The things that happened here and only here, told properly, then tied to what you can see, taste and book while your ship waits.
The historyA fishing village in 1867, a world city by 1900
Read the story →
The beefWhat the name legally means, and why almost nothing abroad qualifies
Read the story →
The sakeA quarter of Japan's sake, made from one spring of water
Read the story →
The quarterTwo hundred metres of Chinatown, and the queue that never ends
Read the story →
The decisionEvery Kobe passenger faces it, and most get the answer wrong
Read the story →Cruise seasons run spring to autumn, but the port changes underneath them.
The city marks 17 January quietly. Sake breweries are in peak winter production.
Lion dances and dragons take over Nankinmachi for two weeks around Chinese New Year.
Comfortable walking on the Kitano slope before the crowds return.
The overnight is worth more this month than any other.
Warm, dry, and the harbour is at its most pleasant to walk.
Nankinmachi and the sake museums are both indoor answers.
Kitano is a real climb in this. Take the taxi up and walk down.
Start early, use the arcades at midday, eat beef at lunch in air conditioning.
Kyoto becomes comfortable again and the overnight is back in play.
Clear air, Kyoto's early foliage, and the year's most reliable weather.
The single most beautiful and most crowded month over the hill.
The illuminations that began in 1995 as a memorial. Early December, and worth the crowd.
No typing needed — jump straight in:
Just docked? — the gangway toolStart from your shipThe ride from every berthAsk the editorGlossary
