ASUKA III Cruises
Six days round-trip from Yokohama, two festival nights in a row. Noshiro's lantern floats stand over twenty metres; at Aomori the whole street fills with lanterns and dancers. In port until 23:00 both nights.
Osanbashi Pier sits at the edge of the old foreign settlement: fifteen minutes on foot brings you to Chinatown, and the other direction leads to Yamashita Park and the Red Brick Warehouse. Haneda Airport is about half an hour away, so a night here before embarkation means an unhurried morning.
From the Airport to the Pier：Haneda Airport、Narita Airport、Yokohama Station (YCAT)、Nihon-odori Station
Half a Day Before Boarding：Zou-no-hana Park、Yamashita Park、Yokohama Chinatown、Red Brick Warehouse
One More Day After Disembarking：Minato Mirai、Sankeien Garden、Motomachi & Harbour View Hill、Cup Noodles Museum
Local flavours：Kiyoken Shumai、Chinatown Dim Sum、Iekei Ramen、Napolitan
Noshiro stands at the mouth of the Yonashiro River and grew as a timber port. At the summer Tanabata, lantern floats over twenty metres high are drawn through the streets — the town's two brightest nights of the year.
Tanabata Lanterns and the Pine Coast：Noshiro Tanabata: Castle of Eternal Light、Kaze no Matsubara、Former Ryotei Kanehisa、Noshiro Port
Local flavours：Noshiro Udon、Mountain Vegetables from Shirakami、Akita Rice、Fish from the Japan Sea
Aomori is the northernmost prefectural capital on Honshu, where the passion of the Nebuta Festival and the Jomon memories of Sannai-Maruyama intertwine. Extend to the cherry blossom clouds of Hirosaki Park, Lake Toya, and the nature of Hakkoda—it is the gateway to spring in Michinoku.
Nebuta Festival & Jomon Day Trip：Nebuta House Warasse、Sannai-Maruyama Site、Aomori Gyosai Center、Hakkoda
Hirosaki Cherry Blossoms & Lake Toya Extension：Hirosaki Park、Hirosaki Castle、Lake Toya、Mount Yotei
Local flavours：Oma Tuna、Nokkedon、Apple、Aomori Seafood