Pearls of the Pacific: Exploring the Philippines and Japan

Manila, the capital of the Philippines and the most densely populated city in the world, is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay, on the western side of the island of Luzon. This metropolis has certainly come a long way from being a fortified settlement and renowned trading centre in the 13th century. The city attracts over one million visitors from all over the world annually. Read more about Manila, Philippines

The Hundred Islands in the Philippines actually number 124, and appear as green-covered mushrooms emerging above sea level, and originally corals growths. They are part of a National Park that spreads 6 km north to south and 2 km across, situated in the Lingayen Gulf on Luzon, the largest island of the Philippines. The archipelago lies 210 km NNW in a line from Manila. Read more about Hundred Islands, Philippines

Salomague village and port lie in the province of IIlocos Sur at the NW of Luzon Island in the Philippines. This was an ancient port of call for seafarers, merchants and traders from different Asian countries. During the American occupation (1901-1944) it served as a mooring place from boats that ferried across the Pacific where thousands of Ilocanos worked at sugar plantations in Hawaii and California. Read more about Salomague, Philippines

Ishigaki is the largest city for the Yaeyama Island Group, and is located on Ishigaki Island, as is the area's major boat terminal, Ishigaki Port. It is the southernmost of the Ryukyu (or Nansei) Islands chain, of which the largest is Okinawa. The island enjoys a thriving culture steeped in traditions that are a mixture from Japan, China, nearby Taiwan (230km to the west), and its former trading partners. Read more about Ishigaki, Japan

Amami Oshima is one of the small Satsunan Islands in the far south of Japan, between Kyushu and Okinawa. It is part of the Ryukyu Archipelago that lies as a chain from the main islands of Japan to Taiwan. The population of Amami Oshima is just 73,000, most of whom live in the port city of Amami. Read more about Amami Oshima, Japan

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Kagoshima lies on the southern tip of the island of Kyushu in Japan. It is the picturesque capital of the Prefecture of the same name. Due to its active stratovolcano Sakurajima – Kagoshima's Vesuvius, seen east of the port – and its 'excitable' inhabitants, it is often compared to its Italian sister city, Naples. Read more about Kagoshima, Japan

Uwajima city is located in Ehime Prefecture, on Shikoku the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It faces Bungo Channel that separates Kyushu from Shikoku.Shikoku is south of Honshu island, with the Inland Sea in between; and it is the only island with no volcanoes. In 1945 the centre of the city was largely destroyed by bombing. Read more about Uwajima, Japan

The capital of the prefecture of the same name, Hiroshima, situated at the centre of the Chugoku region in western Honshu – Japan’s largest island – is possibly best known for being the first city in history to be destroyed by a nuclear weapon. Today, though, it is a modern cosmopolitan city with wide boulevards and criss-crossing rivers. Many of the famous attractions are connected to the horrific split second of the bomb blast on August 6, 1945, and are truly well worth visiting. Read more about Hiroshima, Japan