Samurai Shrines – Busan, Kobe & Hakodate

About this cruise

Somewhere around day five the ship stops being transport and starts being home. This 28-night sailing from Tokyo on September 26, 2027 visits Shimizu, Kobe (Osaka) and Hiroshima, with additional stops along the Japan, Korea, China & Taiwan. There's a stretch of back-to-back port days, so those days are busy, but the sea days around them give you time to recharge. Karaoke bars, hot springs, and temples draped in moss. East Asia does culture and chaos in equal measure. Most ports give you about 10 hours, so you can do more than just tick off the main sights. As for the ship itself, You won't go hungry on Noordam. 5 restaurants come with the fare, plus 2 more when you feel like treating yourself. 28 nights is long enough to build a routine on board: favourite restaurant, favourite deck chair, favourite people. It starts to feel like a floating village. Being shoulder season helps: golden light, comfortable weather, and shorter queues at the popular spots. Good route, good ship, good timing. It all lines up.