We are only ever likely to go to Japan once in our lives and so it’s important to get it right. While I didn’t get everything 100% spot on, I now know what future cruisers to Japan need to know to avoid my mistakes, work around downsides, and ensure they have the best time.
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ABOUT TIPS FOR TRAVELLERS: If you want to get cruising right, Tips For Travellers makes it easy to plan and have the incredible cruise experiences you dream of every time. All my Tips For Travellers advice, tips and tricks tips draw on everything that I have learnt on the 101 cruises I have done to date.
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00:00 Start
00:42 Challenge 1: Seeing Right Sights
08:21 Challenge 2: Experiencing Japanese Culture
10:15 Challenge 3: Going It Alone
13:12 Challenge 4: Cultural Sensitivity
46 Comments
Also, visiting Japan is SAFE because they have not allowed massive immigration from Third World countries!
Was kinda disappointed in Japan. Every antient monument was made of reinforced concrete. Hardly anything is real there (due to the Earthquakes probably.) Reminded me of HMS Victory -mostly faked for the tourists.
The Nagasaki peace museum was a very humbling experience and I enjoyed Osaka more than Tokyo
but as you say go once probably never go back..
The upside of Japan is they are lovely quiet calm people and it makes you realize how badly wrong the Western leaders have been by taking us down the wrong road to a peaceful cohesive society.
On our final departure they laid on such a beautiful haunting genuine farewell I had real tears on my eyes.. It was surprisingly emotional.
Gary, what other cruise lines are offering cruises to Japan? I've been on Regant with my family in the past, but those are out of my price range. For the past two years, I've been looking for cruises to Japan, but I can't find any. I'm assuming it was due to Covid shutdowns. I've been wanting to go on a cruise to Japan/SK for a few years now. What are your recommendations??
Isn't it a shame that most people have to wait 60 years before they can financially afford to travel like this instead of doing this with youthful energy? And those are the lucky ones! The experience of living in Japan is so much more enriching. My friends who majored in Southeast Asian Studies loved every second of this country.
Great tips Gary. I’ve been on a land trip to Japan, but would love to cruise there too one day to see other places. ❤
10 days is not enough time to see Tokyo let alone do a cruise in Japan
I think i'd prefer a shorter japan cruise with only 2 or 3 ports, this sounds exhausting to me
We have been twice to Japan. One was a two week land tour. Enjoyed it so much, we booked a Spring 2025 cruise on Princess.
Go during cherry blossom season. Crowded but well worth it. Just beautiful 🌸
This is one of the reasons I would be hesitant to do a cruise to Japan. I feel to experience the culture of Japan, a land-based stay would be better. Even then, I'd actually rather live in Japan temporarily as just the entire lifestyle there is very different which is harder to get when just visiting.
Thank you. I am not a cruiser, but I love your videos. Japan is a country on my must visit list and your hints were very helpful.
I have been to Japan twice, both land-based tours with specific focuses. I would highly recommend the Ino-cho Paper Museum if your cruise goes to Kochi; the prefecture is a major papermaking center. And anyone with an interest in ceramics should go to the Kawai Kanjiro's House in Kyoto.
Great video about Japan, highlighting all the great places to go. All those rules and regulations sound great in a boring way, I want to go there.
Thank you, Gary,
Very good information, we had a big holiday and cruise organised when covid hit. Hopefully we can make it there someday.. We have more useful information now, thank you
Seven Eleven is where a lot Japanese people buy fast food. It’s not very Western there. Didn’t you know that
Thank you for the video!
This is a very fair explanation of Japanese culture. One thing you misunderstand is that 7-Eleven is vastly superior in Japan than in the US/Europe. There is fresh Japanese food that you can heat there or take to a park or office for a quick easy meal/snack. They also discourage eating while walking.
I TOO LOVED Japan as I spent a week in Tokyo and people were so helpful as I navigated the city with no grasp of Japanese and want to return as you did on a cruise…I am completely intrigued with touring 'shrine after shrine' 🙂 As always a very helpful review…well done Gary!!
Japan cruising doesn't really appeal to me. I'd rather do land travel and use the Japan Rail Pass. The cruises take in too much too quickly.
Lucky for many of us in Asia Pacific Japan isn’t that far. Japan is a lovely place. And tbh you need to do some independent touring. Set aside a city to go on a food discovery on foot with just your wits. Strike out. Don’t rely on tours all the time.
Which ports/attractions would you recommend for someone unable to walk far. Is it possible to use a wheelchair?
With regard to self touring, one of the great things about Japan is that you never need to worry about wandering into a "bad area" and being robbed or harassed, and if you get lost or lose something, somebody will help you out. If you lose your wallet, just go to a police box and they will make calls and help you track it down. Most likely, some kind person will have already turned it in at a nearby police box or train station and you'll get your wallet back pretty quickly — with all the money and cards still inside.
The safe and friendly culture of Japan makes it so much more relaxing and enjoyable to wander around and explore places off the beaten track.
Pretty sad that Regent did not provide a good enrichment experience.
My parents have been to Japan many times. It is certainly on our bucket list and having just got off our first ever cruise, I think a cruise would be the way to go!
My daughter had done a semester in a Japanese school while in college (a bit unique as it was not a US sponsored thing ), and very much wanted to show me Japan. We did B2B cruises with different itineraries, and then did 2 weeks on land for a month long vacation (if you're going to fly over, you may as well stay a while!). I got a lot of the customs and rules stuff from my daughter as well as her filling me in on a lot of Japanese history. In distinction to you, we found the tour guides to be excellent. Our ship offered Japanese classes as well as culture talks. I totally agree about the shrines and temples–see the good ones. One of our cruises was based on the harvest parades and we visited the various ports on the day of their celebrations–each was different and lovely….and I totally agree about exploring on your own. The people are lovely and very helpful!
I thought all this information about Japan was very basic common knowledge.
The only preparation needed is getting familiar with the train system.
Good breakdown. I live in Japan, and I agree it's easy to self-tour, especially now with Google Maps and its transport guide functionality. It helps you immerse yourself in the confusing but navigable cities. It's Japanese government policy to try to get travellers out of the congested sites and into more far-flung places, but that's hard for tour ships.
Quite useful information. If visiting Japanese gardens, I'm sure that standing on the carefully placed rocks and stones is a big no no.
I wonder if other cruiselines that circle Japan such as Holland, princess or cunard would do a better job of enrichment. I was impressed with the enrichment speakers I saw on Holland and Princess
Arigato.
Gary, I enjoyed your insights about cruising around Japan. I may be taking a Tokyo to Vancouver cruise in 2025, and I’m a bit nervous. You see, I lived in Japan for two years in the early 1980s, and I know it has changed in many ways. Seeing the country slowly while living there is a very different experience from popping in and out of ports. And I no longer speak the language!
BTW, there were 7-11s in Japan forty years ago, even outside Tokyo in the smaller cities.
Rather offensive comments on Japan, especially the one that sights in Japan aren't genuine! Don't follow advice in this video. 😢
Very interesting Gaz, your post confirms my thoughts of doing a 1 month land based tour staying in Tokyo (10 nights), Kyoto (10 nights'ish) and Hiroshima. Doing day trips from one place of stay will make it more relaxing. Cruising Japan s very hectic and takes away the ability to enjoy the local scene.
We recently returned from Japan, not on a cruise. Very easy to get around, even in Tokyo. Be mindful it is very very crowded at all times of the day. Great and unique country.
Great video as always, Gary!
What did you do when you were blamed for the litter?
7/11s are way different in Japan.
Azamara has a 14 day with 10 stops + Tokyo and Busan
Absolutely fantastic Japan video! It’s on my bucket list, hopefully I don’t kick the bucket before I get there. 😂🚢🚢🚢🚢🚢
Gary, I enjoy your channel but PLEASE use the correct pronunciation for these Japanese cities. No offense, but your pronunciation of most of them is atrocious.
Cruising is not the best way to see Japan. Or maybe it's just the best way to skim the surface of Japan. You can't get to know Japan without for instance using public transport, eating in local non-touristy restaurants, mixing a bit with Japanese people. Even that hardly gets you to the nitty-gritty of Japanese life and culture, but being led around by a tour guide doesn't do a great deal.
Love the video. We're planning a Japan cruise for May, which will be our first visit to the country, and are a little intimidated by the " foreignness" of it all (different language, different food, different customs, even different bathroom fixtures at times). Thank you for the cruise passenger's perspective! For other first-timers to Japan, we can also recommend several non-cruise-related videos from Yellow Productions, with a lot of practical info from a Californian who obviously loves the place.
Cruises in Japan must call on a foreign port 1:05. Sill not as bad as in the U.S. where, because of the Jones Act, foreign-flagged ships cannot sail directly from one U.S. port to another, and most cruise ships aren't American flagged.
Gary, what is the closest luxury cruise line to someone who likes celebrity? Crystal, Seabourn, Silversea, Viking?
Almost everyone here in the US uses speaker phones or face time. I don’t need to hear your conversations please. So inconsiderate.
Thanks for the great tips for Japan. So looking forward to our visit in March/April. Also looking forward to enjoying the immersion into the culture of politeness there. I wish we could manage that level of courtesy in public in the US! 😃👍