Asia

Historic highlights, contemporary attractions and cultural diversity at every turn – welcome to amazing Asia, where you won’t leave disappointed. From picturesque rice fields and rivers to unique wildlife and stunning city skylines, there’s a travel experience for everyone in this fascinating part of the world.

JAPAN

Travel to diverse and enthralling Japan, where you can experience rustic villages, majestic castles, serene temples and spectacular landscapes while dining on traditional cuisine like sushi, ramen and yakitori as you go. Take in the magic of Japan’s most famous destinations, from the excitement and energy of Tokyo and Osaka to the tranquility of bucolic villages and the traditional capital, Kyoto. To make the most of your trip, join Janesco Travel – which specialises in creating tours for special interest groups and Clubs such as Probus – on a fully escorted journey through this remarkable land. Janesco is led by Satoko Franks, a Kyoto native and Australian resident, who is passionate about showing the real Japan to Australian travellers. Options range from as short as 10 days to as long as 22 days for their “Japan All Over Tour” (janescotravel.com/japan-all-over-tour-2022).

Explore extraordinary Tokyo

The excitement begins the moment you arrive in Japan’s exuberant capital, Tokyo. Members will revel in a multiday tour of this vibrant city that began as a tiny fishing village. No other destination in Japan can rival Tokyo for its contrast between historical samurai culture and impressive modern architecture and technology. Start with a Japanese beer, sake or cocktail overlooking the Imperial Palace at sunset. Get incredible views of the city from an observation deck at Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building. Buy a kimono or simply soak up the atmosphere of renowned shopping and entertainment districts like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Ginza and Harajuku. Visit some of Tokyo’s 4,000-plus temples and shrines including Sensō-ji Temple, one of its oldest and most significant, and Zōjō-ji Temple at the foot of the iconic Tokyo Tower.

Tokyo is also a haven for museum lovers. Wander the excellent Tokyo National Museum and National Museum of Nature and Science. For something different, take a look around Yayoi Kusama Museum (yayoikusamamuseum.jp) – featuring the work of the celebrated Japanese contemporary artist known as the ‘Queen of Polka Dots’ – or discover the Mori Building Digital Art Museum: teamLab Borderless (borderless.teamlab.art), perhaps the most futuristic and progressive museum anywhere in the world. Day-tripping outside of Tokyo? Don’t miss your chance to take photos of the renowned peak and volcano of Mount Fuji, one of Japan’s three sacred mountains.

Discover ancient Kyoto

For historic splendour and serenity it’s hard to look past Japan’s ancient capital and spiritual heart, Kyoto, renowned for its classical Buddhist temples, imperial palaces, Zen gardens and traditional wooden houses. Kyoto is home to some 17 UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the magnificent Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji), a Zen Buddhist temple at which the top two floors are covered entirely in gold leaf, and Nijō Castle, the beautifully preserved Kyoto residence of the famous shōgun Tokugawa Ieyasu from the Edo Period (1603-1867).

Other highlights of Kyoto and its outskirts include Fushimi Inari Shrine, famous for its thousands of vermilion torii gates standing close together, and the Sagano Bamboo Forest, situated in the gorgeous Arashiyama district, a seemingly endless grove of tall bamboo stalks swaying in the wind as the sun filters through to the pathways below. In the Higashiyama District, make sure your group visits Ninenzaka, an ancient 150-metre stone-paved pedestrian road lined with traditional buildings and shops. After a long day of sightseeing, enjoy the region’s rich and refined cuisine in the form of a Kaiseki multicourse dinner, while a geisha performs a traditional dance. And for the ultimate Kyoto experience, stay in a traditional ryokan, a type of Japanese inn typically featuring tatamimatted rooms and communal baths.

1. Its full name is a mouthful, but teamLab Borderless (for short) museum in Tokyo is an incredible experience

2. Himeji Castle in Japan’s Hyogo Prefecture is a sight to behold during cherry blossom season

3. The impressive Tokyo Tower stands at 333 metres in height

4. Wander through the famous gates of Fushimi Inari Shrine

5. Ninenzaka is a famous cobbled pedestrian road in Higashiyama, Kyoto

Enjoy the Cherry Blossom Festival

Each year in Hanami (‘flower viewing’) season, from late March through to May as one travels further north,

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the Cherry Blossom Festival sees thousands of locals and visitors alike descend on popular viewing spots to admire the iconic sakura – Japan’s delicate pastel pink cherry blossoms. The sakura flowers hold great significance in Japanese history and culture, with the cherry blossom believed to represent the hope, beauty and fragility of life. Club members can appreciate these breathtaking flowers in bloom within many of Tokyo’s most splendid parks and landscaped gardens including Ueno Park, Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden, Sumida Park and Koishikawa Botanical Garden, not to mention surrounding major landmarks across the country including the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Himeji Castle – a national treasure and the finest surviving example of early 17th-century Japanese castle architecture.

Follow the cherry blossoms from the ancient capital Kyoto to the samurai town of Kanazawa and the thatched rural villages of Shirakawa-go and Gokayama on Janesco Travel’s 16-day Japan Cherry Blossom Dreams Tour, departing annually in March (janescotravel.com/japancherry-blossom-dreams-tour-2022-2).

AT A GLANCE

Janesco Travel

1300 880 819 janescotravel.com

Tokyo

→ Tokyo Imperial Palace → Tokyo Metropolitan

Government Building

Observation Deck → Sensō-ji Temple → Zōjōji Temple → Tokyo National Museum → National Museum of

Nature and Science → Yayoi Kusama Musem → Mori Building Digital

Art Museum: teamLab

Borderless → Mount Fuji

Kyoto

→ Golden Pavilion (Kinkaku-ji) → Nijō Temple → Fushimari Inari Shrine → Sagano Bamboo Forest → Ninenzaka,

Higashiyama District

Cherry Blossom Festival

→ Ueno Park → Shinjuku Gyoen

National Garden → Sumida Park → Koishikawa

Botanical Garden

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SOUTH EAST ASIA

The 11 countries that make up South East Asia combine to offer wonderful diversity in history and culture as well as both natural and developed beauty. Whether your Club travels to one country or many, South East Asia is bound to serve up an experience your members won’t soon forget.

Take a break in Bohol, the Philippines

Situated in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and reached by ferry from Cebu, Bohol might just be the jewel of the archipelago. The star attraction of Bohol Island is the Chocolate Hills – named after the way their grass covering turns cocoa-brown in the hot dry season – an unusual geographical formation consisting of 1,200-plus symmetrical mounds spread across 50 square kilometres. Generally conical in shape, the hills stand around 30 to 50 metres high on average, with the highest peaks rising up to 120 metres. One of the hills, Sagbayan Peak, provides visitors with an unobstructed view of the vast expanse.

Spend a morning or afternoon wandering through the main island’s colonial architecture, particularly in the municipality of Carmen, explore the unique caves and scenic waterfalls, or boat over to one of the smaller surrounding islands. Elsewhere on Bohol, Club members

1. The Chocolate Hills are an iconic feature of the Philippines’ Bohol Island

2. Measuring just 4-5 inches, the tarsier is considered the world’s smallest primate

3. Orangutans, while endangered, can still be seen at national parks and wildlife reserves in Borneo

4. The Kundasang War Memorial sits at the foot of Mount Kinabalu

5. Witness the magnificent remains of the Khmer empire at Angkor Wat, Cambodia might be interested in visiting the Philippine Tarsier Sanctuary, a forest where you can meet the native species of tarsier, a small primate, in its natural habitat.

Meet orangutans in Borneo

Head to the large, rugged island of Borneo in South East Asia’s Malay Archipelago for a glimpse of remarkable, yet sadly endangered, orangutans – great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. Take your tour group to Sarawak and Sabah, two Malaysian states on Borneo, where surviving populations of orangutan – with its distinctive red-orange hair – live within national parks and wildlife reserves. Experience the local way of life with a homestay in a unique longhouse in Sarawak, before visiting Batang Ai National Park or Bako National Park to see the orangutans, not to mention other wildlife including proboscis monkeys, crab-eating macaques and silvery langurs. In Sabah the top wildlife-spotting attractions include Kinabatangan River, Danum Valley Conservation Area, Deramakot Forest Reserve, and Tabin Wildlife Resort. The best time to visit Borneo for a wild orangutan experience is between March and October.

And there’s plenty to see in Borneo beyond the incredible wildlife. Your Club will have the opportunity to gaze up in awe at imposing Mount Kinabalu, the highest peak in South East Asia and the third-highest peak of an island on

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Earth. The Kundasang War Memorial, which is dedicated to the Australian and British soldiers of the Sandakan prisoner-of-war camp in World War II, is well worth a visit to learn more about Australian history in Sabah.

Cruise the Mekong River

Get ready to cruise the mighty Mekong River, for thousands of years a thriving trade route connecting six different countries – China, Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam – and still relied upon for many facets of everyday life by more than 60 million people. Lined by small towns, rich with diverse wildlife and abundant in various species of large fish including giant river carp and catfish, the almost 5,000km trans-boundary Mekong is one of the world’s great rivers.

Travel by elegant, fully equipped boat through some of the most intriguing parts of South East Asia, stopping to appreciate important landmarks while soaking up the ancient traditions and cultures of local communities. Along the way you might learn how rice wine is made, see the National Museum and Royal Palace at Phnom Penh, stay in Siem Reap where the astonishing Temples of Angkor await, or visit bustling Ho Chi Minh City for a Vietnamese cooking class. Finally reach the Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam, where you’ll find villages and floating markets within the vast maze of rivers, swamps and islands.

6. A fisherman plies his trade on the Mekong River in Thailand

7. Learn the art of spring roll making in a Vietnamese cooking class

AT A GLANCE

Bohol, Philippines

→ Chocolate Hills → Sagbayan Peak → Carmen municipality → Philippine Tarsier

Sanctuary

Borneo, Indonesia

→ Batang Ai

National Park → Bako National Park → Kinabatangan River → Danum Valley

Conservation Area → Deramakot Forest

Reserve → Tabin Wildlife Resort → Mount Kinabalu → Kundasang War

Memorial

Mekong River

→ National Museum and Royal Palace,

Phnom Penh → Angkor Temples,

Siem Reap → Mekong Delta

Visit scintillating Singapore

Singapore is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful and vibrant destinations in Asia. This thriving city-state is a melting pot of South East Asian culture, contemporary architecture and world-class tourist attractions that will keep your Club enthralled for days or even weeks.

Start your tour of Singapore with a stroll along mesmerising Marina Bay, admiring the dazzling view of the city skyline with its modern green skyscrapers at night. At the National Gallery Singapore, you’ll be able to absorb the world’s largest public display of modern South East Asian art. Take the time to visit Baba House, a superbly preserved, blue three-storey Peranakan heritage home built in the 1890s.

You’ll definitely want to pay a visit to the Singapore Botanic Gardens, a truly spectacular 74-hectare scenic paradise and the only tropical garden honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. And don’t miss the Gardens by the Bay, a 21st-century wonderland of distinctive plant displays and high-tech architectural marvels. Meanwhile, an unforgettable wildlife adventure awaits your group at Mandai Singapore Zoo, one of the world’s best tropical rainforest zoos inhabited by 2,800 animals from over 300 species including the two-toed sloth and white-faced saki monkey. On the night safari, Club members can experience an electric tram ride past many of the animals. ■

1. The Gardens by the Bay is a scenic paradise for nature and photography lovers

2. A visitor enjoys an interactive Yayoi Kusama exhibit at the National Gallery Singapore

AT A GLANCE

Singapore

→ Marina Bay → National Gallery

Singapore → Baba House → Singapore Botanic

Gardens → Gardens by the Bay → Mandai Singapore

Zoo