Asia from Tokyo Cruise

Day 1 - Tokyo

Arrive: Wed 12 November 2025 / Depart: Wed 12 November 2025 at 19:00

Your MSC cruise will take you to Tokyo, symbol of Japanese modernity and traditions. Located on the island of Honsh?, this metropolis has almost 14 million inhabitants and is the capital of Japan. It is a multifaceted city, with futuristic buildings and skyscrapers, historical and religious monuments, ancient districts and lush parks. Not to mention art, music, design, shopping and theatre. This city has everything, so much so, that it is impossible to see it all. MSC offers a few excursions to give you the possibility to focus your visit on the places that you should really see. Like the historic district of Asakusa, named after a guard of the city of Tokyo, famous for the Sens?-ji Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. You can also take an excursion to marvel at modern Tokyo, starting from the famous district of Shibuya and the Shibuya crossing, the busiest intersection in the world, where six major roads converge. Moving on, you can lose yourself in the city’s many state-of-the-art buildings, like the Sumida Hokusai Museum, the experimental architecture in Ginza or the almost 300-feet high Ao Building. Strolling along the Sumida River, which flows through the city, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the wonders of Tokyo. There is an excursion that will take you to the most important of the many museums in this metropolis, like the Tokyo National Museum, which houses artistic and archaeological finds, the MairaKan, a permanent exhibition of emerging science and innovation, or the Edo Tokyo Open Air Museum, which preserves the city’s architectural heritage. The National Art Center in Roppongi ? part of the Roppongi Art Triangle together with the Mori Art Museum and the Suntory Museum of Art ? is an absolute must. The district of Roppongi itself is also well worth a visit: with its Tokyo Tower, it is a city within a city, full of restaurants, clubs, bars and shops for a shopping spree.

Day 2 - At Sea

Day 3 - At Sea

Day 4 - Busan, South Korea

Arrive: Sat 15 November 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Sat 15 November 2025 at 22:00

Second to Seoul, Busan is the most populated city in South Korea. On an MSC cruise you will discover the most interesting attractions of this city of three and a half million inhabitants overlooking the Strait of Korea; an economic, cultural and educational reference point for the whole country. The city offers many leisure opportunities. An authentic dining experience is a must, you can taste kimchi, a spicy fermented cabbage dish. Shopping lovers can’t miss the Shinsegae Centum City Department Store, the largest shopping complex in the world and the Gukje market, one of the largest in Korea: every road is crowded with stalls, where it's easy to find local handicrafts. On an excursion you can visit Gamcheon, a quiet and peaceful village of narrow lanes and colourful houses, the place of residence for many Korean artists. There are over 35,000 specimens of fish, reptiles, amphibians and algae at the Busan Aquarium, which you can visit on an excursion. Located in Haeundae Beach, the complex is a state of the art marine life centre where you can interact with cute seals or walk through an underground tunnel where dreaded sharks swim. An emotional plunge into Buddhist spirituality can be experienced at the temple of Beomeosa, acknowledged for being one of Republic of Korea's national treasures. Built in the 14th century, the place of worship is immersed in the Mt. Geumjeongsan forest, north of Busan.

Day 5 - Sasebo, Japan

Arrive: Sun 16 November 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Sun 16 November 2025 at 19:00

Sasebo is a city on Japan’s Kyushu Island. It's known for Huis Ten Bosch, an amusement park modeled after a Dutch town, with canals, replica buildings, windmills and flower gardens. Kujukushima Aquarium has dolphins, coral reefs and many jellyfish. Off the coast, boats cruise among the forested Kujukushima Islands, part of Saikai National Park. To the south, Saikai Bridge is a popular spot to view cherry blossoms.

Day 6 - Kagoshima

Arrive: Mon 17 November 2025 at 08:00 / Depart: Mon 17 November 2025 at 19:00

In the far south of Japan an MSC cruise will help you discover the city of Kagoshima. It is populated by little more than half a million people and enjoys a mild climate for most of the year. The town is dominated by the active volcano Sakurajima and is called the "Naples of Japan" for its similarity to the landscape of the city of Naples. It is not uncommon for the volcano to perform with spectacular eruptions. On an excursion you can visit Shiroyama Park, located in the city centre but stretching all the way to mount Shiroyama. Just over a hundred metres high, it was the backdrop of a battle between the Imperial Army and a group of samurai rebels in the late 19th century. The park leads to the Observatory from where you can admire the spectacular scenery of the town and the bay of Kagoshima as well as the volcano. Along the northern coast of the centre are the Senganen gardens, also known as Isoteien, a lovely example of a Japanese garden with ponds, streams, shrines and a bamboo grove. They date back three hundred years and were constructed by the Shimazu family. There is a fine restaurant inside the garden where you can dine and enjoy the meat and fish specialities that this country offers and for which it is famous all over the world. Next to Senganen is a building which dates back to the mid-19th century which originally housed a machinery factory and is now the "Shoko-Shuseikan" museum. It houses objects from the Shimazu family 700 year history.

Day 7 - At Sea

Day 8 - Naha (Okinawa Is.)

Arrive: Wed 19 November 2025 at 07:00 / Depart: Wed 19 November 2025

The sophistication, elegance and ages-old culture of Japan. On an MSC Grand Voyages Cruise, you can discover the ancient beauty of the Okinawa islands. Belonging to the archipelago of Ry?ky?, their capital is Naha. There are many attractions and monuments that can be visited. These include the Ryukyumura village and the UNESCO World Heritage site: Shikinaen Garden, where you can admire the characteristic wooden buildings with red tile roofs that overlook an artificial lake and vegetation that inspire meditation and peace. Peace Memorial Park has a great emotional impact: near the end of World War II, Okinawa was the scene of a bloody battle between Japan and the US, which killed about 200,000 people, more than half of which were civilians. The shopping and restaurant street in Naha isKokusai : two kilometers of bars, cafes, hotels and boutiques where you can linger and enjoy yourself sipping awamori , a typical liqueur from the island served with ice. The capital is also home to the museum of the former underground headquarters of the Japanese Navy and the Okinawa Prefectural Museum , where you can discover the history and culture of Okinawa. To understand how the inhabitants lived, you can also visit Ryukyumura Village , a small theme park that recreates a village where craftsmen shape pottery, weave clothing and blankets and where musicians play the sanshin guitar. Located in front of the East China Sea, the cliff of Cape Manzamou is a true natural sculpture shaped by the ocean: a part of it looks like the trunk of an elephant. It is impossible to leave without taking a photograph.