b'Korea & JapanShared Roots, Living CulturesJourney through Korea and Japan to trace how belief systems, artisticexpression, and political thought traveled across East Asiaand how each culture transformed these shared influences into something uniquely its own.Begin in Seoul to understand Koreas Confucian foundations and modern transformation. Travel by high-speed rail to Gyeongju, the ancient Silla Kingdom capital, where Buddhist thought shaped landscape and city design. Continue to Busan, Koreas principal port, whose character has been defined by war, displacement, and postwar reconstruction.Fly to Japan and arrive in Kyoto via Nara. Expert guidance on Shinto illuminates a crucial difference: where Koreas religious landscape was shaped byConfucianism and Buddhism from the continent, Japan layered these over Shinto, its indigenous belief system that fundamentally shapes Japanese understandings of nature, ritual, and sacred space.Continue to Kanazawa, a former castle town preserving samurai culture and artisanal production. Conclude in Tokyo, where contemporary life reflects postwar transformation while traditional practices persist in temple worship, public gardens, and daily routines.ITINERARY14 nights| Seoul, 2 nights; train to Gyeongju, 2 nights, coach to Busan,2 nights; fly to Osaka; transfer to Kyoto, 3 nights; train to Kanazawa, 2 nights; train to Tokyo, 3 nightsPre-trip nights in Seoul and post-trip nights in Tokyo availableHIGHLIGHTSExamine Koreas Confucian foundations and modern transformation through expert lectures; trace the Silla Kingdoms Buddhist legacy in Gyeongjus temples, tombs, and museum collectionsExperience Busans postwar history from the UN Memorial Cemetery to hillside refugee settlements and Koreas largest seafood marketGain understanding of Shinto as Japans indigenous belief system, illuminating crucial differences from Koreas Confucian-Buddhist traditionsExplore Kyotos refined aesthetic traditions: Zen gardens, tea ceremony, kaiseki dining, and maiko entertainment in historic GionDiscover Kanazawas preserved samurai and geisha districts, Kenrokuen Garden, gold leaf workshops, and traditional ryokan hospitality Prices Upon RequestExperience Tokyos layered identityNational Museum collections, Asakusa temple worship, neighborhood streets, and Imperial Palace gardens Group Size: Maximum 18 travelers Season: OctoberEarly November; AprilMayAccommodations: Four-star and boutique hotels; traditional ryokan in Kanazawa(Western-style beds) HistoryReligionGastronomy CultureArt & Design50 Conservancy Travel|conservancytravel.org'