osaka. Meals: Breakfast and lunch.

Early in the morning we transfer to Osaka Kansai Airport and take off at 09:30 for Seoul, the capital of South Korea. After a flight of about two hours we head to the city centre. In the afternoon we take a half-day city tour: Insadong Street, known for its traditional tea houses and antique shops, then Namsan Tower (N Seoul Tower) for a panoramic view of the city. After dinner we check into our hotel. Accommodation: Ramada by Wyndham Seoul or similar. Meals: Breakfast.

After breakfast we head to the DMZ, the buffer zone separating North and South Korea. At Imjingak Park we see the Freedom Bridge and old locomotives that bear the scars of war, then descend into the Third Infiltration Tunnel, dug 73 metres underground by North Korea. From Dora Observatory we look across the border through telescopes, and we visit Dorasan Station, hoped one day to connect North and South. In the afternoon we return to central Seoul to visit Gyeongbokgung Palace, the grandest of the five palaces built by the Joseon Dynasty, and Bukchon Hanok Village, with its traditional Korean houses. The rest of the day is free to explore Seoul's shopping streets and markets. Accommodation: Ramada by Wyndham Seoul or similar. Meals: Breakfast and dinner.

After breakfast a free day begins, ours to explore this vast, many-layered city. You can head to Gangnam and the COEX Mall to see the Starfield Library, browse the cosmetics and fashion stores of Myeongdong, visit the Zaha Hadid-designed Dongdaemun Design Plaza, explore cosmopolitan Itaewon, or walk along the Han River. In the evening you can round off your last night in Seoul with Korean barbecue. Accommodation: Ramada by Wyndham Seoul or similar. Meals: Breakfast.

After breakfast we check out and leave our luggage with the hotel. Since our flight departs late at night, the day is free to enjoy Seoul: last-minute shopping, the cosmetics shops of Myeongdong, or time in Gangnam. In the evening we meet the group for a farewell dinner in Seoul. Around 19:30 we transfer to Incheon Airport to complete check-in and passport procedures. Turkish Airlines flight TK 91 departs for Istanbul at 00:10, and we spend the night on board. Flight details: TK 91, Seoul (ICN) to Istanbul (IST), departing 00:10.

After a comfortable overnight flight we land in Istanbul at first light, local time. Arrival: Landing at Istanbul Airport at 05:50. After passport and baggage procedures, our 14-day journey through Japan and South Korea comes to an end here.