Cruises should be relaxing and entertaining, but they should also be memorable and enlivening. Japanese cruises are a great way to get this kind of balance out of a vacation to the Orient. A visit to Japan by cruise allows travelers to see the true beauty of Japan and its outer-lying islands while also getting a taste for its culture and its history from prehistoric to World War Two and beyond.
Visit everything from the modern to the exotic, from the ancient to the progressive. Some important destinations include Okinawa Island, Tokyo, Mount Fuji, and Kyushu Island. Nagasaki is not to be missed for its historic importance and beauty. But that’s not all; Japanese cruises are often either day trips from ports on the island or very long, including packages of 14 days and more.
For longer Japanese cruises that allow you to take in all that this part of the Orient has to offer, you have a few options – and it’s not just Japan – these longer cruises will surprise you with the locations they have on the docket.
The MS Volendam operated by Holland America currently offers a 17-night cruise from Kobe, Japan. Spending several days at sea offers real rest and a chance to take advantage of the ship’s many amenities, not the least of which is all-inclusive dining. While not at sea, those aboard will visit Yokohama, Hakodate, Kushiro, Kodiak, Alaska, Sitka, and finally arrive in Vancouver, British Columbia. Between Kushiro and Kodiak the ship crosses the International Dateline – this is rather telling when you think about how much of the Earth’s terrain and waters you’ll cover over the duration of this cruise.
The MS Voledam also offers a monster 35-day cruise getaway leaving from Singapore. This puts the Japanese cruise right in the middle of the trip’s entirety. The whole cost of the trip is about $4300 per person – but for 35 days, that’s an incredible deal. Some of the destinations on this cruise that goes on for more than a month include Bangkok, Thailand, Hong Kong, China, Kobe and Yokohama, Japan, Alaska, and finally arriving in Vancouver, British Columbia just like the 17-day Volendam cruise does.
If you’re planning to already be in Japan, you may want to look into a day or evening cruise offered by Blue Moon Marine. This smaller cruiser offers quaint jaunts from Yokohama with all kinds of cool events and presentations like a fireworks show right from the boat, and a cherry blossom cruise where travelers can take in the cherry blossoms on the trees that line the coast.
It’s hard to understate the importance of a visit to Nagasaki from Japanese cruises or any other point. If you do make it to Nagasaki, be sure to visit as much of the important landmarks as possible. Some things to keep in mind include The Japanese Garden and Glover Gardens, Atomic Bomb Museum, the Kokura Castle, the Peace Park, the Oura Catholic Church, and the Akama Shrine.
Japanese cruises are a chance to get out of the ordinary. Enjoy the comfort of a cruise ship while getting out of your cultural comfort zone to discover parts of the planet that will make you realize just how varied worldly cultures can be. On the whole, Japan is known for its dichotomy of ancient history married to modern lifestyle. Whether you go for a few nights or more than a month, Japan is a cruise destination that gets you out of the box.
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