Areas with smaller ports don’t see many tourists.
Japan is a country of contrasts that continuously ranks high on travel lists as tourists seek to experience a slice of its cutting-edge modernity, rich cultural heritage, natural beauty, and superlative cuisine.
Recently, tourism has reached a fever pitch. A growing number of flight routes and the best exchange rates against the yen in nearly forty years have made Japan more accessible and more affordable than ever—and travelers have taken notice. According to the Japanese National Tourism Organization (JNTO), a record-breaking 3.2 million tourists visited Japan in July 2024 alone, and they’re expecting year-end numbers to top 35 million, a historic high. By 2030, the organization hopes to welcome upwards of 60 million tourists annually.
I first visited Japan on a trip with my mom. Within 24 hours, I was already planning my return. Although I traveled solo through Asia, Europe, Africa, and Australia for many months, no place struck me as hard or fast as Japan. It felt like no other place I’d been—and after 15 years, several more trips, and even living there during the 2011 Tohoku earthquake, it’s still one of my favorite places on the planet.
Whether you’re looking to make the most of your first visit to Japan or you’re lucky enough to be returning, take it from someone who has traveled through Japan by bus, car, cruise, plane, and train—booking a small-ship cruise is one of the best ways to experience this captivating island nation. Here’s why.
Experiencing More Than Just the Big-City Hits
Japan cruises pay off in droves by delivering a more holistic travel experience. Cruises through Japan will not just be your gateway to the key tourist trifecta of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto—cities that the JNTO calculates see upwards of three to four times more tourists than other areas of Japan—but they almost always stop in at least one or two other, smaller ports that you’d most likely miss if traveling on your own or with a popular package tour that relies on trains and buses.
If you were to attempt to visit Kochi on your own, you’d be looking at a multi-hour, multi-leg trip via bus, Shinkansen, or car.
A highlight of my Azamara Cruise Voyage was our visit to the southern city of Kochi, a rural fishing village on Shikoku Island where you can take caving excursions, participate in a traditional bonito tuna roast over a flaming collection of hay, and visit Kochi Castle, the only castle in Japan with completely preserved original structures. If you were to attempt to visit Kochi on your own, you’d be looking at a multi-hour, multi-leg trip via bus, Shinkansen, or car. The easiest way to get here is to fly or cruise. However, like the town, the port here is small and can only accommodate smaller ships, meaning the area doesn’t see many tourists.
We were welcomed with an elaborate cultural performance as we pulled into port. When it was time to leave, the top deck of our 710-passenger ship was full of people smiling and waving to the huge crowd of locals on the dock, smiling and waving back at us. It was such a moving moment that several passengers walked away with tears in their eyes.
Leaving the Logistics to Someone Else
One of the luxuries of any cruise is that planning the logistics of your trip is pretty much taken off of your plate. This is especially valuable for Japan, where things aren’t always as tourist-friendly as expected. Transportation hubs, worldwide hotel brands, and very touristy areas will have a decent understanding of English and even English-language signage, menus, or translations, but it’s not as ubiquitous outside of major tourist cities or on the ground level. This can make planning feel a bit overwhelming, especially for first-time visitors and travelers who don’t have a lot of experience outside of Western countries.
Instead of spending my pre-arrival time agonizing over the details of my trip—check-in and check-out times, when sites were open or closed, booking transportation to the next city, mapping out an itinerary—I was thrilled to let Azamara do all the logistical legwork. All I had to do was research the port, check my interest in the shore excursions offered by the cruise line, and decide how I wanted to spend my time in each location. Instead of feeling anxious about having to deal with any logistical bumps in the road or unforeseen circumstances, you’ll be able to use that mental energy to get excited for your upcoming trip.
Another invaluable perk is that you’ll have someone working on your behalf during your entire trip. Ship staff will be in constant communication with local contacts, receiving updates so they can stay one step ahead to smooth out any bumps along the way. And if any bumps do pop up, you don’t have to be the immediate point person. Cruises also can play a vital role in educating passengers via onboard destination debriefings and Q&A sessions before arriving at each port. Cruise staff can also be a valuable resource.
During my trip, I often relied on shore excursion staff who happily shared their personal insight and previous passenger feedback on activities, tour options, and general must-dos in each port. Having this kind of feedback and knowing there is an English-speaking person in your corner becomes practically invaluable when you are planning to travel to Japan (or any foreign country) with children, in large groups, or have specific needs that may be more difficult to properly communicate, like mobility or dietary requirements.
A Hotel Room That Travels With You
Coming home every night to my cabin aboard Azamara Quest was an absolute luxury.
Knowing that I would be slipping into the same bed in the same room every night after a long day out and about in port was an extreme comfort. It gave my body and brain time to relax and decompress, creating a sense of much-appreciated stability that would have otherwise been missing from my trip.
When your hotel room travels with you, you don’t have to fiddle or fuss with repeated check-ins and check-outs, you’re not beholden to check-out times or lines, and you don’t need to stress about storing your luggage between lodgings. Not having to worry about schlepping my suitcases or bags with me at every turn in the itinerary (literally) lifted a huge weight off of me. Navigating the enormous, crowded, and often confusing subway and bus stations, where it’s easy to rack up your step count and can often be difficult to find the correct exit, can be overwhelming even without luggage. With luggage? That’s nearly a nightmare.
Japan cruise itineraries often include late nights or overnights in port, which I found really emphasized the feeling that I was traveling with my hotel room in tow.
It also gave more independent travelers like myself a feeling of added flexibility. We had a late departure in Osaka, allowing us to experience the frenetic energy of the city’s famous Dotonbori district after dark, grab some okonomiyaki for dinner, and get lost among the barrage of neon signs before heading to our next port. During the overnight in Kagoshima, two people in our group took the opportunity to take a train to Ibusuki, an onsen town famous for burying spa-goers neck-deep in its therapeutic, geothermically heated hot sand beaches.
On Azamara Quest, it was common for cruisers to fill The Den Bar, where we would swap stories about our day in port over pre-dinner drinks. As much as I love being immersed in another culture when traveling, there’s something sweet about finding familiarity at the end of the day, hitting pause on any communication barriers, and socializing in your own language.
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