US Cruise on Westerdam from Seattle (USA)

Seattle (USA)

Seattle is a major coastal seaport city and the seat of King County, in the U.S. state of Washington. A major gateway for trade with Asia, Seattle is the 8th largest port in the United States and 9th largest in North America in terms of container handling. Seattle has a noteworthy musical history. From 1918 to 1951, there were nearly two dozen jazz nightclubs along Jackson Street from the current Chinatown/International District to the Central District. The jazz scene developed the early careers of Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, Ernestine Anderson and others. Seattle is also the birthplace of rock legend Jimi Hendrix and the rock music style. Places to visit: the Henry Art Gallery , the first public art museum in Washington. The Seattle Art Museum , the Frye Art Museum is a free museum on First Hill. Regional history collections are at the Loghouse Museum in Alki, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, the Museum of History and Industry and the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture. Industry collections are at the Center for Wooden Boats and the adjacent Northwest Seaport, the Seattle Metropolitan Police Museum, and the Museum of Flight. Regional ethnic collections include the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Wing Luke Asian Museum and the Northwest African American Museum. Seattle has artist-run galleries, including 10-year veteran Soil Art Gallery,and the newer Crawl Space Gallery.Other significant events include numerous art and entretainment, music, religious and ethnic festivals. Since the middle 1990s, Seattle has experienced significant growth in the cruise industry, especially as a departure point for Alaska cruises.

Juneau (Alaska)

Juneau is Alaska´s capital, however you can´t get there by road, only by air or by sea. Juneau is a main port for the Alaska Marine Highway, Alaska´s ferry system. Downtown Juneau is compact and highly walkable, The most popular activities in Juneau for visitors are flight seeing, charter fishing, visiting the Mendendhall Glacier, hiking and shopping. Look for local shop with a sign on the window that says "This store is owned by an Alaskan family", that sell awesome pins, beads, carving arts, all done by local artists or customizable gifts for travelers who don´t want a boring, touristy-looking T-shirt. Highlights in Juneau include Mount Roberts Tramway, the Red Dog Saloon, the Alaska State Museum, the Gastineau Salmon Hatchery, the Governor´s Mansion, the Alaska Gastineau Mill, and the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center.

Kushiro (Japón)

Aomori (Japan)

Aomori is the capital city of Aomori Prefecture, in the northern Tohoku region of Japan. Aomori is located in central Aomori Prefecture, between the southern end of Mutsu Bay, which it faces to the north and the Hakkoda Mountains to the south. Aomori Nebuta is a famous festival performed from August 2 to August 7 every year and is one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan. Besides this, major attractions of Aomori include ruins, museums, and mountains. The Hakkoda Mountains have good locations for trekking with hot spas such as Sukayu Onsen. Attractions include Sannai-Maruyama historical site tours, believed to have been first settled 5500 years ago. Guided tours are available year round. The annual Nebuta Festival is said to be the biggest "fire festival" in Japan. Taking place over several weeks in August, a big parade with lit lantern floats and dancers in costumes ends each day.

Yokohama (Japan)

Tokyo is the core of the most populated urban area in the world, Greater Tokyo (which has a population of 35 million people). This huge, wealthy and fascinating metropolis brings high-tech visions of the future side by side with glimpses of old Japan, and has something for everyone. There are many places of interest to visit such as the temples of Asakusa, the gardens of the Imperial Palace (in Chiyoda) and the Meiji Shrine.