There’s something magical about sailing to Okinawa – the 160 subtropical Ryukyu islands off Southern Japan where time has stood still.

These remote islands, many of them just tiny fishing villages and coastal towns have been preserved and retain an infectious charm of their own, insulated from Japan’s hot tourist spots of Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto. Even the local Japanese people from urbane Tokyo have not visited these rural fishing villages.

The Ryukyu Islands run in a long curving chain for almost a thousand kilometres between Taiwan and Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island. Okinawa is the largest of the Ryukyu Islands and probably the only one which Australians may be familiar with because of its scintillating seas, fish-filled reefs, and swaying palm trees, all layered with hundreds of years of history and culture – thanks to the trade and political interactions between Japan and China.

It is an intriguing destination where you can also spot the endangered Iriomote cat and the crested serpent eagles.

With Japan recently reopening its borders, cruising to Naha, the old capital of the Ryukyu Kingdom has become de rigueur. Now you can cruise to Okinawa for as little as $3399 per person on a 31-day Transpacific journey onboard Carnival Luminosa which departs Brisbane in April 2024 and visits Guam, Naha, Okinawa, Tokyo, Aomori, and Kushiro before heading to Seward, Juneau in Alaska and ending in Seattle. This works out to be as little as $110 per person per night. For more information, visit https://www.carnival.com/cruise-to/transpacific-cruises/naha-okinawa-cruises.aspx#

Besides Carnival, there has been an increasing number of cruise lines heading to the Far East and Japan this year and in 2024 offering a variety of many sought-after journeys.

Here are some of the best cruises to Okinawa:

Azamara

Boutique line Azamara has a 12-night Japan Intensive Voyage onboard Azamara Journey which departs on 7 March 2024 with prices starting from $5284 pp with an onboard credit of US$300 per suite The itinerary kicks off in Hong Kong, Taipei, then Ishigaki, a tropical hidden gem of white sandy beaches and drooping mangroves followed by a late stay in Okinawa where you can visit Seifa Utaki, an important prayer site before exploring Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Park and Museum. The next port of call is Kagoshima famous for its wagyu beef and overactive volcano, then Miyazaki where you can taste its famous “shochu”, a spirit distilled from sweet potato.

For more information, click here.

Celebrity Cruises

Celebrity Cruises has a 12-night Northeast Asia cruise onboard Celebrity Millennium with prices starting from $1987pp with savings of $600 per stateroom and $400 onboard credit per stateroom. The journey departs Tokyo on 17 November this year visiting Kagoshima, Ishigaki, Taipei, Hong Kong, Hue Danang before disembarking in Singapore.

For more information, click here.

Royal Caribbean

Royal Caribbean has a 12-night Tokyo to Singapore cruise onboard Spectrum of the Seas with prices starting from $1858pp. The cruise departs Tokyo on 1 October this year and visits Shimizu, Kobe, Okinawa, Ishigaki, Hong Kong, Hue/Danang before disembarking in Singapore.

For more information, click here.

Oceania Cruises

Oceania Cruises has a 12-day voyage Eastern Endeavour onboard Nautica with prices starting from $6580pp which departs Taipei on 11 March this year and visits Okinawa, Kagoshima, Sasebo, Jeju, Busan, Hiroshima, Kyoto, Nagoya and Tokyo.

For more information, click here.

Regent Seven Seas

Regent Seven Seas Cruises has a 14-night Tokyo to Bangkok voyage onboard Seven Seas Explorer with prices starting from $8004pp which includes up to 49 shore excursions. The sailing  departs Tokyo on 11 November this year and visits Shimizu, Kyoto, Kochi, Okinawa, Taipei, Nha Trang, Ho Chi Minh City and Bangkok.

For more information, click here.

Ponant

Ponant has a 13-day expedition cruise onboard Le Jacques-Cartier which takes you to the heart of the tropical islands in southern Japan with prices starting from $14,690pp. The expedition departs Ha Long Bay in Vietnam on 4 March 2024 and visits Hong Kong, Ishigaki, Taketomijima, Iriomotejima, Yonagunijima, Miyakojima, Kumejima, Iheyajima, Zamami and Okinawa where you will disembark at the capital city of Naha.

For more information, click here.

Princess Cruises

Princess Cruises has an eight-night itinerary onboard Diamond Princess with prices starting from $2159pp. The cruise departs Yokohama on 21 June this year and visits Okinawa, Ishigaki, Taipei and Yokohama.

For more details, click here.

Cunard

Cunard has an 18-night grand Japan voyage onboard Queen Elizabeth with prices starting from $6699pp. The roundtrip Tokyo voyage departs 6 May this year and visits Kochi, Miyazaki, Nagasaki, Busan, Keelung, Hualien, Miyakojima, Naha and Tokyo.

For more information, click here.