23 nights · Tokyo, Japan Kanagawa · Departs Yokohama (Japan) · Visiting Nagasaki City, Busan, Hiroshima City, Aburatsu-Nichinan, Tokushima, Shimizu, Hakodate, Aomori City, Akita City, Niigata City, Kanazawa, Sakaiminato-Matsue, Kagoshima City, Omaezaki · Aboard Princess Cruises on the Diamond Princess
Image courtesy of Princess Cruises ©
| Cruise line | Princess Cruises |
|---|---|
| Ship | Diamond Princess |
| Duration | 23 nights |
| Port calls | 15 |
| Departures | 1 sailings |
| From fare | $5,377 per person |
| Year built | 2004 |
| Guests | 3247 |
| Cabins | 1353 |
| Crew | 1100 |
| Length | 290 m |
| Beam | 48 m |
| Cruising speed | 23.0 kn |
Yokohama is Japan’s most cosmopolitan port city, with Tokyo less than an hour away by train. Stay here, though, and you’ll find a city with its own strong character. Explore waterfront promenades, the historic Red Brick Warehouse, and one of Japan’s largest Chinatowns. Yokohama opened to foreign trade in 1859. Its international past still shapes the food, architecture, and relaxed pace of the city today.
Few Japanese cities combine harbor scenery and layered history as compellingly as Nagasaki. Its steep streets rise above a sheltered harbor that once linked Japan with Dutch and Chinese traders. At Dejima, the former Dutch trading post, exhibits trace the city’s unusual role during centuries of restricted foreign contact. The Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum offer a moving, carefully documented account of 1945. Come for the history; stay to see how a resilient port city lives beside its past.
Busan pairs the scale of a modern port city with easy access to temples, markets and broad beaches. Visit Gamcheon Culture Village, browse Jagalchi Fish Market or ride Songdo’s cable car over the sea. The city’s best-known sights are spread across several districts, so plan your day around one area. For a quieter pause, visit Beomeosa Temple on the forested slopes of Geumjeongsan.
Hiroshima is a modern city with a history that reaches far beyond the events of 1945. At Peace Memorial Park, the Atomic Bomb Dome and museum offer a moving, carefully documented account of the bombing. Across the city, local trams make it easy to reach Shukkeien Garden, lively Hondori and the riverside. A short train and ferry journey reaches Miyajima, famed for Itsukushima Shrine and its great torii gate.
Aburatsu opens onto southern Miyazaki, where Kyushu meets the Pacific among cliffs, beaches and fishing harbours. Nichinan’s preserved castle town of Obi rewards a walk among samurai homes, stone lanes and its former domain school. Farther along the coast, Udo Shrine occupies a sea cave beneath dramatic cliffs. This is a port for history, coastal scenery and unhurried exploration.
Tokushima brings you to Shikoku, Japan’s smallest main island, where river plains meet forested hills. The city’s Awa Odori dance tradition comes alive each August, with performances at Awa Odori Kaikan year-round. Ride Mount Bizan’s ropeway for sweeping views over Tokushima and the Yoshino River. Beyond the city, Naruto’s tidal whirlpools reveal the force of the Seto Inland Sea’s currents.
Shimizu offers a memorable arrival: on clear days, Mount Fuji rises beyond the blue waters of Suruga Bay. Shimizu is a working harbor famed for tuna. Across the bay, Miho-no-Matsubara’s pines frame a celebrated view of Fuji. At Nihondaira, take in the panorama, then ride the ropeway to Kunozan Toshogu, a richly decorated shrine honoring Tokugawa Ieyasu.
Yokohama is Japan’s most cosmopolitan port city, with Tokyo less than an hour away by train. Stay here, though, and you’ll find a city with its own strong character. Explore waterfront promenades, the historic Red Brick Warehouse, and one of Japan’s largest Chinatowns. Yokohama opened to foreign trade in 1859. Its international past still shapes the food, architecture, and relaxed pace of the city today.
Hakodate rewards travellers who look beyond the waterfront. At the morning market, vendors serve Hokkaido crab, sea urchin and squid caught in local waters. The star-shaped ramparts of Goryokaku tell a sharper story: Japan’s final years of samurai rule. Ride the ropeway up Mount Hakodate for a celebrated view of the city and its twin bays. Below, Motomachi’s churches and former consulates reflect the port’s opening to foreign trade in 1859.
Aomori brings Japan’s northern frontier within easy reach, with the Tsugaru Strait beyond its harbor and mountains on the horizon. The city is known for crisp apples, fresh seafood and Nebuta, its dramatic summer festival of illuminated warrior floats. At Wa Rasse museum, the floats command attention year-round. Travelers can visit the Sannai-Maruyama archaeological site or journey to Hirosaki for its castle and celebrated cherry trees.
Akita offers a quieter, distinctly Japanese day ashore, with samurai-era history and celebrated regional food. Senshu Park occupies the former grounds of Kubota Castle. At the Akita Museum of Art, a striking mural by local-born painter Tsuguharu Foujita commands attention. Try kiritanpo, rice mashed, shaped around cedar skewers and grilled, alongside local sake. In August, the Kanto Festival brings towering lantern poles into the streets, carried with remarkable balance.
Niigata faces the Sea of Japan, where waterways and a fertile rice plain have shaped the city’s character. One of Japan’s leading rice-producing regions, it is celebrated for fine sake brewed with local grains and pristine water. Walk the waterfront, cross graceful Bandai Bridge, then explore Furumachi’s old merchant quarter. Nearby, the Northern Culture Museum reveals the elegance of a prosperous rural estate. At table, local rice, Sea of Japan seafood and sake make a persuasive case for staying awhile.
Kanazawa rewards visitors who look beyond Japan’s best-known cities. On the Sea of Japan, it preserves a samurai quarter, historic castle and teahouse district. Stroll Kenrokuen, one of Japan’s Three Great Gardens, then explore Omicho Market for seafood from nearby waters. The 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art and gold-leaf workshops reveal a modern city with a rich craft tradition.
Your arrival at Sakaiminato opens a quieter side of Japan, where fishing-town character meets samurai history. Follow Mizuki Shigeru Road past bronze figures from the manga artist’s supernatural world, then sample fresh crab and seafood. Matsue lies about 40 kilometres away, its original castle among Japan’s National Treasures, with canals and Lake Shinji nearby. A day ashore can move from lively local flavour to the measured elegance of old Japan.
Busan pairs the scale of a modern port city with easy access to temples, markets and broad beaches. Visit Gamcheon Culture Village, browse Jagalchi Fish Market or ride Songdo’s cable car over the sea. The city’s best-known sights are spread across several districts, so plan your day around one area. For a quieter pause, visit Beomeosa Temple on the forested slopes of Geumjeongsan.
Few Japanese cities combine harbor scenery and layered history as compellingly as Nagasaki. Its steep streets rise above a sheltered harbor that once linked Japan with Dutch and Chinese traders. At Dejima, the former Dutch trading post, exhibits trace the city’s unusual role during centuries of restricted foreign contact. The Peace Park and Atomic Bomb Museum offer a moving, carefully documented account of 1945. Come for the history; stay to see how a resilient port city lives beside its past.
Kagoshima sits at the southern end of Kyushu, with Sakurajima rising across its sheltered bay. Ferries cross to the active volcano, where lava fields and walking trails reveal a landscape still shaped by fire. Sengan-en, a former Shimazu estate, combines traditional gardens with striking views of Sakurajima. Kagoshima’s food is equally distinctive: tender kurobuta pork and local sweet-potato shochu give the region its own character.
Aburatsu opens onto southern Miyazaki, where Kyushu meets the Pacific among cliffs, beaches and fishing harbours. Nichinan’s preserved castle town of Obi rewards a walk among samurai homes, stone lanes and its former domain school. Farther along the coast, Udo Shrine occupies a sea cave beneath dramatic cliffs. This is a port for history, coastal scenery and unhurried exploration.
Omaezaki faces the open Pacific at Shizuoka Prefecture’s southern tip, where surf, wind and broad horizons define the coast. Climb to Omaezaki Lighthouse, first lit in 1874, for sweeping sea views and a closer look at this rugged headland. Nearby tea fields reflect Shizuoka’s celebrated tea culture, while local seafood brings the Pacific to the table. Come ashore for a quieter side of Japan, shaped by coastal scenery rather than city spectacle.
Yokohama is Japan’s most cosmopolitan port city, with Tokyo less than an hour away by train. Stay here, though, and you’ll find a city with its own strong character. Explore waterfront promenades, the historic Red Brick Warehouse, and one of Japan’s largest Chinatowns. Yokohama opened to foreign trade in 1859. Its international past still shapes the food, architecture, and relaxed pace of the city today.
Published September 17, 2026
Last updated October 20, 2026
Author: J. Richard
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