First in a series of blog posts on luxury cruising, cruise ships, and cruise ports in Japan in 2022. In early summer 2022 when COVID-19 cases in Japan were relatively… Read more
Overview of Japan’s luxury cruise ships in 2022 by Philbert Ono, Updated: Sept. 25, 2023 On this page: In 2022, Japan’s three major cruise ships were (largest to smallest) Asuka… Read more
Japan’s largest luxury cruise ship. Asuka II (飛鳥Ⅱ Asuka 2) is the only cruise ship owned and operated by NYK Cruises Co., Ltd. based in Yokohama and a wholly owned… Read more
Update: Sadly, Pacific Venus has retired from cruising with its final voyage ending on Jan. 4, 2023. Ship owner Japan Cruise Line announced on Nov. 1, 2022 that it will… Read more
Distinctive look, famous name, and food. Built in 1990, Nippon Maru (にっぽん丸) is the smallest Japanese luxury cruise ship, but with the most distinctive paint job. Navy blue (almost black)… Read more
Overview of Japan’s cruise ship ports. Being a stretched-out archipelago with a long coastline (34,600 km or 21,500 mi.) and hundreds of inhabited islands, Japan has many sea ports and… Read more
Japan’s most historic and popular cruise ship departure port. Located on the west side of Tokyo Bay, Port of Yokohama is Japan’s most historic and storied port since it opened… Read more
Historic port and Western Japan’s most popular cruise ship departure port.by Philbert Ono, Updated: Feb. 3, 2023 Port of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture (western Japan or Kansai Region) is one… Read more
Centrally located in Tokyo Bay and being at the mouth of multiple major rivers, Tokyo has been a busy port town for centuries. However, it did not open up to… Read more
Facing the northern end of Japan’s main island of Honshu, Hakodate has long been Hokkaido’s main gateway by the sea and everyone’s favorite port town. The city has many tourist… Read more