NEW! Japan Discovery

Enjoy views of the Pacific Ocean from a lighthouse observatory, visit the Ainu Museum and stroll Upopoy Park. Board your motor coach for a scenic drive to Cape Chikyu, a lighthouse and observatory that offers panoramic views from its summit. After time for photos, continue your drive along the coast to Upopoy. Here, you will visit the National Ainu Museum and learn about its Indigenous People and culture through exhibits and video presentations organized around six themes: language, history, world, work, life and communication. After, you will head to the Upopoy Park to see reconstructed Ainu houses and, when scheduled, traditional performances. Selected venues offer demonstrations and hands-on experiences in Ainu music and crafts, a designated UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage, featuring instruments such as the mukkuri and tonkori. After, return to your ship.

Discover Sapporo’s fascinating past during a visit to the Historical Village of Hokkaidō and explore Odori Park. Journey by motor coach to the Historical Village of Hokkaidō, an open air museum featuring more than 50 relocated buildings from the Meiji and Taisho periods. During a guided walk, explore four themed areas: town, fishing village, farm village and mountain village, with features that showcase daily life in Sapporo more than a century ago. Your visit includes a Nankin Tamasudare—a traditional street performance involving a bamboo screen that is rapidly twisted, folded and extended into various shapes while the performer chants an amusing poem. Continue to Odori Park, an expansive greenbelt featuring elegant promenades and an underground shopping area, with views of the Sapporo TV Tower and the 1972 Winter Olympic ski jump. After, return to your ship.

Discover the beauty of Shikotsu‑Toya National Park and see one of Japan’s most active volcanoes. Drive to Shikotsu‑Toya National Park, home to geological natural wonders, and arrive at Lake Toya, a vast volcanic caldera formed over 100,000 years ago. Naturally heated by geothermal activity, the lake remains ice‑free year‑round and is famed for its clear waters and abundant wildlife. Enjoy a relaxing cruise, offering views of forested shores and small islands, with time ashore for a peaceful walk through unspoiled nature. After, continue to Mount Usu, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes. Following a local lunch, ride a scenic ropeway gondola toward the summit. From the observation deck, take in panoramic views of Lake Toya, neighboring Showa Shinzan—Japan’s youngest volcano—and Mount Usu’s dramatic craters. After, return to your ship.

Take a stroll around an open air village and see the dramatic “Ring of Fire,” a landscape of steaming hot springs. Enjoy a scenic drive by motor coach through rolling, forested countryside to the renowned Noboribetsu area, where you will visit the Noboribetsu Date Jidaimura, an open air village that recreates Japan’s Edo Period (1603–1867). View traditional buildings such as ninja houses and theaters, try classic games, and enjoy colorful street and stage performances. Encounter stealthy ninjas and graceful Oiran courtesans, celebrated for their mastery of arts such as poetry, calligraphy, music, and the tea ceremony. Continue to the Noboribetsu “Hell Valley” (Jigokudani). Located along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” this dramatic volcanic landscape features a vast crater filled with steaming fumaroles and mineral-rich hot springs. After your visit, return to your ship.

Journey to Noboribetsu, one of Hokkaidō’s most celebrated spa towns, and enjoy a hot springs experience. Embark on a scenic drive through Japan’s countryside to Noboribetsu, renowned throughout Japan for its remarkable variety of hot springs. Along the way, you will stop at the Noboribetsu “Hell Valley” (Jigokudani). Situated along the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” this dramatic volcanic landscape showcases steaming fumaroles and bubbling mineral springs. Join a guided walk to view the impressive crater and learn about the area’s geothermal activity. Next, visit the famous sulfur springs, easily recognized by their milk-white waters and distinctive aroma. Here, you will experience a traditional onsen soak and discover the customs that accompany it, allowing you to fully relax, unwind and embrace this quintessential Japanese tradition. Feeling rejuvenated, return to your ship.