Incheon to Hong Kong

Incheon serves as a transport hub for neighbouring Seoul, with a cruise terminal and the country's main airport. Seoul is a captivating capital city, a dynamic metropolis where you can still find tea shops and temples amongst the skyscrapers and neon signs. The culinary scene here is superb, from mouthwatering street food to world class haute cuisine, and the excellent public transport system makes it easy to get around. Incheon itself also has some interesting history; it was here, in 1950, that UN Forces launched a daring raid behind enemy lines in the early stages of the Korean War, and halted the North's seemingly inexorable advance.

The semi-tropical island of Jeju is one of South Korea’s best kept secrets, a popular holiday destination for domestic travellers but little known outside of Asia. The craggy volcanic landscape, tangerine groves and beautiful beaches make this a lovely place to spend some time exploring.

Busan is South Korea’s second biggest city and one of the world’s busiest container ports, but it’s an easygoing place with a discernibly different character to Seoul. Haeundae beach is a popular summer holiday destination for Koreans, while the pungent Jagalchi market sells every type of fish and sea creature imaginable.

Three days after Hiroshima was flattened by an atomic bomb, Nagasaki suffered the same horrifying fate. The reconstruction of both cities has been quite extraordinary; Nagasaki today is a vibrant, cosmopolitan place, with a fascinating history that goes back a lot further than 1945.

The friendly southern Japanese city of Kagoshima enjoys a balmy climate, and sits just across the bay from the very active Sakurajima volcano, which erupts so regularly that an ‘ash forecast’ is included in local weather reports.

The city of Miyazaki sits on the southeastern coast of Kyushu, the warmest of Japan’s main islands, and it’s a popular spot for domestic tourists. Worthwhile excursions include the historic town of Obi, known as ‘Little Kyoto’, and laid back Aoshima island, home to a picturesque shrine.

The island of Amami-Oshima is rich in flora and fauna thanks to a mild subtropical climate, and a number of whale species can be spotted in the surrounding waters during the winter. The island also has some lovely white sand beaches, and is known for producing high quality hand-made silk.

Naha is the capital of Okinawa prefecture, a subtropical region of southern Japan with its own distinct culture. The city is a bustling commercial centre despite being flattened during the Second World War, and the architectural highlight is the elegant Shuri Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Ishigaki is the most developed of the Yaeyama islands, an idyllic tropical archipelago located closer to Taiwan than mainland Japan. The offshore coral reefs make this a popular spot for diving and snorkelling, while the jungle interior offers some great hiking opportunities.

Keelung is a fairly unremarkable port city close to Taipei, Taiwan’s capital. Taipei draws on an interesting mix of Chinese, Japanese and Western influences, and is home to attractive temples, a burgeoning street food scene and Taipei 101, which was the world's tallest building until it was eclipsed by Dubai's Burj Khalifa in 2010.

Hong Kong is a striking mix of ancient and modern, Chinese and British, and there is a lot more to the city than just skyscrapers and high finance. It's also a fantastic destination for foodies, a melting pot of culinary influences from around Asia and beyond.