Star Collector: Island Jewels of Japan

Cruise overview

This is the comprehensive Japan itinerary you’ve been waiting for, encompassing natural wonders, captivating history, an endless feast of mouthwatering cuisines, and surprising variations in culture. You’ll visit a full dozen ports beginning in Tokyo with its neon lights, Ginza shopping, and more Michelin-starred restaurants than any city in the world. Wrap yourself in natural beauty as you gaze at the perfect symmetry of Mt. Fuji, go “sand bathing” at a hot spring, and hike UNESCO pilgrimage trails past waterfalls, shrines, and massive evergreens. Of course, you’ll find echoes of the past wherever you go, from Osaka’s and Kyoto’s cultural and historical treasures to the peace parks of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. After exploring Japan’s main islands, head to three enticing ports in the distinctly different Ryukyu Islands south of mainland Japan. A long history of trade as part of the Ryukyu Kingdom has infused the culture here with foreign influences. See hints of China in Okinawa’s 14th-century Shuri Castle, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and notice how everything from the cuisine to the language include Chinese, Korean and Southeast Asian influences. Pine forests give way to subtropical forests and mangroves in this part of the archipelago, treating you to “Amami blue” waters and a peacock array of palm trees, unspoiled beaches, and coral reefs. Add in port calls to Busan, Taipei, Hong Kong, and Hanoi/Halong Bay, and you have the makings of a culturally enriching voyage, immersing you in the diverse and vibrant traditions of East Asian culture.