Shrine & Shogun Circuit – Busan, Niigata & Kobe

About this cruise

20 nights starts to feel like a proper adventure. You leave Tokyo on June 25, 2028 and the route takes you through Hakodate, Niigata and Busan, with additional stops along the Japan, Korea, China & Taiwan at a pace where there's never any need to rush. A few ports come in quick succession, which is great for sightseeing but means you'll appreciate the sea days when they arrive. Bullet trains visible from the harbour, cherry blossoms, and thousands of years of history. East Asia is a lot to take in. Of the stops, Kobe (Osaka) tends to be the one people talk about: Where Wagyu beef meets harbour-side elegance. Around 9 hours per port on average, which is generous enough to go beyond the obvious. Sapphire Princess has 14 restaurants on board, which means you could eat somewhere different nearly every night. 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. Tokyo itself is worth spending some time in. Don't just treat it as a departure point. The timing works well too: warm evenings on deck, late sunsets, and a lively atmosphere. Sometimes the best trips are the ones you just go ahead and book.