Seattle, Ketchikan, Sitka, Hubbard glacier, Whittier, Hakodate, Yokohama

Seattle is a coastal seaport city, the largest city in the Pacific Northwest region of North America and the northernmost city and the fastest-growing major city in the United States. The city lies on several hills and has over 2.242 ha of parkland. Among its highlights, visit Pike Place Market, its downtown public market which has been in business since 1907, Space Needle, the vertical icon of the city looks like a spaceship on stilts and gives a great view of the city from the top, the Olympic Sculpture Park, an outdoor sculpture garden. which spreads over 9 acres of a seaside bluff north of downtown, transformed from an industrial backwater into the home of artwork, Seattle Art Museum and Seattle’s Chinatown, which is almost as old as the city, emerging in the 1880s. Take a long walk at downtown waterfront, a broad sidewalk along the harborfront with shops, eateries (fish and chips is always a favorite) and wooden piers, make a stop at Seattle Aquarium and take a ride on Seattle Great Wheel, a 175- foot tall Ferris wheel, which offers magnificent views.

Ketchikan, the Salmon Capital of the World, clutches the shores of the Tongass Narrows, with many shops and houses, which are built on stilts, right out over the water. The main attractions are Creek Street, the Tongass Historical Museum, Totem Bight State Park and Saxman Native Village. Of the popular activities is the flightseeing trip to Misty Fjords National Monument, home of the indigenous Tlingit Indians and the largest totem collection in the world. In the land of the legends, you can watch totem pole carvers and get an idea of their rich culture.

Sitka, one of the most beautiful seaside towns in Alaska, was once capital, cultural and political hub of Russian America, seat of the bishop of Kamchatka and the most important port on the West Coast for the first half of the 19th century. A living proof of the town's key position as a Russian settlement, is St. Michael's Cathedral, an active Russian Orthodox Church with the distinctive onion- shaped domes. You will be greeted by native Tlingit people, who have lived continuously in Sitka for over 50 centuries, you will see totems carved by the masterful hands of Tlingit and Haida Indians at Sitka National Historical Park and you can enjoy a performance by the New Archangel Dancers, who preserve the heritage by delivering spirited dance renditions that represent the cultures of Russia and surrounding areas.

Hubbard Glacier, on the northern part of Yakutat Bay, measures 122,3 kilometers long and plunges 365,76 meters into the depths of the bay, the longest river of ice in North America and also one of its most active glaciers. Its calving face is 10 kilometers wide and up to 130 meters tall, making it the largest tidewater glacier in Alaska.The area around Hubbard Glacier is also renowned for its wildlife. Look around and you might spot whales, harbor seals and otters swim, brown bears, moose and black-tailed deer roam ashore, and a wide variety of seabirds soar gracefully across the sky.

Yokohama is one of the most visited cities in Japan. It is located on the western coast of Tokyo Bay, directly south of Tokyo. The Yokohama Port is set in the heart of the city and all tourist destinations are within walking distance. It is a cosmopolitan city, where the old and the new, the East and the West blend harmoniously. Minato Mirai is a seaside urban area in central Yokohama with large high-rises, including the Landmark Tower and a wealth of attractions such as shopping centers, hotels, amusement parks, a relaxation center with hot spring baths and museums. It is worth visiting the Sankeien Gardens, a vast genuine Japanese garden that will enchant you with its colors and shapes,its ponds and pagodas.