Depart: 3:00pm

Enjoy a variety of onboard experiences at sea.

Arrive: 9:00am | Depart 6:00pm

There is a celebratory air in Akita, where year round festivals and street parades are colourfully integrated into daily life. A key city in the Tohoku region since medieval times, Akita was once a castle town of the Satake clan, but today is a vibrant, prosperous city that seamlessly honours its past but embraces its young energetic spirit. Noted for its burgeoning art community, there are several fine museums to explore including The Hirano Masakichi Art Musuem housing a collection of work by Western and Japanese artists, the Akita City Folklore Museum and the Kakunodate Samurai District, a living museum that showcases the samurai way of life. In the neighbouring Oga Peninsula, the region's most famous icon, the terrifying Namahage, has it's won cultural centre and festival ritual performed in his name. Surrounding the city, fertile farmland and rice fields produce some of the best sake in the country and nature lovers won't know which way to turn – to the west is the picturesque Sea of Japan and to the north, south and east, majestic mountain ranges including the UNESCO World Heritage sight of Shirakami-Sanchi proudly stand.

Arrive: 9:00am | Depart 6:00pm

Located in the heart of coastal Japan, Toyama welcomes visitors with dramatic scenery, colourful crafts and engaging local sites. Gateway to the world-famous Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route in the Northern Japan Alps. The Tateyama mountains of 3,000m and the Toyama Bay of 1,000 deep makes for 4,000m of height difference helps to grow agriculture with the pure mountain waters and fresh seafood such as glass shrimp, firefly squid, red snow crab, and yellowtail from Toyama Bay. Popular attractions include the Zuiryuji Temple of elegant architecture, trolley train into the Kurobe Gorge, the UNESCO World Heritage Gokayama Villages. Looking for something out of the ordinary? Go to Nosaku where you can make your own sake cup out of tin with the original craft casting method. Afterwards, take your cup to the Wakatsuru Sake and Whiskey distillery and have a taste of the Toyama original beverage. Toyama has so much to offer to fulfil your touring expectations.

Arrive: 8:00am | Depart 6:00pm

The serene calm of this largest city in the Wakasa region of Japan is one steeped in culture and poetic tales. The brilliant, wandering, Edo poet Matsua Basho was inspired to write a haiku about the glimmer of the moonlight over Tsuraga Bay, and the plethora of artisan crafts from lacquerware to washi (Japanese paper) keep the traditions of cultural beauty alive today. The area is home to one of the most picturesque pine groves in the country at Kehi-no-Matsubara, where white-sand beaches fringe the fragrant green boughs of the magnificent pines. The area of Mikata-goko is home to five sparkling, small lakes with colours ranging from turquoise blue to jade green, and the region is home to a number of important, brightly painted shrines. The Kehi-jingu Shrine was reared in 702 and a massive, vermillion, wooden torii gate was re-constructed in 1645. Museums abound, and the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum is popular with families wanting to explore the origins of the prehistoric world, while the moving Port of Humanity Museum honours the humanitarian work of Chiune Sugihara, credited with saving as many as 6,000 souls from the Nazis. Whether your interests lie in natural scenery, authentic experiences or historic sites, a day spent on these captivating shores will have you writing poetry of your own.

Arrive: 7:00am | Depart 5:00pm

Arrive: 7:00am | Depart 4:00pm

Arrive: 7:00am | Depart 4:00pm

Beautiful Nagasaki on Kyushu is often described as the San Francisco of Japan. The city occupies verdant hills surrounded by a deep-water bay. For three centuries, Nagasaki was Japan's sole window on the world. The city is also celebrated as the setting for Puccini's opera "Madame Butterfly."

Enjoy a variety of onboard experiences at sea.

Arrive: 6:30am