Small-Ship Japan Cruise Roundup
By John Roberts
I’m not sure when it started, but Colleen and I had become enthralled with idea of traveling to Japan sometime during the past decade.
We excitedly made plans to finally do a small-ship Japan cruise around with Windstar around this ancient and mysterious island nation. Our voyage was to take place in 2020 — but that trip was canceled when the world came to a standstill during the pandemic.
So, we had a “future cruise credit” that remained on the books (and consistently on our minds) with Windstar for more than three years that we were finally able to lock in for a voyage in October 2023.
Our 10-night cruise was on Windstar’s “Grand Japan” itinerary, a voyage from Yokohama (Tokyo) to Osaka, which provided a fantastic opportunity to travel in comfort while exploring a handful of the true gems of the country.
Japan is an exotic land full of mystery, culture, incredible food, beautiful nature and busy modern cities. When trying to take that all in, it can be a bit intimidating, even for seasoned travelers. So, having the luxurious 312-passenger Star Breeze as our floating resort dropping us off in new locations each day was delightful.
The 312-pax Star Breeze in Japan. * Photo: John Roberts
Colleen and I were already familiar with the charms of Star Breeze, having cruised in Tahiti on the ship a year earlier. Read about that trip and all the other great small-ship cruises I took in 2022.
Japan’s ancient culture is revealed through many of the beliefs and traditions that still hold today.
Most of the population observe either Shintoism or Buddhism, and while these religions typically don’t dominate everyday life, the rituals are a very important part of holidays and special occasions like weddings, births and funerals.
Cities and the countryside are filled with beautiful shrines, temples and gardens that are wonderful to visit.
Food was also a top highlight that Colleen and I fully embraced during our Japan trip.
John and Colleen enjoying a sushi lunch in Tokyo. * Photo: John Roberts
We had a memorable journey with Windstar.
While Windstar redeploys its ships regularly around the world, it is not currently offering any small-ship Japan cruise itineraries in 2024 or 2025.
However, the good news is that Windstar announced in April 2024 that it was adding two more ships to its fleet in 2025 and 2026 and then shortly after confirmed that they would indeed being going back to Japan and Alaska in 2026. Yay!!
In the meantime, you can also find a few other wonderful small-ship itineraries to Japan from a few other lines that carry fewer than 300 passengers, including:
- Lindblad
- Scenic
- Ponant
Lindblad’s Small-Ship Japan Cruise
Lindblad Expeditions offersan exciting Japan cruise on the 138-pax National Geographic Resolution.
The 16-day “Coastal Japan: Imperial Dynasties and Modern Culture” itinerary visits castle towns that thrived during the country’s Edo Period, explores sites prominent during the Meiji Restoration, as well as those from World War II.
The voyage goes back and forth from Tokyo to Kobe and visits Nagasaki, Kagoshima, Yakushima Island, Takamatsu and other small islands in the archipelago, as well as a port call at Busan, Korea.
The Nagasaki Spectacle Bridge. * Photo: John Roberts
I sailed with Lindblad Expeditions on National Geographic Resolution in the Arctic, and the program and ship offer a premium travel experience led by an expedition team that has a passion for teaching you about the history and culture of these destinations.
RELATED: Read about my trip in the High Arctic with Lindblad.
Scenic’s Small-Ship Japan Cruise
Scenic offers a number of cruises in Japan and Asia, and the route that most resembles what we did with Windstar is the line’s “Circumnavigation of Japan: Cultures & Traditions.”
This 17-day Japan cruise goes roundtrip from Tokyo and visits little ports such as Oarai, Sendai and Hakodate, where you can step back in time to quaint fishing villages and rural lands of feudal lords from the 17th century.
The trip also visits Busan, Korea, Hiroshima and Kobe.
A park in Busan, Korea. * Photo: John Roberts
Ponant’s Small-Ship Japan Cruise
Ponant offers 20 expedition-style voyages, including its “Best of Japan” cruise that visits Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Busan and Miyajima Island. The cruise embarks in Maizuru and ends in Osaka, and along the way, travelers will get a chance to immerse themselves in special culinary experiences and numerous visits to UNESCO World Heritage sites across Japan.
Onboard dinners include Japanese flavors, cooking demonstrations and sake tastings, among other cultural activities.
The Hiroshima Peace Memorial (Genbaku Dome) was the only structure left standing in the area where the first atomic bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site. * Photo: John Roberts
Our 10-night cruise aboard Windstar’s Star Breeze for our first time in Japan, revealed a range of reasons that a small-ship voyage is the absolute best way to explore this special destination.
Windstar’s Small-Ship Japan Cruise
1. You Wake Up in a New Place Every Morning
Our cruise itinerary allowed us to get a fantastic sampling of Japan, with access to 10 places over the course of 11 days (our day-by-day stops are listed in a section at the bottom of this article).
Also, Colleen and I arrived in Tokyo two days early to explore the city independently before going to Yokohama to join the ship.
In Tokyo, we hired a guide through Viator and customized a day of exploring the city.
We went to the Meji Shrine, Sensoji Temple, shopping arcades and the Imperial Palace Gardens.
We had a fantastic time getting a feel for the daily rhythm of the bustling city, riding the subway, eating a delicious sushi lunch at a restaurant filled with residents and wandering out into the night on our own to dine at a tiny eatery serving scrumptious and affordable ramen-noodle meals.
The Tokyo skyline. * Photo: John Roberts
Some of our fellow cruisers said they spent a day in Yokohama before boarding the ship at the port there the next day. That city also looks like it offers a lot to see and do in a day. We only got a glimpse as we arrived at the port in our taxi from Tokyo.
After a busy two days in the city, though, Star Breeze was just what we needed. A popular cruising maxim is that people love this way of traveling because you unpack once, then can enjoy all the comforts and amenities of your ship while sailing from place to place.
This works especially well when you visit a country made up of a string of islands. We had a week and a half of delightful mornings, waking up to the sunrise as we cruised into a new port. There might be small fishing boats in the bay or rolling green hills in the distance — a new spot awaiting our day of adventures.
Cruising in and out of Japan’s cluster of islands each day. * Photo: John Roberts
2. You Get to Fill Up On Award-Winning Cuisine
For our cruise, Star Breeze was a wonderful home. We had five separate eateries to choose from for breakfasts, lunches and dinners. The line has culinary partnerships with the James Beard Foundation and chefs Anthony Sasso and Steve Raichlen to curate menus offering delectable choices throughout the yacht.
Amphora is the main restaurant, an elegant space down on Deck 3 serving dinners. There also is the ship’s buffet, Veranda, open for breakfast and lunch and then converted to Candles at night to serve as a wonderful steakhouse.
A steak in Candles. * Photo: John Roberts
We ate at Amphora a couple evenings. The menu included items like slow-cooked veal strip loin, pan-roasted diver scallops, seafood chowder, butter-poached lobster tail, branzino and slow-roasted prime rib.
Our favorite place to eat was the casual eatery Star Grill, which serves lunch and dinner on the open Deck 8. We enjoyed meals in the fresh air and under the moon and stars with the resident music duo playing tunes during our meals. Star Grill features a menu of delicious fish, burgers, grilled veggies, a variety of salads, plus a daily selection prepared on the smoker. You can expect items like ribs, chicken, turkey and brisket.
The Star Grill. * Photo: John Roberts
The ship also has light bites and snacks available from morning to late afternoon at the Yacht Club, which offers a cafe with great coffees, fruits, sweets, small plates, wraps and sandwiches.
You also could reserve a dinner at the specialty restaurant Cuadro 44, which features Spanish tapas-style meals.
The ship also put on an elaborate barbecue and deck party when we were in port at Hiroshima, so we had plenty of amazing food to enjoy as an integral part of the voyage.
The deck party buffet. * Photo: John Roberts
All small-ship lines that cruise in Japan feature similar arrays of dining, with a mix of popular favorites and regional specialties.
Delicious sea bass on board. * Photo: John Roberts
I have to admit, our favorite meals took place off the ship, though, when we explored Tokyo before the cruise and Osaka and Kyoto at the end of the trip.
Japanese is one of our favorite cuisines, so we relished the chance to try charming ramen bars in Tokyo and Osaka for lunches and dinners.
We also had the sushi lunch with our guide in Tokyo. Plus, in Kyoto, it was an epic lunch of donburi (simmering rice bowl dish) and Wagyu beef that melted in our mouths. In Nagasaki, we enjoyed another amazing local spread.
Colleen facing a delicious spread of ramen and Takoyaki in Nagasaki. * Photo: John Roberts
We also had excursions during our voyage that offered chances to enjoy tastes of Japan and Korea.
John of course sampled craft beers, here in Hiroshima. * Photo: John Roberts
3. Itineraries Offer a Nice Selection of Shore Excursions
When you cruise around Japan, you’ll have a nice selection of shore tours on the program, with city highlights, cultural outings and food-focused choices.
We bought several of Windstar’s group motor coach excursions during our trip. We also did one guided private tour with an independent company (in Nagasaki) and took two days to ourselves in smaller ports to explore on our own.
We kept busy with a mix of tours in each port. In Kagoshima, we took the seven-hour, all-day tour that explored the city that is home to Sakurajima volcano.
View of the Sakurajima Volcano in Kagoshima. * Photo: John Roberts
The tour started in Chiran to see a samurai district located along a pretty road and adorned with well-manicured gardens and historic homes (dating back 250 years or more).
The tour included a stop for a traditional tea service.
Traditional sea service. * Photo: John Roberts
We also visited the pretty Sengan-en Garden, with its views of the volcano, and the Chiran Tokko Museum, which preserves documents and other items related to the “kamikaze pilots” who flew attack missions during WWII. The museum is located at the airbase where the pilots took off for their final flights.
For the stop in Nagasaki, Colleen and I booked a private tour with Yoshi from the company Get Your Guide. Yoshi took us all over the city. We mixed in a couple taxi rides but mostly walked around on a sunny day, getting to see the city and the bends of the Urakami River from a brilliant spot on Mount Inasa before taking the Nagasaki cable car ride back down.
A view of Nagasaki. * Photo: John Roberts
We also visited the city’s Peace Park, which commemorates the atomic bombing of the city and a wish for world peace. Then, it was on to see Spectacles Bridge and Glover Garden, a lovely hillside garden site that features mansions and panoramic views of the river.
The Peace Memorial in Nagasaki. * Photo: John Roberts
Colleen and I were excited that our Japan cruise included a side trip across the Korea Strait to Busan. We had never been to Korea (except for connecting at the airport). In Busan, we booked one of Windstar’s tour offerings: Journey Back in Time, Gyeongju. This all-day tour took us into the countryside to Gyeongju, a region known as the Museum Without Walls that is a UNESCO World Heritage site and once was capital of the ancient Shilla Kingdom.
We visited royal tombs in Tumuli Park, the National Museum and the Bulguksa Temple with its beautiful park grounds.
Busan’s Bulguksa Temple. * Photo: John Roberts
At Hiroshima, we toured the highly walkable city on our own. We walked from the port and wandered for miles to see the Peace Park and Atomic Dome Peace Memorial along the Motoyasu River. This memorial is the ruins of a building that is the lone structure remaining at the site where the bomb landed on August 6, 1945.
The building, the former Product Exhibition Hall, features a distinctive dome and is preserved as a World Heritage site at the center of the Peace Memorial Park.
The Dome site. * Photo: John Roberts
Colleen and I also experienced the modern aspects of this bustling and thriving city, visiting a shopping center, anime shop, video-game cafe and a craft brewery before heading back to the ship.
The voyage included two other stops, in Fukuoka and Takamatsu, where we also explored on our own. We went to Fukuoka instead of Shingu, which was on the original itinerary, because typhoon activity in the region altered our plans a bit.
At Fukuoka, located on the northern part of Kyushu Island, we went for a run to the city’s large Ohori Park. We enjoyed the large outdoors area that is home to castle ruins, sports fields and a large pond filled with lotus flowers.
Lotus Pond at Ohori Park. * Photo: John Roberts
After running through the city to reach the park, we wandered the paths and enjoyed the sunshine and watching all the kids out playing.
We reached Takamatsu toward the end of our voyage and walked to the city’s popular Ritsurin Garden to spend the afternoon there.
Takamatsu Ritsurin Gardens. * Photo: John Roberts
The historic park is known as one of Japan’s most beautiful gardens. It was created almost 400 years ago as a private retreat for feudal lords.
Ritsurin Gardens. * Photo: John Roberts
It features six ponds, 13 meticulously landscaped hills and views that constantly change as you wander the curving pathways.
To finish our trip, we chose a Windstar guided tour of Osaka with a transfer to our hotel in Kyoto on disembarkation day.
This included a visit to the impressive Osaka Castle and fortress, which was the largest castle in Japan when it was built in the 1580s.
Osaka Castle. * Photo: John Roberts
Our tour also brought us to the exciting Dotonbori District so we could experience free time for shopping and lunch on our own at one of the numerous restaurants that line Dotonbori Street and the adjacent canal. We chose a wonderful little noodle shop for a hearty lunch.
John and Colleen along the Dotonbori Canal. * Photo: John Roberts
4. You’ll Love the Enriching Entertainment
During our Japan cruise with Windstar, cruisers were offered fun activities to enjoy throughout the day.
We sailed with two specialists. Lecturer Howard Roitman gave daily talks about the history of Japan, ranging from the shogun eras and periods of global isolation up until more modern times.
Crowds would gather in the lounge for his fun chats and engage in exchanges during Q and A sessions afterward.
Masako also cruised with us as a special regional onboard cultural guide. She is a native of Japan and taught us classes on origami and calligraphy.
John & Colleen in the origami class. * Photo: John Roberts
Chefs taught a class on sushi making, and the Star Breeze music duo played at sunset at the Star Grill and during late evenings in the Compass Rose lounge.
A crowd favorite and a staple of Windstar cruises is the “Crew Show,” featuring talented members of the crew who show off a range of talents. The high-energy show plays to a packed house, and we get to see these hard workers put on great performances of singing, dancing and comedy bits.
The beloved crew show. * Photo: John Roberts
5. Your Ship Features an Array of Leisure Activities
When you’re not ashore exploring wonderful Japan, these small-ship cruises feature delightful ways to indulgence onboard. These revolve around eating, drinking, wellness or just relaxing.
We traveled with 194 fellow cruisers (mostly from the U.S. and Canada, with groups from the Netherlands and Australia) onboard Star Breeze for our Japan cruise, and one of the highlights was the outdoors barbecue feast set up on the pool deck while were in port late into the evening in Nagasaki.
The crew set up a large buffet with meats, fish, salads, sides and desserts to enjoy under the starry skies in the warm air while music played.
Star Breeze features a beautiful spa with a thermal suite. Colleen and I booked a couple massages during the cruise and made it a practice to use the gym and then relax in the thermal lounge to rejuvenate, using the ceramic loungers and sauna.
The Star Breeze gym. * Photo: John Roberts
The main pool deck has a heated pool and a hot tub that we used during afternoons after we returned from exploring ashore. There also is a hot tub and serene sun deck space at the very bow of Star Breeze.
John in the hot tub. * Photo: John Roberts
We also settled in at the Yacht Club observation lounge and deck at the front of Deck 8. This space offers a library, cafe and wonderful views. This was our favorite relaxation area to do some reading or work on a puzzle.
VIDEO: Below is John’s full cruise ship tour of Star Breeze.
All these activities and spaces are in addition to the comfy staterooms. We had a lovely balcony cabin with a spacious living area and bathroom with a walk-in shower.
Have a look at our accommodations in my video tour of our balcony cabin on Star Breeze.
John’s balcony cabin. * Photo: John Roberts
What’s Included on a Windstar Cruise
Windstar’s program is mostly a la cart, with items like shore excursions, drinks packages, laundry and gratuities and Wi-Fi not included in your cruise fare.
What you get:
- Open dining at all restaurants
- All onboard entertainment
- Non-alcoholic drinks, like coffees, bottled water and sodas
- Fresh flowers and fruit in your cabin
- You also get access to the thermal suite
- Champagne welcome reception
Fresh flowers in all cabins. * Photo: John Roberts
Why Go on a Small-ship Japan Cruise?
We decided to go on a cruise for our first visit to Japan for a couple reasons. First off, we love the ease and comfort of small-ship cruising.
It’s a fantastic convenience to have a floating resort that’s filled with amenities, great staff and wonderful meals and activities that delivers you from port to port in style.
Also, Windstar’s itinerary for its “Grand Japan” voyage hit such a diversity of cities and sights that it makes a lot of sense for the first-time visitor who wants to see as much as possible over the course of 10 days.
An exotic faraway destination like Japan can be intimidating, but a small-ship cruise program makes it quite hassle-free and a wonderful way to experience the country. It helped us give us the confidence and knowledge for how to navigate it on our own next time.
The Star Breeze arriving in Nagasaki. * Photo: John Roberts
I recommend planning for a couple extra days before and after your cruise so that you can experience the great cities where your voyage begins and ends. You would definitely want the chance to take advantage of your time in places like Tokyo, Yokohama, Kobe, Osaka or Kyoto.
A Caveat …
Typhoons churn up regularly in Japan’s coastal waters. These storms are typically from May to October, with peak season in August and September.
The country averages more than 20 typhoons annually, and while these don’t frequently pass over the main islands of Japan, the storms can disrupt your planned itinerary.
Windstar’s Japan Cruise Itinerary
Day 1 — Meet Star Breeze at Yokohama Cruise Terminal for embarkation and sailaway
Day 2 — Shimizu, Japan
Day 3 — Sea Day (original itinerary called for a stop at Shingu; this was canceled to avoid an approaching typhoon)
Day 4 — Fukuoka, Japan (this port was added and replaced the originally scheduled sea day)
Day 5 — Kagoshima, Japan
Day 6 — Nagasaki, Japan
Day 7 — Busan, Korea
Day 8 — Karatsu, Japan
Day 9 — Hiroshima, Japan
Day 10 — Takamatsu, Japan
Day 11 — Disembark in Osaka, Japan for tour and return home
The itinerary of Windstar’s Japan cruise. * Map: Windstar
Bottom Line About Considering a Small-ship Japan Cruise
A small-ship Japan cruise offers exposure to a variety of large cities and smaller ports that give travelers an excellent peek into the culture, history and lifestyle of this fantastic destination.
A cruise allows travelers to see as much as possible during the time they have available. And you can do so while traveling in comfort alongside experts who provide enrichment and support. This makes the experience hassle-free and memorable.
Our cruise was quite immersive and provided us a first introduction to Japan that gives us the confidence to come back and explore again on our own some day.
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HEIDI SARNA
