Seward, Alaska to Tokyo

Seward, founded in 1903, is named after the Secretary of State under Abraham Lincoln, William H. Seward, who endeavoured to purchase the land we know today as Alaska. It is a small, fishing village that has become a fairly busy port, due to its access to the state’s highway, something many Alaskan towns lack. It is the southernmost terminus for the Alaska Railroad and is the closet port to Anchorage for those embarking cruise ships. Anchorage is located in south central Alaska, where to the east, the Chugach Mountains serve as the backdrop for the city’s magnificent skyline. To the west are the expansive, steel-coloured waters of Cook Inlet, named after the explorer Captain James Cook who sailed into the area in 1778.
Anchorage was incorporated as a city in 1920. Though steadily growing, it remained a relatively small frontier town until the beginning of World War II. When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Anchorage found itself on the front lines of the conflict. Airfields, roads, and other buildings were constructed during the war. After World War II, the infrastructure was left behind, creating the framework for Anchorage’s development. On January 3, 1959, Congress voted Alaska into statehood.

The domain of grizzlies, brown and black bears, Kodiak Island is a raw, wild, and utterly authentic Alaskan wilderness. The Emerald Isle is the USA’s second-largest island, and with a wilderness stretching out over 3,670 square miles, it’s a thrilling voyage into the Alaskan unknown. The weather may get a little cloudy at times, but the locals actively welcome a covering of cloud – perhaps partly because the clouds and fog are said to have deterred Japanese attacks during World War II’s hostilities. View less

Be sure to bring your camera with you; it’s nigh on impossible to take a bad photo of these irresistible vistas – and you’ll quickly see why Kodiak Island is the destination of choice for wildlife documentary producers. Cinematic setpieces regularly play out, as eagles soar over expansive sweeps of fir-tree forested mountains and still lakes, releasing occasional piercing calls. Some of the animal kingdom’s most feared and revered creatures call Kodiak Island home, and your first sight of a bear reaching a massive paw into the water, or treading through a gently burbling stream, will live with you forever. Soar in a seaplane to track the bears with an expert guide. Masters of disguise, it often takes a trained eye to spot the bears in their natural habitats. Brush up on the skills you’ll need in advance, with a read of our bear watching blog. [Insert blog: 7 tips for bear watching in Alaska]. The waters of Kodiak Island are also home to some of the world’s most productive fishing. Try out your own skills, or accompany a seafaring fishing vessel, to witness life on the waves first-hand, as they plunder the depths of the ocean.

With Bald Eagles soaring overhead, emerald-green volcanic peaks chafing the clouds, and raw ocean scenery as far as the eye can see, this far-flung destination is the definition of remote and wild. Part of the outlying Aleutian Islands archipelago, which spirals out across the Bering Sea into the wilds of the Pacific, Dutch Harbor offers a dramatic backdrop and rich military history – as one of the few pieces of US soil to be directly attacked by the Japanese during World War II.

The town settles into the embrace of a vast deepwater harbour, which helps to protect from the unpredictable churn of the Bering Sea. Enjoy hikes along coastal trails to birdwatch among more than 100 different species – and look on as huge clouds of cawing seabirds float on gusts of wind, filling the air with their raucous calls. Dutch Harbor is famous for its crab fishing industry – a dangerous, challenging pursuit – and the town is well known to many Americans as the setting of the television show Deadliest Catch. The Aleutian WWII Visitor Center and the Museum of the Aleutians provide extensive information on WWII in the Aleutians, prehistory, the Russian period, Unangan (Aleut) culture and recent history. A visible reminder of the Russian past is the Holy Ascension Cathedral, the oldest cruciform-style Russian Orthodox church in North America and a National Historic Landmark.

Surrounded by spectacular national parks – and sheltered from the majority of winter’s ice, Kushiro is one of northern Japan’s most important cities. A deep-sea fishing port that specialises in Pacific saury, Kushiro hugs the coastline of the most northerly of Japan’s major islands. See the riches plundered from the ocean at the busy Washo Fish Market, dive into the native Ainu culture, or head out to explore the immersive beauty of Japan’s largest wetlands. View less

Kushiro City Museum is an imposing, castle-like structure, but there’s a warm welcome waiting inside, where exhibitions showcase the area’s history, and the extraordinary animals that you can meet on your adventures here. Explore Japan’s wilder side at the vast wildlife oasis that is Kushiro Marshland. A world away from the country’s urban metropolises, look out for the tanchō-zuru red-crowned cranes, which are some of the world’s rarest, and a revered symbol of luck and longevity. Spot pairs of the elegant birds, as they dance together on the plains of the wetlands. Head out to Lake Akan – in Akan National park – to see another side to the area’s landscapes and encounter the bizarre marimo moss. Growing here only, it forms large, perfectly manicured bowling balls. Hot mud pools also burble, while the cone of the volcanic Mount Oakan watches over the area, echoing Mount Fuji’s symmetrical splendour. Ainu Kotan is close by, and you can visit to experience the authentic culture of northern Japan’s native people.

Gaze down over Hakodate, from the heights of its namesake peak – Mount Hakodate – to see the city stretching out spectacularly, with back-to-back twin bays splitting the ocean. Hakodate port was one of the first to open Japan up to the world, and to international trade in 1859 – a fact reflected in the architecture, with its influences from the West and beyond. The port area is a redbrick wash of warehouses turned shopping malls, all observed by the onion domes of the city’s Russian Orthodox church.

Surrounded by spectacular national parks – and sheltered from the majority of winter’s ice, Kushiro is one of northern Japan’s most important cities. A deep-sea fishing port that specialises in Pacific saury, Kushiro hugs the coastline of the most northerly of Japan’s major islands. See the riches plundered from the ocean at the busy Washo Fish Market, dive into the native Ainu culture, or head out to explore the immersive beauty of Japan’s largest wetlands. View less

Kushiro City Museum is an imposing, castle-like structure, but there’s a warm welcome waiting inside, where exhibitions showcase the area’s history, and the extraordinary animals that you can meet on your adventures here. Explore Japan’s wilder side at the vast wildlife oasis that is Kushiro Marshland. A world away from the country’s urban metropolises, look out for the tanchō-zuru red-crowned cranes, which are some of the world’s rarest, and a revered symbol of luck and longevity. Spot pairs of the elegant birds, as they dance together on the plains of the wetlands. Head out to Lake Akan – in Akan National park – to see another side to the area’s landscapes and encounter the bizarre marimo moss. Growing here only, it forms large, perfectly manicured bowling balls. Hot mud pools also burble, while the cone of the volcanic Mount Oakan watches over the area, echoing Mount Fuji’s symmetrical splendour. Ainu Kotan is close by, and you can visit to experience the authentic culture of northern Japan’s native people.

From fiery festivals to spectacular mountain scenery, soaring temples to castles surrounded by cherry blossom blooms, Aomori is one of Japan’s most enchanting destinations. Framed by dark peaks clad with dense forestry, the city enjoys a picturesque location on Japan’s main island Honshu. While there are gorgeous pink tinted parks, tiered castles and towering Buddha statues to explore, the Aomori Prefecture’s capital is perhaps best known for the summer festival of fire that lights it up each year.

Lavish illuminated floats fill the streets during Nebuta Matsuri festival, as dancing locals wave flickering lanterns through the night sky – and drummers pound out pulsating rhythms. Nebuta Matsuri has a euphoric and energetic atmosphere which makes it stand out as an unmissable experience compared with some of Japan’s more restrained festivals. At other times of the year, places like the stunning Hirosaki Castle bloom with rose-pink cherry blossom, as spring’s sunshine clears away winter’s plentiful snowfall. The castle’s moat, glowing with the pale hue of fallen blossom, is a truly mesmerising sight to behold. Don’t worry if you’re too late though, you might be able to catch the pink-flush of the apple blossom – which comes slightly later. Extraordinary prehistoric Jomon period history is waiting to be unearthed at the living archaeological site, Sannai-Maruyama Ruins. Or, the untouched wilderness of UNESCO World Heritage Site Shirakami Sanchi is within reach. This sprawling mass of beech trees covers a third of the Shirakami mountain range, and the dense forestry once blanketed the majority of northern Japan’s land. Visit to scratch the surface of this untamed landscape’s beauty and see sprawling waterfalls cascading down mountainsides, in a beautiful off-bounds landscape, where black bears roam freely.

Dense and delightful, there’s nowhere else like Japan’s kinetic capital – a city where ancient traditions blend seamlessly with a relentless pursuit for the future’s sharpest edge. See the city from above, as elevators rocket you up to towering viewing platforms, from which you can survey a vast urban ocean, interspersed with sky-scraping needles. Look out as far as the distant loom of Mount Fuji’s cone on clear days. View less

Futuristic – second-accurate – transport seamlessly links Tokyo’s 14 districts, while the glow of flashing advertisement boards, clanks of arcade machines, and waves of humanity flowing along its streets, adds to the sense of mesmerising, dizzying and glorious sensory overload. One of Tokyo’s most iconic sights, don’t miss the flood of people scrambling to cross Shibuya’s famous intersection. Join the choreographed dance, as crowds of briefcase-carrying commuters are given the green light to cross at the same time – bathed in the light of massive neon advertisements. The culture is immensely rich and deep, with 7th-century, lantern-decorated temples, stunning palaces and tranquil scarlet shrines waiting below cloaks of incense and nestling between soaring skyscrapers. Restaurants serve up precisely prepared sushi, and wafer-thin seafood slivers, offering a unique taste of the country’s refined cuisine. Settle into traditional teahouses, to witness intricate ceremonies, or join the locals as they fill out karaoke bars to sing the night away. In the spring, cherry blossom paints a delicate pink sheen over the city’s innumerable parks and gardens.