Ocean Discovery – Tokyo, Shimizu & Kobe (Osaka)

About this cruise

If you've got 28 nights to work with, this sailing from Tokyo on October 10, 2027 through Shimizu, Kobe (Osaka) and Kochi, with additional stops along the Japan, Korea, China & Taiwan is genuinely one of the better ways to spend them. You wind up in Hong Kong, so it's worth planning a night or two there. You do all the exploring first, then the last few days are at sea. It's like a built-in wind-down. Crossing 3 borders through the Japan, Korea, China & Taiwan: Japan, South Korea and China. You'll notice the culture shift at every stop. Niigata stands out. It's Japan's Snow Country port of sake and rice. Around 11 hours per port on average, which is generous enough to go beyond the obvious. Noordam takes the food seriously, with 7 restaurants to choose from. 5 are included, and the rest are worth the splurge. There are enough performances, events, and social mixers on a cruise this length that you couldn't do them all if you tried. And that's a good problem. This one's for people who really want to switch off. No half measures. Block out the calendar. The autumn timing is underrated too. Good weather, calmer seas, and a more relaxed ship. All in all, it's a solid trip.