A reader wrote to us about this sailing, and it turned out to be the loop we had covered least well. Ten of its eleven ports already had a complete guide. The eleventh, Fushiki–Toyama, had two sentences. It now has a guide, and this page puts the whole fortnight in one place.
The hours below are from Holland America’s own itinerary page for this sailing, read on 8 October 2026, when the cruise was showing a waitlist. Lines adjust times, and your daily programme on board is the only final word. Our rule for what fits a call: usable time is the call length minus two hours, for getting off and for being back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard.
The fortnight at a glance
| Date | Port | Hours | Our guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 28 Mar | Tokyo, embark | departs 19:00 | Tokyo |
| Mon 29 Mar | At sea | ||
| Tue 30 Mar | Osaka | 06:30–19:00 | Osaka |
| Wed 31 Mar | Kochi | 08:00–17:00 | Kochi |
| Thu 1 Apr | Hiroshima | 08:00–23:59 | Hiroshima |
| Fri 2 Apr | Kanmon Strait, scenic | ||
| Sat 3 Apr | Busan, Korea | 10:00–18:00 | Busan |
| Sun 4 Apr | Sakaiminato | 08:00–17:00 | Sakaiminato |
| Mon 5 Apr | Tsuruga | 08:00–18:00 | Tsuruga |
| Tue 6 Apr | Fushiki–Toyama | 08:00–18:00 | Fushiki–Toyama |
| Wed 7 Apr | Sakata | 08:00–19:00 | Sakata |
| Thu 8 Apr | Aomori | 08:00–21:00 | Aomori |
| Fri 9 Apr | Hakodate | 08:00–17:00 | Hakodate |
| Sat 10 Apr | At sea | ||
| Sun 11 Apr | Tokyo, disembark | arrives 08:00 | Tokyo |
Where Westerdam docked in 2026, port by port
Berths are assigned by each port, not by the line, and most ports publish them only a few weeks ahead. The 2026 record, from the ports’ own schedules on this site, is the best guide to 2027.
| Port | Westerdam’s 2026 berth (official port schedule) | What it means for your day |
|---|---|---|
| Tokyo | The February 2027 loop is listed at Tokyo International Cruise Terminal; the spring 2026 loops turned around at Yokohama’s Osanbashi | Confirm the pier on your documents before booking a hotel |
| Osaka | Tempozan Pier, all five 2026 calls | Walk-off port; subway from Osakako |
| Kochi | Berth 7-3 at Kochi New Port; the port’s 2027 list already shows the 31 March call | Shuttle or taxi, about 25 minutes to the centre |
| Hiroshima | Ujina Foreign Trade Berth No. 5 on three of four 2026 calls; Itsukaichi on 1 October 2026 | Ujina is beside the 2024 terminal; Itsukaichi means a taxi to the station |
| Busan | No official berth list on this site; most ships use the International Passenger Terminal | Covered walk to Busan Station |
| Sakaiminato | Sakai Yumeminato Terminal, both 2026 calls | 6 km to town; taxi about 15 minutes |
| Tsuruga | Mariyama South Quay on 6 April 2026, Mariyama North on 5 October 2026 | Cargo quays, free shuttle loop on 2026 calls |
| Fushiki–Toyama | Manyo Wharf No. 3, Fushiki district, both 2026 calls | No terminal or official shuttle; see the new guide |
| Sakata | Kominato Wharf, all four 2026 calls | 6 km to the old town; shuttle or taxi |
| Aomori | Shin-Chuo Wharf, every 2026 call | Walking port |
| Hakodate | Wakamatsu Wharf, all four 2026 calls | Three minutes to the Morning Market |
Three things to notice before the port notes. There is no Shizuoka call, so no Mt. Fuji day from the ship; the mountain is a Tokyo day trip or a view from the rail. (The 11 April loop calls Omaezaki and Sokcho, and the 28 February loop calls Yeosu; all three now have guides.) Hiroshima and Aomori are the two long evenings. And the ship’s Sea of Japan ports are all cargo-wharf berths where the shuttle or a taxi is the day’s first decision.
Tokyo, 28 March: embark
Holland America labels the turnaround “Tokyo”. The 2026 edition of this cruise embarked at Yokohama’s Osanbashi pier, and the 2027 pier was not published when we checked. Confirm it on your documents before you book a hotel. Either way, give Tokyo two nights before sailing: the city and the jet lag both deserve them. The Tokyo guide has the Asakusa-before-nine plan.
Osaka, 30 March: the Kyoto window, 06:30–19:00
Twelve and a half hours at Tempozan, the port beside the aquarium. That is the one call on this loop that makes Kyoto arithmetic work: Kyoto Station is about 55 minutes from Osakako station, and Fushimi Inari about 72. Late March is peak blossom in both cities by the normals, and peak crowds with it. If you would rather eat than queue, Osaka itself is the better day. The Osaka guide prices both.
Kochi, 31 March: 08:00–17:00
Kochi New Port is a working harbour, about 25 minutes from the centre by shuttle or taxi. Seven usable hours cover the castle, one of twelve original keeps in Japan, and lunch at Hirome Market, where seared bonito is eaten at shared tables. Kochi Castle’s cherry trees are normally in bloom at the end of March. Kochi guide.
Hiroshima, 1 April: the long day, 08:00–23:59
Nearly sixteen hours. Most ships use Ujina No. 5 by the 2024 cruise terminal. The Peace Memorial and Miyajima lie in opposite directions, and this is the rare call with time for both done properly, with okonomiyaki in between and the floating torii lit after dark. The Hiroshima guide is the most detailed page on this site, and this is the call it was written for.
Kanmon Strait, 2 April
A scenic day: the ship passes between Honshu and Kyushu under the Kanmon Bridge. Be on deck; there is nothing to plan.
Busan, 3 April: 10:00–18:00
Eight hours, six usable. Almost every call uses the International Passenger Terminal, a covered 10–15 minute walk from Busan Station. Gamcheon’s pastel hillside is 15 minutes by taxi, Jagalchi fish market is eaten upstairs, and the ship will hold your passport for the Korea call and return it for the Japanese re-entry inspection. Busan guide.
Sakaiminato, 4 April: 08:00–17:00
Sakai Yumeminato Terminal is 6 km from town, a 15-minute taxi. The yokai road, 178 bronze spirits from the station to the museum, is flat and fits any call. Matsue and the Adachi Museum garden need the full seven usable hours and a plan. Sakaiminato guide.
Tsuruga, 5 April: 08:00–18:00
Cargo quays at Mariyama, about 4 km from downtown, with a free shuttle loop on the 2026 calls. The port’s story, Polish orphans in the 1920s and Sugihara-visa refugees in 1940, is told in a small museum that deserves an unhurried hour. Kehi Jingu’s wooden torii is one of Japan’s three great ones. Tsuruga guide.
Fushiki–Toyama, 6 April: 08:00–18:00
The call this page exists for. Ten hours at the berth, about eight usable. On both 2026 calls Westerdam docked at Manyo Wharf No. 3 in the Fushiki district of Takaoka city: a cargo wharf with no terminal, no shops, no ATM and no official shuttle. Takaoka Station is 15–20 minutes away by the ship’s shuttle or a taxi; Toyama city is a further 20 minutes by train.
Three days before Toyama’s normal full bloom, the day has an obvious shape. Zuiryuji, the Maeda family’s National Treasure temple, is ten minutes from Takaoka Station. The Tateyama range, 3,000-metre peaks across the bay, is seen from the Amaharashi Coast two stops up the Himi line, on a clear day. Toyama city has the Glass Art Museum in Kengo Kuma’s timber building and the Matsukawa river boats under the blossom, whose 2027 spring season is planned for 20 March to 25 April. The Tateyama Alpine Route and its snow wall open in mid-April, so they are not an option on this date. The complete Fushiki–Toyama guide has the timed day, the train departures and the rain plan.
Sakata, 7 April: 08:00–19:00
Kominato Wharf, 6 km from the old town, no terminal; take the shuttle or a taxi. The Sankyo rice warehouses of 1893 are the icon, and the 14:00 maiko performance at Somaro is the afternoon to book before you sail. Eleven hours here is generous; the harbour market’s seafood bowls open at 07:00. Sakata guide.
Aomori, 8 April: 08:00–21:00
Shin-Chuo Wharf, a flat 16–22-minute walk from everything that matters: the Nebuta floats lit in the Wa Rasse hall, the cider works, the nokke-don market. With thirteen hours, Hirosaki’s castle town is reachable by train, though its famous cherry blossoms normally open later in April. Aomori guide.
Hakodate, 9 April: 08:00–17:00
Most calls use Wakamatsu, three minutes on foot from the Morning Market; very large ships go to Minato-cho, 6 km out. A 17:00 departure means no night view from Mt. Hakodate, so make the morning the main event: the market at breakfast, then the Motomachi slopes and the red-brick warehouses. Hakodate guide.
Back in Tokyo, 11 April
The ship arrives at 08:00. If you fly the same day, allow the full morning for disembarkation and the hour or more to either airport. If you stay, the Tokyo guide has the day-trip options for the Fuji view the cruise did not give you.
Sailing on this loop and have a question the guides do not answer? Ask the editor: ship, date and hours ashore make the answer sharper.
