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Le Jacques Cartier, 13 Night Island Wonders & the Soul of Ancestral Japan ex Okinawa (Naha), Japan to Kobe, Japan
Cruise Le Jacques Cartier, 13 Night Island Wonders & the Soul of Ancestral Japan ex Okinawa (Naha), Japan to Kobe, Japan
Cruise Line Ponant
Ship Le Jacques Cartier
Destination Asia
Brief Description 13 Night Cruise sailing from Okinawa (Naha), Japan onboard Le Jacques Cartier
Type of Cruise Luxury
Departure Date 06 Mar 2026
Cruise Description From the island of Okinawa to the eastern coastline of the Seto Inland Sea, fall under the spell of an idyllic and ancestral Japan. During a brand-new 13-day cruise aboard Le Jacques Cartier, PONANT invites you to discover an enchanted side of Japan, combining preserved nature and ancestral heritage, at the intersection of Western and Japanese traditions.

From Naha, Le Jacques Cartier will sail towards some of Japan’s best-preserved subtropical pearls. In the coral islands of Zamami and Kikaijima, enjoy the unspoiled beauty of these natural sanctuaries, renowned for their captivating marine biodiversity. You will then arrive at the mountainous island of Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Providing an unspoiled natural setting for endemic species such as the Yakushima monkey and deer, the island is home to an exceptional natural environment featuring forests of ancient cedars, bewitching waterfalls, and majestic peaks.

Your trip will continue in the Koshikijima Islands. Admire the raw and authentic beauty composed of monumental cliffs and huge rock formations dating back to the Cretaceous periodnearly 80 million years ago. You will be captivated by these landscapes unlike any other.

Between the Yatsushiro and Ariake seas, off the coast of Nagasaki, succumb to the charms of the island region of Amakusa, once the refuge of Christians fleeing the ban on Catholicism in the 17th century during the Edo period. Further north, between South Korea and Fukuoka Prefecture, in the Tsushima Strait, a little-known island called Iki will reveal itself to you in a glorious setting of rock faces with verdant summits and heavenly beaches of fine sand. Considered one of the cradles of Shinto, the island boasts no fewer than 150 shrines scattered across these sacred and unspoiled lands.

Le Jacques Cartier will sail westward to the volcanic island of Jeju in South Korea. Dominated by the majestic silhouette of the Hallasan volcano, the country’s tallest peak, this nature sanctuary reveals its most beautiful treasures: steep cliffs with emerald and ashen reflections, monumental waterfalls, bewitching virgin forests, long stretches of tea plantations, and more.

Next, set off to discover picturesque Shimonoseki, the westernmost town on the island of Honshu, opposite the Kanmon Straits. You are now entering the waters of the emblematic Seto Inland Sea. Here, discover preserved islands and picturesque towns, witnesses to the passage of the mid-18th-century Japanese merchants, who would travel the Kitamae maritime route every year. Shimokamagari and Mitarai are fishing villages imbued with a timeless atmosphere, while the ”shrine island” of Miyajima is classed as one of Japan’s three most scenic places thanks to its floating torii and Shinto temple. Onimichi will then reveal its many emblematic temples, including Senkō-ji, Saikoku-ji, and Jōdo-ji. You will then arrive in Tomonoura, known for its gentle way of life and its craggy landscapes, which inspired the artist Hayao Miyazaki for the animated film Ponyo.

You disembark in Kobe, a charming harbour city nestling between sea and mountains in the heart of the Japanese archipelago.
Sailing Dates
06 Mar 2026
Category Single Twin Triple Quad
DEL AU $38,040 AU $19,500 ‐ ‐
PR5 AU $41,330 AU $21,140 ‐ ‐
PR6 AU $42,960 AU $21,960 ‐ ‐
DS4 AU $58,160 AU $29,560 AU $15,260 ‐
PS5 AU $62,710 AU $31,830 AU $16,390 ‐
PS6 AU $64,740 AU $32,850 AU $16,900 ‐
PV5 AU $66,370 AU $33,660 AU $17,310 ‐
Cruise Itinerary
Date Port Arrive Depart
6 Mar 2026 Okinawa (Naha), Japan
7 Mar 2026 Zamami, Japan
8 Mar 2026 Kikaijima, Japan
9 Mar 2026 Miyanoura, Yakushima, Japan
10 Mar 2026 Koshikijima Islands, Japan
11 Mar 2026 Amakusa, Japan
11 Mar 2026 Amakusa, Japan
12 Mar 2026 Iki Island, Japan
13 Mar 2026 Jeju, South Korea
14 Mar 2026 Shimonoseki, Japan
15 Mar 2026 Shimokamagari, Japan
15 Mar 2026 Mitarai, Japan
16 Mar 2026 Miyajima Japan
17 Mar 2026 Onomichi, Japan
18 Mar 2026 Tomonoura, Japan
19 Mar 2026 Kobe, Japan 6:30 AM
All itineraries and ports of call at the discretion of the cruise line subject to local weather conditions and may change without notice.

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