Japan beats Europe to become our favourite destination – here’s what you need to know to cruise there from $200 a night

• When we asked our readers last week which destination should be on their bucket lists, we got a shock.
• Instead of the usual Europe or the Med, Japan had sailed past them to become Number 1 – or “ichi”, as the Japanese would say.
• Here’s what you need to know to cruise Japan, and a guide to who sails there.

Japan has emerged as Australia’s favourite destination for cruising.

A recent Cruise Passenger survey confirms it is now our Number 1 bucket list destination, followed by Antarctica.

The remarkable turnaround follows a long period during which the Yen has been great value against the Aussie dollar. The Middle East crisis, which hit air travel to Europe hard, has now compounded Australians’ view that close-to-home cruising and Asia offer more stability and terrific cultural expereinces.

The most recent travel data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics reveals that more Australians are now visiting Japan than Bali, with travel to Japan up six per cent while travel to Indonesia has dropped five per cent.

While many Australians go to Japan for skiing, to check out the high-tech Tokyo or capture snaps of the famous cherry blossoms, it’s perhaps less well-known that Japan is also a fantastic cruise destination.

Many major cruise lines sail out of Japan, and it’s rapidly growing as a cruise destination. In 2025 almost two million cruise passengers visited Japan, and that figure looks set to keep increasing.

Here’s our guide to everything you need to know to book a cruise in Japan.

What to know about cruising Japan? 

• If you look at the cruise schedule for Japan you’ll notice that it’s mainly Celebrity and Princess that sail through the whole season, while many other lines visit only in March/April and again in October/November. This is because March/April bring the cherry blossom seasons and stunning scenery and October/November offer many festivals and Japan’s famous Autumn foliage. However, all the months in between are also great to visit to see other sides of Japan and enjoy less crowds.
• While starting off from Tokyo is the typical move, there are other ways to cruise to Japan. You can cruise out of China with Royal Caribbean or with other lines, even enjoy a repositioning voyage all the way from Alaska. 
• Ports in Japan are often industrial ports a bit out of the city, so if you’re not doing a shore excursion and instead just plan to explore yourself, make sure you plan out your day to get the most out of your time. 
• Mixing land and cruise travel is a great way to see Japan. Japan has so much to see that land travel might be your best bet at full immersion into the culture, however, Japan’s islands and coastal sights are one of the most under appreciated aspects of the country that many non-cruise tourists miss. If you do a cruise and add on a couple of days of travel, you’ll get the best of both worlds.

Who sails in Japan

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises is a definite standout option for a Japan cruise due to the fact that Celebrity Millennium sails year-round in the region, meaning there are plenty of options to choose from. This year, you could try a 12-night best of Japan sailing for as low as $2148 per person, sailing as a round-trip out of Tokyo and visiting ports like Kyoto, Kochi, Nagasaki, Kagoshima and more. Another great deal is to take a sailing that visits the Nebuta Festival this year, with the 12-night voyage starting from just $2251

Norwegian Cruise Line

NCL also maintains a strong presence in Japan, with Norwegian Jade sailing around in October and November. The best deal you’ll grab is probably this sailing from Tokyo to Hong Kong, which starts at around $2700 and visits Tokyo, Mount Fuji, Osaka, Kochi, Hiroshima, Okinawa and Taipei.

Another option on Norwegian Jade for something a little longer is to combine your Japan cruise with South Korea. In fact you can even get a land package which includes four days in Seoul, before then cruising over to Japan with a port visit nearly every single day. This package starts from around $4100 for two weeks in total.

Princess Cruises

As far as variation in itineraries, it’s hard to beat Princess for a Japan sailing, with Diamond Princess spending the whole season exploring different parts of Japan. One of the best deals is a special 10-day Japan Explorer sailing that takes you to see the Kumano Fireworks, starting from just $2052. Another great deal is an 11-day Circle Japan with Nebuta and Summer Festivals, leaving this August and starting from just $2582. 

If you want a serious deep dive into Japan, you can take the same sailing but upgrade it into this 21-day Grand Circle Japan sailing, which visits 15 different ports, starting from $5748.

Ponant

For something a bit more luxurious, you can explore Japan in a more intimate setting with the luxury and expedition features of a Ponant ship. If you’re hoping to sail in 2026 with Ponant it’s a bit late because they only visit Japan in March and May.

However, if you would rather look towards 2027, you can find itineraries such as this Treasures of Japan and South Korea eight-night sailing, which starts from around $14,800 for the cabins that remain or this 12-night Busan to Kobe sailing, which kicks off from about $20,700.

Holland America

Holland America isn’t a regular visitor to Japan, but generally offers a couple of sailings each year. This year, you can get a great deal on a 13-day North Pacific Crossing, which goes from Canada to Japan. You can get on board the two-week sailing for just $1730.

The rest of their Japan cruises are sold out for this season but you can generally look in the September to November period for Asian cruises on Westerdam.

Azamara

For a slightly smaller ship experience, you can explore Japan with Azamara. In fact, if you want to enjoy a really unique journey, you can board Azamara Pursuit in Vancouver, do a deep dive of Alaska and then sail across the North Pacific ocean to end up in Japan, combining two bucket list destinations together. This 21-night itinerary starts from $4899, with alcohol, laundry and exclusive events included. 

For something rather focused more on Japan itself, hop on the very next sailing for a 15-night exploration of Japan, visiting lesser-known ports like Sakaiminato, Maizuru, Toyama and Sakata, as well as Tokyo, Hiroshima and more, starting from $5519.

Silversea

Silversea is a great option for Aussies, because you can actually cruise from Sydney to Japan, on voyages of about 30 to 35 days. For example, a 2027 sailing on Silver Moon from Sydney to Tokyo, starts from $21,000 and visits ports across Australia, Indonesia, Vietnam, China and Japan.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean offers a bit of a different option for Japan sailings, particularly due to its sailings out of China being on offer. However, if you do like this idea, it’s best to try and make the move this cruise season as due to diplomatic reasons, sailings from China are set to stop visiting Japan. The stand-out sailing for this season would be a Spectrum of the Seas sailing leaving this September, sailing an eight-night best of Japan itinerary out of Shanghai, starting from just $2149. For something a bit speedier and perfect to combine with some further land travel in China, you could try this five-night Fukuoka and Busan cruise, getting a taste of Japan and South Korea before heading back to China, starting from $1668.

Viking Cruises

Viking is a regular visitor to Japanese shores, with a couple of ships generally visiting each year, sometimes on dedicated itineraries and sometimes as part of longer voyages.

A 15-day sailing from Hong Kong to Tokyo starts from around $15,000, or for a larger exploration of South East Asia, you can explore Thailand, Vietnam, Japan and more with this 29-day sailing.

Flights to Japan –

Flights to Japan can be tricky business for Aussies. If you put Sydney to Japan into a flight aggregator like Skyscanner or Google Flights, some great deals pop up – but these might not be the most realistic.

For example, if we look at flights between Sydney and Japan this August, you can find flights as low as $900 dollars, but this will involve at least 30 hours of travel each way, flying with multiple stopovers and generally changing airlines at least once. 

For a direct flight, you’re looking at prices more in the range of about $1500 to $2000 with lines like ANA, Air Japan and Qantas. 

You can sometimes find Jetstar flights that offer a middle ground, being more in the $1200 with $1400 range with just a stopover or two. Cathay Pacific offers another option, generally with a stopover in Hong Kong, and you can find flights in the $1300 to $1400 range. 

If you can find a good direct flight closer to the $1500 return range, this is probably your best bet, but depending on travel dates, Jetstar or Cathay Pacific could provide worthwhile sailings if you’re up for a couple of extra hours in transit.