Japan & North Pacific Crossing Collector

Yokohama is Japan's premier cruise gateway and a captivating port city where nineteenth-century cosmopolitan heritage meets contemporary waterfront elegance, just thirty minutes south of Tokyo. Visitors should explore the historic Yamate Bluff district and lose themselves in Asia's largest Chinatown, savouring iconic iekei ramen and shōronpō soup dumplings. Spring offers the most enchanting experience, when cherry blossoms transform nearby Hirosaki Castle and the mild coastal air makes harbour-side strolling an irresistible pleasure.

Omaezaki is a windswept Pacific cape in Shizuoka Prefecture known for its 1874 lighthouse, world-class surfing, and the centuries-old craft of making katsuobushi bonito flakes essential to Japanese cuisine. Must-dos include visiting the lighthouse on the dramatic cliff edge, touring the katsuobushi processing facilities, and exploring nearby Makinohara tea plantations. May through October offers the best weather, with clear winter days revealing Mount Fuji views.

Kobe is Japan's most cosmopolitan port city, famous worldwide for its exquisitely marbled beef, nestled between the Rokko Mountains and Osaka Bay with a fascinating heritage quarter of Victorian foreign residences. Must-dos include authentic Kobe beef teppanyaki, the Nada sake breweries, and a visit to Arima Onsen hot springs. Cherry blossom season (late March–April) and autumn foliage are the most spectacular visiting periods.

Kochi, on Japan's island of Shikoku, is a Pacific coast port city renowned for its remarkably preserved 17th-century castle, vibrant Hirome Market food hall, and the iconic katsuo no tataki — straw-seared skipjack tuna that defines the region's bold culinary identity. Visitors should not miss exploring the castle grounds and savouring sawachi communal platters paired with crisp Tosa sake. The best time to visit is spring for mild weather and cherry blossoms, or autumn when typhoon season has passed and the yuzu harvest perfumes the countryside.

Fukuoka is widely regarded as Japan's greatest food city, where legendary tonkotsu ramen, evening yatai street stalls, and mentaiko spicy cod roe define a culinary culture without rival. Must-dos include slurping ramen at a Nakasu yatai, visiting Dazaifu Tenmangu shrine, and exploring the Hakata old quarter. Spring and autumn offer the best weather, with the spectacular Yamakasa festival heating up early July.

Sokcho is a coastal city in northeastern South Korea where the granite peaks of Seoraksan National Park — a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve — meet the East Sea, creating a landscape of extraordinary beauty. Must-do experiences include riding the cable car to Gwongeumseong Fortress, sampling live seafood at Jungang Market, and hiking to Ulsanbawi Rock. Autumn (late September-October) brings legendary foliage color that transforms the mountains into a spectacle of crimson and gold.

Kanazawa is a Sea of Japan coast city of extraordinary cultural refinement, home to Kenrokuen — one of Japan's three greatest gardens — alongside perfectly preserved samurai and geisha quarters, and craft traditions including gold leaf, Kutani porcelain, and Kaga silk dyeing. Essential experiences include strolling Kenrokuen's seasonal landscapes, exploring the wooden tea houses of Higashi Chaya, and feasting on fresh crab and nodoguro at the historic Omicho Market. Each season offers distinct beauty, from winter snow to autumn foliage.

Sakata is a historic merchant port on Japan's Sea of Japan coast, enriched by centuries of rice and safflower trade, with iconic black Sankyo Warehouses lined by zelkova trees and a thriving seafood culture. Must-dos include the Sankyo Warehouse district, tasting fresh nodoguro fish at the waterfront market, and views of sacred Mount Chokai. Visit April through May for cherry blossoms or October for autumn foliage.

Aomori, at Honshu’s northern tip, produces 60% of Japan’s apples and stages the Nebuta Matsuri—one of the country’s most spectacular festivals, with giant illuminated warrior floats parading through August nights. Must-dos include the Nebuta Museum Wa Rasse, building a custom rice bowl at Furukawa Market, and autumn walks through Oirase Gorge. Visit August for the electrifying Nebuta festival, or October for Tohoku’s legendary autumn foliage at Lake Towada.

Otaru, Japan, offers an immersion in a culture where aesthetic refinement and daily life are inseparable. Essential experiences include exploring local food markets, tasting regional specialties at intimate eateries, and visiting the surrounding temples and gardens. The port is most rewarding May through October, when the climate is at its most welcoming for outdoor exploration. Cruise lines including Viking feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Hakodate, Japan, offers an immersion in a culture where aesthetic refinement and daily life are inseparable. Essential experiences include exploring local food markets, tasting regional specialties at intimate eateries, and visiting the surrounding temples and gardens. The port is most rewarding May through October, when the climate is at its most welcoming for outdoor exploration. Cruise lines including Hapag-Lloyd Cruises feature this port on their most compelling itineraries. Whether you have a few hours or a full day, the port rewards exploration at every pace and in every direction.

Yokohama is Japan's premier cruise gateway and a captivating port city where nineteenth-century cosmopolitan heritage meets contemporary waterfront elegance, just thirty minutes south of Tokyo. Visitors should explore the historic Yamate Bluff district and lose themselves in Asia's largest Chinatown, savouring iconic iekei ramen and shōronpō soup dumplings. Spring offers the most enchanting experience, when cherry blossoms transform nearby Hirosaki Castle and the mild coastal air makes harbour-side strolling an irresistible pleasure.

Kushiro, on Hokkaido's wild eastern coast, is Japan's gateway to pristine marshlands, volcanic lakes, and the sacred red-crowned crane. The city's legendary Washo Market offers build-your-own sashimi bowls, while nearby Kushiro Shitsugen National Park protects the country's largest wetland. Silversea brings expedition travelers to this unhurried port where Ainu heritage and untamed nature converge.

Kodiak, Alaska's oldest European settlement and one of America's largest fishing ports, sits on an island home to 3,500 giant Kodiak brown bears—the densest concentration on Earth. Must-dos include floatplane bear-viewing at remote salmon streams, the Alutiiq Museum of indigenous culture, and sampling king crab fresh from the harbor. July and August offer the warmest weather and peak bear-viewing season.

Bergen, Norway's charming coastal city and historic trading hub, is known for its picturesque Bryggen Wharf and rich maritime heritage. Must-do experiences include sampling local delicacies at the vibrant Fish Market and exploring the medieval Hanseatic quarter. The best season to visit is during the summer months, when the city's lively atmosphere and stunning fjord landscapes are at their peak.

Sitka, set on the wild west coast of Baranof Island in Southeast Alaska, is one of the Pacific Northwest's most historically resonant ports — a place where Russian Orthodox onion domes rise above totem poles and the great temperate rainforest presses down to the water's edge. The Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of the 1804 battle between Tlingit warriors and Russian colonisers alongside a magnificent collection of monumental poles. Whale-watching, sea kayaking among sea otters, and brown bear spotting in the surrounding wilderness define the outdoor experience. May through September offers the most accessible and luminous conditions.

Ketchikan clings to the forested shore of Revillagigedo Island in Alaska's southeastern panhandle — a town so narrow that locals joke it is three miles long and three blocks wide. Revered by the Tlingit people for millennia as a place of abundant salmon, it is today celebrated as the Totem Pole Capital of the World: the collections at Saxman Native Village and Totem Bight State Historical Park preserve the most significant concentration of these monumental artworks anywhere. Creek Street, a boardwalk of colorful historic houses built over Ketchikan Creek, should not be missed. Summer (May–September) brings the best weather, with salmon running in the creeks below.

Prince Rupert, a historic railway terminus on British Columbia's northern coast, enchants visitors with its deep Tsimshian heritage, world-class halibut fishing, and misty rain forest scenery along the Inside Passage. Sample freshly smoked salmon at the waterfront and explore the North Pacific Cannery, Canada's oldest surviving cannery, for a vivid encounter with the port's maritime soul. The best time to visit is June through August, when longer days temper the famous rainfall and wildlife activity peaks along the coast.

Pressed between the Pacific and the Coast Mountains, Vancouver is the natural gateway to Alaska's Inside Passage — a city where temperate rainforest meets glass towers and where Dungeness crab and wild sockeye salmon define a Pacific Rim cuisine that rivals any in North America. Walk the 22-kilometre Stanley Park seawall, lose yourself in the Granville Island market, then ferry across to Victoria's Edwardian splendour. Alaska cruise season peaks from May through September, making Vancouver an ideal starting point for one of the world's great ocean journeys.