SWAN HELLENIC LUXURY CRUISES - ASIA

JAPAN AND KOREA CRUISE

CULTURAL SHORES & NORTHERN LANDSCAPES

"We're thrilled to be partnering with Swan Hellenic and to pass along rates this good to our clients. This voyage shows a side of Japan most travelers never see — quiet hot spring towns, a lacquerware village, an island once used for exile — with a full day in Busan to break things up, before working north to Hokkaido and finishing in the canal town of Otaru." — Rick

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12

Days

156-192

Guests Max

Expert

Discovery Team

29

Included Meals

DAY BY DAY

Your complete itinerary — 13 days, Hiroshima to Otaru, Japan & South Korea (one-way)

This voyage begins with an overnight flight to Hiroshima, followed by same-day embarkation — no pre-cruise hotel stay is required. From Hiroshima the ship follows Japan's quieter Sea of Japan coast north, crosses to Busan for a day in South Korea, and returns to Japan for a run of castle towns, lacquerware villages, and hot spring ports on the way to Hokkaido. Some port calls and the order of the itinerary may shift slightly based on conditions on the day.

Click the ▾ arrow on any day to see full details and included meals

1Day

Depart Home

North America · Overnight flight · June 18

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Depart on your overnight flight bound for Hiroshima, a city known for its quiet strength and thoughtful sense of remembrance — the starting point of a voyage that traces Japan's quieter Sea of Japan coast, crosses to Busan for a day in South Korea, and continues north through castle towns, lacquerware villages, and hot spring ports on the way to Hokkaido.

2Day

Hiroshima

Japan · Embarkation · June 19

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Boarding SH MinervaDinner

Arrive today in Hiroshima, a city that pairs modern life with places of quiet remembrance and calm coastal scenery. If time allows before boarding, take in the Peace Memorial Park and the surrounding waterfront. Then transfer to the pier and board SH Minerva, where every guest enjoys a private balcony or oceanview stateroom. Settle into your stateroom, meet the Captain and crew, and toast the start of your voyage north along Japan's less-travelled Sea of Japan coast. Hiroshima, Japan

Meals: D

3Day

Beppu

Kyushu, Japan · June 20

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Beppu is famous for its "Jigoku Meguri," a walk past seven vividly colored geothermal hot springs too scalding for bathing, each known for its own striking hue, bubbling mud, or rising steam. Nearby, around 1,500 wild Japanese macaques can be seen up close on Mount Takasaki, and a short trip further brings you to Usuki, where 60 stone-carved Buddhist statues rest among feudal-era castle ruins and a thousand cherry trees. As the ship departs this evening, head up on deck for the passage through the Kanmon Strait — a narrow, current-swept channel between Honshu and Kyushu, one of the world's busiest shipping lanes, narrowing to under half a mile at its tightest point and spanned by the graceful Kanmon Bridge. Beppu, Japan

Meals: B, L, D

4Day

Karatsu

Kyushu, Japan · June 21

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Karatsu is a castle town on the northern coast of Kyushu, anchored by a 16th-century fortress perched on a pine-covered point above the bay. The town has long been one of Japan's leading centers for ceramic production, with Karatsu ware supplying tea ceremony vessels since the late Muromachi period and several working kilns still active on its outskirts. Nearby, the pine-forested shoreline of Niji-no-Matsubara has been ranked among Japan's most scenic coastal groves for centuries. Karatsu, Japan

Meals: B, L, D

5Day

Busan

South Korea · June 22

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Busan brings a change of pace and country: a busy port city of beaches, hillside neighborhoods, and a lively harbor atmosphere. Memorial sites sit alongside modern districts, and markets that still feel unmistakably local offer a livelier, more urban contrast to the smaller Japanese ports on either side of this call. Busan, South Korea

Meals: B, L, D

6Day

Sakaiminato

Honshu, Japan · June 23

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Sakaiminato carries the feel of a working coastal town, built on seafood, folklore, and an unhurried pace. Inland, the scenery shifts quickly from shoreline to forested mountains, with gardens and small museums that reflect the region's understated aesthetic — a gentler, more intimate stop after the energy of Busan. Sakaiminato, Japan

Meals: B, L, D

7Day

Ine

Tango Peninsula, Japan · June 24

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Ine is a fishing village on the northern coast of the Tango Peninsula, where roughly 230 traditional boathouses, known as funaya, line the shore of a near-circular bay. Residents moor their boats on the ground floor and live in the rooms above, a way of life that has changed little in two centuries and now carries national preservation status. Seen from the water, the funaya form one of the most distinctive, unbroken waterfront streetscapes anywhere in Japan. Ine, Japan

Meals: B, L, D

8Day

Maizuru

Kyoto Prefecture, Japan · June 25

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Maizuru carries a strong naval history and a clear link to the Meiji era, with brick warehouses lining a harbor built for strategic purposes. The wider region opens onto classic Kyoto-area scenery, placing refined temples and historic districts within easy reach — a day that balances port history with a taste of inland elegance. Maizuru, Japan

Meals: B, L, D

9Day

Wajima

Noto Peninsula, Japan · June 26

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Wajima, a port town on the northern Noto Peninsula, is renowned for Wajima-nuri, a durable style of lacquerware displayed at the town's Museum of Lacquer Art. The thousand-year-old Asaichi morning market remains the daily hub of local life, with vendors selling fresh seafood, produce, and lacquerware side by side, and nearby Kiriko Hall houses illuminated festival floats that rise up to 15 meters tall. Wajima, Japan

Meals: B, L, D

10Day

Ogi, Sado Island

Niigata Prefecture, Japan · June 27

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Sado, Japan's sixth-largest island, is reached through the quaint port of Ogi, known for its tarai-bune, small round wooden tub-boats once used for harvesting shellfish. The island also carries a strong tradition of taiko drumming and was once a place of exile for artists and scholars. Today, Sado draws visitors to its rugged coastline, hidden beaches, and lush interior. Ogi, Sado Island, Japan

Meals: B, L, D

11Day

Sakata

Yamagata Prefecture, Japan · June 28

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Sakata, a port city on the Mogami river, built its early wealth on the rice and safflower trade. The Sankyo rice storehouses, dating to 1893 and shaded by zelkova trees, now house shops and form a cultural hub in the town center. Sakata's quiet streets preserve wealthy Edo-era homes, including the Honma Museum of Art and its gardens, and south of the river the Ken Domon Museum honors the photographer's powerful body of work, including his images of Hiroshima survivors. Sakata, Japan

Meals: B, L, D

12Day

Hakodate

Hokkaido, Japan · June 29

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Breakfast · Lunch · DinnerShore excursion included

Hakodate sits on Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island, and is known for the fresh seafood sold daily at its morning market. Mount Hakodate, reached by gondola, overlooks the lively city below, and the surrounding area is rich in hot springs, including Yunokawa Onsen, where wild snow monkeys are known to bathe at the Hakodate City Tropical Botanical Garden. Hakodate, Japan

Meals: B, L, D

13Day

Otaru

Hokkaido, Japan · Disembarkation · June 30

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Breakfast included

Arrive in Otaru this morning for disembarkation, an important Hokkaido port that has preserved much of its original architecture. Restored warehouses line the canal beneath Victorian-style street lamps, now home to restaurants and boutiques selling sake, music boxes, and the town's celebrated glassware. Otaru's trading history, rooted in the herring industry, is on display from Hokkaido's first railway terminal to the Herring Mansion on the outskirts, once home to a wealthy herring-fishing family. Ask Rick and Tracey about extending your stay before flying home. Otaru, Japan

Meals: B

Have a Question or Ready to Reserve Your Cabin?

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Route Overview

Hiroshima to Otaru – A one-way voyage along Japan's Sea of Japan coast, into South Korea, and north to Hokkaido

Cross into South Korea before continuing north to Hokkaido

SH Minerva – 156-192 Guests

Experience the quieter, less-travelled side of Japan onboard the boutique expedition ship SH Minerva through thirteen ports of call across two countries. Sail from Hiroshima along the Sea of Japan coast, passing through the Kanmon Strait and calling at the geothermal hot springs of Beppu and the castle town of Karatsu, and cross to Busan for a day exploring South Korea. Return to Japan for the coastal town of Sakaiminato, the boathouse village of Ine, and the harbor city of Maizuru, and continue north through the lacquerware town of Wajima, the island of Sado, and the river port of Sakata. Reach Hokkaido for the seafood and hot springs of Hakodate on your eleven-night voyage. This voyage concludes in Otaru, Japan, a canal town of preserved warehouses and a rich herring-trading history.

Special Group Discount Pricing From:

Price on Request

Per person, Any Balcony Cabin

Truly inclusive luxury expedition voyage aboard SH Minerva

Contact Rick & Tracey to book

DEPART FROM HOME ON

June 18, 2027

12 Days · 11 Nights

Hiroshima, Japan → Otaru, Japan

SH Minerva

Cultural Shores and Northern Landscapes: Japan and Korea Expedition Map

Click to enlarge

WHAT'S INCLUDED

✔ All meals onboard

✔ Complimentary beer, wine & spirits, any time

✔ 24-hour room service

✔ One selected shore excursion at every port of call

✔ All expedition landings

✔ Lecture programs by expedition team & guest speakers

✔ Gym, sauna & pool

✔ 24/7 self-service laundry

✔ Group transfers included

✔ Gratuities, port taxes & Wi-Fi included

WHY BOOK WITH RICK & TRACEY?

✔ Personal service from first call to final travel documents

✔ Expert advice on the right cruise, ship and cabin for you

✔ Firsthand destination expertise across Japan and East Asia

✔ Rick & Tracey have sent thousands of travelers across all seven continents

✔ Rick & Tracey have visited all seven continents — at least twice

✔ Access to exclusive offers and added value not available to the public

✔ We're available before, during and after your trip — always a real person

Rick & Tracey
Your Travel Experts

✔ Special exclusive group pricing · No fees, no markups!

Exclusive Pricing

Exclusive Non-Public Rate

Private group rates on this Swan Hellenic Pearls of the Pacific departure — not published on our site or anywhere else online.

Your private rate is available on request, or view it directly on our private rates page.

Private Balcony

Best available Balcony stateroom & below

Cabin Features

269 sq ft cabin with private balcony with seating for two
Two single beds or a double bed
Bedroom with separate living room area
Flame-effect fireplace
Luxurious bathroom, robes & slippers
Smart HDTV with satellite entertainment
Stocked complimentary minibar
In-room safe
Individually controlled air conditioning
Complimentary 24-hour room service
Complimentary self-service laundry
Gratuities, port charges & Wi-Fi included

Ship	Route	Public Fare	Save Up To	Single	3rd/4th Guest	Details
MinervaBuilt 2021	Pearls of the Pacific: Philippines & JapanJune 8 – 19, 2027 · 11 nts	$11,525	$525	+50%	Adult pays 50% · Minor pays 35%	View Rate → Inquire