NCL Japan cruise vs land trip

[Sandie5]

We're thinking of visiting Japan but I hear it's better to do a land trip. I'm leaning towards a cruise because then you're travelling around the country without dealing with hotels and transportation.

 

Is Japan better as a land trip? 

[mek]

I'm also considering a cruise to Japan, but since I will be traveling alone I will have to pay the single supplement, which is generally more than on a land based tour.

But like security of being on a ship rather than being alone in a strange city.  When my husband was alive, we did several bus tours in Europe and there were always some nights when we were on our own.  Not sure that appeals to me in a country as different as Japan is to Westerners.

[14ersco]

4 hours ago, Sandie5 said:

We're thinking of visiting Japan but I hear it's better to do a land trip. I'm leaning towards a cruise because then you're travelling around the country without dealing with hotels and transportation.

 

Is Japan better as a land trip? 

I cannot give a comparison between land and sea, but our land trip last year covered so much more of Japan than we would have visited during port shore excursions.  We actually were able to live among the Japanese people.  One of our highlights was a Buddhist temple stay on Mt Koya, the central HQ and resting place of a branch of Buddhism founded by Koba Dashi.  For a couple days we lived with the monks and attended their services.  Also the cemetery path that leads up to Koba Dashi's resting place is over 2km long lined with the grave sites of many of the powerful families and shogun's of Japan's history, lit at night with lanterns.

 

We were originally booked on the Princess cruise ship for a circle tour of Japan, that was to occur a few months after it was locked down with Covid in Tokyo Bay.  After Japan lifted their restrictions we booked with Inside Japan Tours: https://www.insidejapantours.com/us/

 

They do offer fully guided tours, but we chose one of their independent tours.  Inside Japan Tours booked all of our lodging and transportation (mostly train passes).  For Tokyo and Kyoto they booked a private guide for us for one our entire days in each city (we were in each of those cities for 3 days).  Inside Japan Tours provided us digital guidebooks for each city we visited listing suggested places to see.  They also provided an overall guidebook with suggested times to be at certain places and trains to take.  Prior to our trip I bookmarked all of the suggested sites, train stations, and hotels they booked into Google maps and used that to move around Japan.  English signs are almost everywhere and the Japanese citizens will politely help you.  Inside Japan tours is a British company, but they have an office in Japan, so if you have an issue there is help in country.

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, Sandie5 said:

We're thinking of visiting Japan but I hear it's better to do a land trip. I'm leaning towards a cruise because then you're travelling around the country without dealing with hotels and transportation. Is Japan better as a land trip? 

 

25 minutes ago, mek said:

I'm also considering a cruise to Japan, but since I will be traveling alone I will have to pay the single supplement, which is generally more than on a land based tour.

But like security of being on a ship rather than being alone in a strange city.  When my husband was alive, we did several bus tours in Europe and there were always some nights when we were on our own.  Not sure that appeals to me in a country as different as Japan is to Westerners.

 

While you clearly won't get everything you could from a land-based tour, based on your descriptions, a cruise maybe an excellent introduction to the country. 

 

We are well seasoned travelers. We have toured Japan on a ground-tour and have been there on our own. And even for us, some of the travel logistics on your own were a bit daunting. 

[itsnotjustme]

We have decided to take a Korea - Japan cruise next year.  Some factors that in our view and circumstances favor a cruise over a land tour are:

 

• Comfort of returning to the familiar ship each night
• Not needing to navigate unfamiliar public transport systems
• Knowing food we like will always be available on the ship
• Being wined and dined and entertained while moving from place to place
• Unpack once

 

Best of luck, whatever you decide.

Edited May 26 by itsnotjustme

[mek]

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

 

 

While you clearly won't get everything you could from a land-based tour, based on your descriptions, a cruise maybe an excellent introduction to the country. 

 

We are well seasoned travelers. We have toured Japan on a ground-tour and have been there on our own. And even for us, some of the travel logistics on your own were a bit daunting. 

My husband and I traveled all over the world and I was a road warrior with my job, so being by myself and dining alone isn't the problem, but I think I agree with you - a cruise would be much better for this part of the world.

[Sandie5]

I like unpacking once and not dealing with figuring out where to stay and how to navigate the transportation. However doing all those thing makes you feel like you're really in the country and not just having a taste of the country from the base of your cruise cabin. 

[1bighund]

Do you mean an escorted land tour ?  If so then I just think it comes down to itinerary and cost.  I would not do an extensive land tour on my own even tho I wad once fairly proficient in Japanese.

[mek]

5 hours ago, 1bighund said:

Do you mean an escorted land tour ?  If so then I just think it comes down to itinerary and cost.  I would not do an extensive land tour on my own even tho I wad once fairly proficient in Japanese.

Yes - I have done several of those, but they all have free time and some on your own evenings.

[European_CruiseGirl]

I would try to find a cruise with an overnight in Osaka/Kobe for Kyoto. Those can be found if you search different cruiselines. Kyoto is absolutely wonderful but a looooong day if you just do a full day shore excursion. For that port and that port only I would book a private or shared  overnight tour that includes also dinner on day 1. For me doing Kyoto in one day as a shorex is too much. Then again so is also ”Rome in a day” from Chivitavecchia. So if you know you can handle it you can also handle Kyoto in a day. 

[CCJack]

It is possible to do a little of both (land / cruise).  Although our Japan vacation was cancelled due to COVID we had booked flying into Tokyo for a couple days, train to Kyoto for a couple days, then back to Yokohama for a cruise.  In this way you get a few days of immersion into the culture followed by a more relaxing cruise to the coastal cities.

 

Although we couldn't go on our vacation, I had previously been to Japan several times on business.  My observations on traveling in Japan is that it is safe, clean and everything works!  The downside is Tokyo is a massive city, very crowded that the transportation system can be daunting.  However, it is certainly doable with a little patience and planning.

 

On a related note, the value of the Yen is at a 20 year low... a great time to be planning a trip to Japan.   Likely, a DIY trip will take advantage of the favorable exchange rate more than a cruise or a pre packaged land trip.  In the case of the latter, the companies likely will benefit by pocketing the profit from the exchange rate rather than lowering their brochure prices at least in the short term.  I would be locking in hotel rates in $ now, if you plan on traveling in the next year or so.

 

Good luck.

 

Edited May 27 by CCJack

[Arizona Sunshine]

My wife and I were on a 9-day MSC cruise in Japan last fall. We've each done land trips to Japan as well. There are advantages and disadvantages to cruising, for Japan and everywhere.

 

The cost was significantly less than staying in hotels. On arrival, we stayed at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo on points, but cash rates are routinely $1000/night --- and it's a good-but-not-great hotel. 

 

I'm a picky eater, and don't particularly like Asian cuisine, so starting and ending the day with comfort food was a benefit. Also, my wife has celiac disease, which is always a challenge in foreign countries --- and not any easier in a country with a completely different alphabet.

 

I no longer drive in countries with opposite-side vehicles and roads. We take public transit wherever possible, and we're pretty unflappable. Navigating trains and buses in Japan is a challenge outside of Tokyo, and public transit is crowded everywhere. (This is not a cliche, it's the absolute reality.) I would not have wanted to carry luggage.

 

Our cruise did dock overnight in Osaka and we left the ship to stay in Kyoto. It took some time to get my head around paying for a pricey hotel room having already paid for a night on the ship --- but it was absolutely the right choice to maximize our time in Kyoto.

 

Downsides? We had two sea days, which, obviously, felt somewhat wasted. I can't imagine spending two hotel pool days in Japan on a land trip. And, like all cruises, we were at the mercy of the schedule and port authorities. On the day we were in Hiroshima, it was nearly noon before we disembarked. Then a train into the city centre, and obviously the worry about getting back to the port in time. We ended up feeling as though we had seen the bare minimum, but not all we wanted to see. This was true in other ports as well.

 

I think a cruise would be a great first look at Japan, after which you could decide if you wanted to return for a land trip or not. If you enjoy cruising generally, I'm sure you would have a great time even if you don't love Japan.

 

I believe all Japanese cruises must call at a foreign port. Ours was Jeju Island, considered by some to be the Hawaii of South Korea. We will certainly return if and when we are in the region.

 

A final observation: we were only gone ten days in total, as I absolutely had to return for a business meeting the day after the cruise ended. In retrospect, flights from Toronto-Tokyo were too long and too expensive for a ten-day trip. We wish we had arrived earlier.

 

AS

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[FlatFooted Freda]

3 hours ago, Arizona Sunshine said:

Also, my wife has celiac disease, which is always a challenge in foreign countries --- and not any easier in a country with a completely different alphabet.

Ah. DH is gluten free, and we are headed to Tokyo in the fall (land for the first trip). And, he really doesn't groove on seafood, certainly not sushi. How did it go for your wife? Any advice will be much appreciated. 

[okpaddy]

17 minutes ago, FlatFooted Freda said:

Ah. DH is gluten free, and we are headed to Tokyo in the fall (land for the first trip). And, he really doesn't groove on seafood, certainly not sushi. How did it go for your wife? Any advice will be much appreciated. 

DW and I spent 19 days in Japan this spring split between land and cruise. A wonderful experience, the country and the people were accommodating and very friendly. 

Celiac sufferers face an uphill battle in Japan. We took Japanese translated Gluten Free cards explaining about cross contamination and typical foods that contain gluten. 

That being said, we often had to resort to Nigiri style sushi, or Korean style BBQ where you cook the meat on a personal grill. We brought along Gluten Free Soy sauce packets and had to be careful that whatever we ordered at restaurants wasn't marinated, or seasoned with soy sauce.

Best wishes for a great adventure.

[Arizona Sunshine]

16 hours ago, FlatFooted Freda said:

Ah. DH is gluten free, and we are headed to Tokyo in the fall (land for the first trip). And, he really doesn't groove on seafood, certainly not sushi. How did it go for your wife? Any advice will be much appreciated. 

See okpaddy's post. Our experience was similar. The Japanese-translated GF cards were usually met with bewilderment. Fair enough: why would the cashier at a food stall know every item that might be cooked in the fryer?

 

On the ship, my wife ate normal breakfasts. When we travel, she buys GF bread locally and brings it onboard. Yes, it's toasted in a toaster that is also used for regular wheat bread. Others can decide for themselves if that's a risk they'll take.

 

Dinners? Fish, fish, and more fish, usually with just oil or lemon. Jennifer discovered a white kiwi fruit (native to Asia, I think) and ate a large plate of it at every meal. I doubt there is any left, onboard or elsewhere in Japan!

 

AS