I confess I’m not usually a fan of cruising.
My family loves a cruise, and I work as a travel writer, so I’ve been on a fair few, but it’s not my preferred mode. To me, cruising seems less about the places you visit and more about the luxe experience of getting there. The sameness of the format lends a comfortable familiarity that’s easy, frictionless, even routine.
My formative travel experiences as a shoestringer in the days before smartphones and Google Maps were the opposite—belly flops into the unfamiliar, defined by fortuitous accidents, chance encounters, and brushes with disaster. These days, older but no wiser, I’m still chasing that jolt of astonishment that really only happens outside your comfort zone. I’m just seeking it from nicer hotels these days.
But Japan, where I’ve lived for 20 years, is undergoing a cruise explosion. Discounting a hiatus during COVID, the number of port calls has been rising drastically for about 10 years, and the trend is accelerating. Recently, international heavy hitters like Princess, Royal Caribbean, and Disney, as well as Ritz-Carlton’s new luxury yacht, have announced new or expanded offerings.
Amid this explosion of capacity, Japan’s oldest homegrown operator, Mitsui Ocean Cruises, is repositioning itself as a premium option. They’ve replaced the venerable Nippon Maru with two former Seabourn ships, known for their smaller size and ultra- luxury all-suite layouts. One began sailing in 2024 as Ocean Fuji, while the other launched on September 19 as Ocean Sakura. More intriguingly, Mitsui is making an authentically Japanese experience the cornerstone of its marketing.
A culturally immersive cruise. Is that even possible? Only one way to find out: I booked a voyage.
Floating Japan
My itinerary was a seven-day cruise on Ocean Fuji, sailing from Kobe to Korea’s Jeju Island through the Seto Inland Sea, Japan’s answer to the Mediterranean. Immediately clear was the preponderance of Japanese guests, which I took for a good sign. Marketing manager Ayako Tasaki later told me that about 90 percent of their business is still domestic. While the staff was the usual international mix, everyone is
required to speak conversational Japanese and English.
Ocean Fuji’s full capacity is just 458, and the Japanese tend to be a decorous lot. Despite an extensive menu of all-inclusive alcohol, Ocean Fuji is no floating party boat. The vibe is relaxed but genteel. People dress up for dinner, and there’s nary a flip-flop in sight beyond the pool.
As often happens in Japan, some of the rules feel bizarre. The pools and jacuzzies inexplicably close at 6, for example. And Mitsui follows the Japanese prohibition on gambling even when in international waters. At night, the casino opens to all ages to play games of chance with valueless chips. I saw a kid too young to climb his stool unassisted trying his tiny hands at blackjack.
Travelers looking for wild nights of hedonism will no doubt be disappointed, but I appreciated evenings listening to live jazz with a tumbler of Hinomaru Single Cask and no belligerent drunks or screeching bachelorettes to spoil the mood.
Washoku Immersion
Sushi and ramen fans, take note. Ocean Fuji has five restaurants and at least one of them is serving Japanese food at any given meal. Room service is also inclusive, with classics like soba noodles available 24-7.
I always prefer table service, so the Japanese breakfast at The Restaurant Fuji was my go-to. After decades in Japan, I’ve come around to the idea that a hearty bowl of rice and miso soup, homestyle simmered veg, and grilled fish is the perfect start to the day, but I’m usually too lazy to make it at home. I mentioned to my waiter in passing that I usually just have fruit and yogurt, and he dashed off to fetch some at the neighboring buffet, a typical example of Japanese omotenashi hospitality.
The one venue that is not inclusive, Hokusai Fine Dining, is overseen by star chef and Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur Kiyomi Mikuni, known for his French-Japanese fusion fare and the much-missed Hotel de Mikuni in Tokyo. He’s as well known to Japanese as Jamie Oliver is to the British, and this is the first time he’s lent his skills to a cruise line. The evening I dined, a kombu-poached red snapper with beetroot consommé was the standout, at least until the old-school cheese cart pulled up and stole my bougie heart.
A locavore ethos extends to the drinks menu, where Japanese sake, shochu, and spirits feature heavily. I was pleased to find the club’s roaming craft gin cart stocked with one of my favorites, a sweet and citrusy label from Miyazaki called Yuzugin.
Soak in the Culture
While cruise standard entertainments like shuffleboard tournaments and splashy musicals are on offer, Mitsui has also drawn from Japanese culture and talent for some distinctly local offerings like comical rakugo storytelling. The daily schedules on my cruise featured workshops in furoshiki towel wrapping, traditional children’s games like tonton sumo (tabletop sumo wrestling), taiko drumming-inspired fitness classes, and lectures on local geology by the cruise director. I joined an origami lesson, turning squares of paper into little ships and summer fans along with a table of Japanese grannies who put most of us to shame with their superior experience.
A lineup of Japanese performers with diverse passions was most intriguing. Soprano Miku Yasukawa and tenor Yasushi Watanabe performed classics from Italian opera like La Traviata’s drinking anthem “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici”. Another night, Takatoki Suzuki played tango music on the accordion-like bandoneon, interspersing explanations of his instrument and the history of Argentine tango among the songs. Their tangible passion for their field was the high-brow version of otaku obsession.
Off-the-beaten-path destinations
The thing that really sold me on Mitsui was their itineraries. The smaller size of Ocean Fuji and Ocean Sakura allows them to visit ports that can’t accommodate the mega- ships favored by the big internationals. I’d never heard of our first stop, Yawatahama. It turned out to be a lovely fishing village in remote Ehime, surrounded by terraced orchards of mandarin orange trees.
Tender boats took us ashore, where a veritable festival was underway to welcome us. Taiko drummers beat rousing tunes while local fishermen waved the brightly colored ship flags that usually announce a massive haul. Food trucks touted local specialties like jakoten, a fried fish patty. And a chilled tap was set up to serve free cups of tart mandarin juice. The little community was clearly thrilled to welcome guests, and judging by the number of passengers I saw dancing and trying their hand at the drums, the feeling was mutual.
The other Japanese ports were Sasebo, home to the island-spotted ria coastline of Saikai National Park, and Kochi, where one of the only remaining original samurai castles looms over the city. Both are better known than Ehime but still less visited. Each Mitsui cruise has a unique itinerary, but they largely feature hidden gems that will be new to even frequent Japan visitors. Or indeed, this long-term resident.
Homeport Kobe
My biggest discovery on the trip was how fun Mitsui’s homeport of Kobe is. Despite its beef-related name recognition and a population of 1.5 million, the city is often overlooked in favor of nearby all-stars Osaka, Kyoto, and Nara. I’d long snubbed it myself, never making time for a side trip.
This time, I took the opportunity, enjoying one of the oldest Chinatowns in the country, several thriving sake production areas with brewery and cooperage tours, and a farm-to-table food scene using produce from Awaji Island, seafood from the Seto Inland Sea, and, yes, Kobe beef. I also spent a night at nearby Arima Onsen, a historic hot spring town just 30 minutes away. The rust-colored waters and mountain quiet were favorites of Japanese cultural titans like Junichiro Tanizaki and Hirosuke Watanuki, and the crow’s nest bath at ryokan Gosho Besso, seemingly suspended high in the forest canopy, was one of the most beautiful and ingenious I’ve seen.
So, here’s advice from an old hand if you want to cruise Japan. First, choose a local operator like Mitsui for an immersive experience beyond the big-ticket destinations, offering up authentic and unexpected facets of Japanese life. Then, spend a few days exploring around Kobe before you go home. The ease of cruising and the rewards of the road less taken. It’s the best of both worlds.
