PORT OF JAPAN
Seabourn Encore cruise ship

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Seabourn Encore

The small-ship connoisseur circuit — overnights included

16 Japanese portsSpring & autumn 2026 + a trans-Pacific crossingOne honest guide each
See every port →
Photo: Farid mernissi / CC BY-SA 4.0

Six 2026 Japan voyages confirmed, including small ports no large ship can enter.

Spring
14 nights ×2
Tokyo/Yokohama loops with Kobe & Nagasaki overnights
Autumn arrival
Vancouver → Tokyo
21 nights across the Pacific via Kushiro, Miyako, Sendai
November
Tokyo → Osaka, 12 nights
Shimizu, Toba, Kochi, Beppu, Hiroshima, Kyushu
Rare calls
Toba · Hososhima · Shimonoseki
Ports the big ships cannot enter
Your itinerary, decoded

Every Seabourn Encore port, one honest guide each

What fits your hours at each call, what to book, and what is simply a walk.

All 31 ports →
Rainbow Bridge over Tokyo Bay at night with Tokyo Tower behindPort guide

Tokyo

The bookend capital

Plan your day here →
The Minato Mirai skyline of Yokohama from abovePort guide

Yokohama

The turnaround city

Plan your day here →
Mt. Fuji rising over the Port of Shimizu at duskPort guide

Shimizu

Mt. Fuji's port

Plan your day here →
Kobe Port Tower and the Harborland waterfront at nightOn this ship

Kobe

The Kyoto gateway

Two-day stays on the spring loops — plan it as a mini-trip, not a port day.

Open the day that fits this call →
Katsurahama beach with pine and rocks on the PacificPort guide

Kochi

The Pacific port

Plan your day here →
The floating torii of Itsukushima Shrine at MiyajimaPort guide

Hiroshima

Two heavyweights, one day

Plan your day here →
The harbor of Nagasaki with a cruise ship at the downtown pierOn this ship

Nagasaki

The walking port

Also an overnight on those loops, which is how Mt. Inasa’s night view becomes possible.

Open the day that fits this call →
Sakurajima volcano looming over Kagoshima city at blue hourPort guide

Kagoshima

The volcano's port

Plan your day here →
The turquoise steaming pond of Umi Jigoku in BeppuPort guide

Beppu

The steaming port

Plan your day here →
The pastel hillside houses of Gamcheon Culture Village, BusanPort guide

Busan

The Korea day

Plan your day here →
Osaka Castle keep rising above its stone walls and moatPort guide

Osaka

The nation’s kitchen

Plan your day here →
Toba Bay with its wooded islands seen from the waterPort guide

Toba

The tender port of pearls

Plan your day here →
The white rhyolite spires and clear water of Jodogahama Beach in MiyakoPort guide

Miyako

The Jodogahama port

Plan your day here →
The six stone arches of Bandai Bridge over the Shinano River in Niigata at duskPort guide

Niigata

The sake capital’s two-berth port

Plan your day here →
The red brick former navy warehouses of MaizuruPort guide

Maizuru

Kyoto’s naval port

Plan your day here →
Sunset over Nusamai Bridge and the Kushiro RiverPort guide

Kushiro

The misty market port

Plan your day here →

Plus Toba, Hososhima, Shimonoseki, Kushiro, Miyako, Sendai, Hitachinaka and Maizuru on select voyages.

Know your ship

Three things Seabourn Encore passengers should know

The overnights are the luxury

Kobe and Nagasaki get two-day stays on the spring loops — plan them as mini-trips, not port days.

Small ports, real Japan

Toba and Hososhima see almost no cruise traffic — expect warm welcomes and zero crowds, and plan independently since tour inventory is thin.

The crossing is its own trip

The Vancouver–Tokyo positioning voyage lands via Hokkaido and Tohoku — autumn foliage from the sea.

Berths, decoded

Where does Seabourn Encore dock?

The berth decides your day. Port by port, from our measured index.

The full berth index →
TokyoTokyo Intl. Cruise TerminalOdaiba waterfront · rail into the cityYokohamaOsanbashi — or Daikoku PierOsanbashi: an architectural landmark, downtown on foot. Daikoku (biggest ships): shuttle onlyShimizuHinode PierWalkable to town · Okitsu berth = shuttle onlyKobePort Terminal or Naka PierNaka Pier = beside Port Tower · Port Terminal = one stop by Port LinerKochiKochi New PortA working harbor away from the center — shuttle or taxi ~25 minHiroshimaUjina or ItsukaichiUnder ~120k GT: Ujina No.5, by the cruise terminal. Bigger ships: Itsukaichi wharf, taxi ~6 min to the stationNagasakiDowntownMatsugae / Dejima wharf — the city starts at the gangwayKagoshimaMarine Port KagoshimaDedicated cruise berth · shuttle to the city is the normBeppuBeppu PortShuttle or taxi to the hells (~15–20 min)BusanTwo terminalsIntl. Passenger Terminal (near Busan Stn) or Yeongdo Cruise Terminal (biggest ships — shuttle/taxi only)OsakaTempozan, Osaka PortBeside the aquarium; subway from Osakako stationTobaYou don’t — tender portShips anchor off Toba Marine Terminal; tenders land at the terminal pier or Mikimoto Pearl Island pier · wind can cancel callsMiyakoFujiwara Wharf~3.5 km from the station · Princess runs a paid station shuttle; other lines vary · the 2018 terminal doubles as a tsunami refugeNiigataTwo ports — check yoursBig ships (Spectrum, Diamond, Crystal): East Port, ~20 km out, shuttle essential · small ships (Seabourn, Azamara, Sakura): West Port, ~4 km from the stationMaizuruDai-2 Pier (West Port)Most ships · ~2 km to Nishi-Maizuru Stn (taxi 5 min / walk ~30) · mega-ships (Spectrum) use the International Pier — shuttle territoryKushiroTwo berths — check yoursMost ships: the downtown cruise terminal, walkable to everything · biggest ships (Westerdam, Asuka II): West Port No.4, industrial — shuttle to MOO (~20 min)
Quick answers

Questions Seabourn Encore passengers ask

What is unusual about Seabourn Encore’s Japan itineraries?

Overnight stays (Kobe, Nagasaki, Maizuru) and small ports the large ships skip — Toba, Hososhima, Shimonoseki. The 2026 program runs spring loops from Tokyo/Yokohama, a trans-Pacific crossing from Vancouver in autumn, and a November Tokyo-to-Osaka finale.

Before you sail

Which berth will you get?

Port by port

DIY or book a tour?

Planning the whole voyage? Read the four Japan cruise loops, explained — and whatever the port, be back aboard 60 minutes early.