On November 4, 1890, the Eastern journey of Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich began. He set off from Gatchina on October 23, 1890, along with his brother George and a small entourage. They traveled by train to Vienna, and then to Trieste, where they boarded the cruiser "Memory of Azov" on October 26. In Greece, they spent several days as guests of King George and Queen Olga, and on November 7, they departed for Egypt, where they stayed for about three weeks. Then, via Aden, they arrived in Bombay on December 11. They spent almost two months in India and Ceylon.

During the journey, the Tsarevich's brother, Grand Duke George Alexandrovich, fell seriously ill and had to return home from Bombay.

The journey included important stops in Singapore, Java, Siam, Saigon, China, Hong Kong, Hankou, and Shanghai. On April 15, 1891, the expedition arrived in Nagasaki, Japan, where they were received with honors. During their trip in Japan, on April 29, 1891, an assassination attempt was made on Nicholas Alexandrovich in the city of Otsu. The attacker failed to deliver a fatal blow: the Tsarevich dodged, and the saber only grazed his head. This event caused shock and outrage.

Emperor Alexander III ordered his son to cut the journey short and return to Russia. The Tsarevich arrived in Vladivostok on May 11, 1891. Here, he began work on the construction of the Trans-Siberian Railway, initiated the building of the Ussuri Railway and other projects. He also visited settlements and garrisons in the South Ussuri region, after which he embarked on a long journey through the Far East and Siberia.

During this journey, Nicholas got a tattoo of a black dragon, symbolizing power and wisdom. In the East, the dragon was considered a protector and savior. It is known that the tattooing procedure took seven hours. A similar dragon was on his relative, Greek Prince George, who also traveled in the East. George got his tattoo from the Japanese master Hori Kiyo. It can be assumed that Nicholas also got tattooed by him. For George, it was a long-held dream, inspired by the tattoo of King Edward VII of England, who got a Jerusalem cross during his visit to Jerusalem in 1862. It seems that tattoos reminded royal figures of important journeys.