Shrine & Shogun Path – Nagasaki, Busan & Hakodate

About this cruise

Clear the calendar from October 7, 2026. This one's 11 nights from Yokohama, and the route visits Kobe (Osaka), Kochi and Kagoshima, with additional stops along the Japan, Korea, China & Taiwan. By the time you're a week in, you'll have completely stopped checking your phone. You wind up in Tokyo, so it's worth planning a night or two there. The itinerary clusters several port calls together. Fast-paced for a few days, then the sea days hit and you can catch your breath. Tokyo's neon at one port, Kyoto's temples at the next. You cover centuries in a few days. You get around 9 hours in each port, which is enough for an excursion, lunch, and some wandering around on your own. When you're not ashore, Costa Serena holds 3,014 guests across 13 decks. It's a big ship, with plenty to keep you busy. Longer sailings have a different energy. People relax into it, stop rushing, and start actually talking to each other. An October sailing dodges the peak crowds while the weather is still cooperating. Well timed. Hard to ask for much more than that, honestly.