Discover Japan by Yacht

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Follow Japan’s Pacific coast from Tokyo to Kagoshima by private yacht, through a country of more than 14,000 islands. Explore its cities, world-class dining, island traditions and wild southern coast; see Mount Fuji through the morning mist, hike the ancient cedar forests of Yakushima and end beneath the volcanic peak of Sakurajima.

When to go

April - November

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Experience Highlights

Paddleboard across Lake Kawaguchi beneath Mount Fuji, trek its slopes with specialist guides or take a private hot air balloon flight above the lake.
Meet the ama of Toba, who have free-dived for shellfish for generations, and explore the pearl farms and oyster rafts of Ago Bay.
Explore the art islands of Naoshima and Teshima by tender from SARASTAR, returning to the yacht’s private beach club and water sports centre.
Hike beneath thousand-year-old cedars on Yakushima, dive among sea turtles and, in summer, witness turtles nesting before bathing in natural coastal hot springs.

Japan’s relationship with the sea goes back centuries. Traders, pilgrims and explorers crossed its waters, while fishing communities, sacred sites and historic ports grew along its coastline. This adventure takes inspiration from William Adams, the English navigator who reached Japan in 1600 and became the first Englishman to be granted samurai status, later serving as a trusted adviser to Tokugawa Ieyasu and becoming known as Miura Anjin.

More than four centuries later, the adventure takes his arrival by sea as its starting point, following Japan’s coastline south by private yacht. With SARASTAR as a private base, it connects the energy of Tokyo and centuries of history and culture with the islands, communities and volcanic landscapes of Japan’s wild south.

TOKYO TO THE MOUNTAINS

Your journey begins in Tokyo, where centuries-old temples and neighbourhoods sit alongside neon-lit crossings and one of the world’s most exciting food scenes. Explore Sensō-ji, Tokyo’s oldest temple, among the historic streets of Asakusa, cross the famous Shibuya Scramble, and spend an evening with a Michelin-starred sushi chef for a private omakase, with each course prepared at the chef’s counter. A private sake tasting with a master brewer can go deeper into another of Japan’s great culinary traditions.

From here, step aboard your private yacht, and the skyline gives way to the still waters and forested peaks of Hakone, with Mount Fuji rising over the sea. Visit the Hakone Open-Air Museum with a private curator through its sculpture gardens and Picasso Pavilion before it opens to the public, then spend the afternoon in a traditional mountain onsen with Fuji as your backdrop.

At the Fuji Five Lakes, take to Lake Kawaguchi by paddleboard in the early morning as Mount Fuji appears through the mist. During the official climbing season, take on its slopes with specialist guides, or see Fuji from above on a private hot air balloon flight over the lake and surrounding forests.

THE SACRED COAST

Cruise into Ago Bay, a maze of pine-covered islets and sheltered inlets prized for centuries for its pearl-diving heritage. Explore the the calm water by kayak or paddleboard or take a private boat tour through the bay's oyster rafts to understand how Mikimoto developed the world’s first successfully cultured pearls here in the late 1890s.

At Mikimoto Pearl Island, explore the history of pearl cultivation with an expert guide, then meet the ama of nearby Toba, women who have free-dived these waters for shellfish for centuries.

Further south, walk beneath towering cedar trees at Ise Jingu, Japan’s most sacred Shinto shrine. In Himeji, step inside the soaring white walls of one of Japan’s best-preserved feudal castles before exploring the nine traditional Japanese gardens of neighbouring Kokoen, before another night falls at anchor beneath a blanket of stars.

KYOTO, OSAKA & THE ART ISLANDS

Arrive in Kansai and discover the timeless beauty of Kyoto. Walk beneath the famous red gates of Fushimi Inari, where the shrine paths climb into the forested slopes of Mount Inari. Explore the towering bamboo groves of Arashiyama and visit Kinkaku-ji, the Zen temple whose upper floors are covered in gold leaf and reflected in the pond below. In Gion, take part in a private tea ceremony before sitting down to a traditional multi-course dinner hosted by geisha and maiko, with an evening of music and dance.

From the quiet of Kyoto, dive headfirst into the electric energy and world-class dining of Osaka. Follow a local expert beyond the neon and street-food stalls of Dotonbori, stopping at tiny back-street izakayas and trying the dishes that have made Osaka one of Japan’s great food cities.

Return to SARASTAR and head west into the Seto Inland Sea, where hundreds of islands break up the water between Honshu, Shikoku and Kyushu. Among them, Naoshima and Teshima have become home to some of Japan’s most remarkable contemporary art.

Take a tender ashore on Naoshima to visit Tadao Ando’s Benesse House Museum and discover installations across the island, before crossing the water to Teshima Art Museum. Back on the water, swim from SARASTAR’s beach club, take out the paddleboards or stay out until evening for a beach barbecue beneath the stars.

In Onomichi, leave the water behind and climb through narrow hillside streets on the Temple Walk, linking 25 historic temples above the old port, with views across the islands of the Seto Inland Sea from Mount Senkoji.

SOUTH TO THE VOLCANOES

The final stretch begins in Hiroshima, where the Peace Memorial Park and Atomic Bomb Dome offer a powerful moment of reflection, and a private guide can walk you through the museum and gardens. From here, move to Miyajima Island to witness its iconic floating torii gate rising from the sea, then climb Mount Misen by cable car for sweeping views back across the Inland Sea.

Further south, steam rises across Beppu from thousands of hot-spring sources. Explore its vividly coloured geothermal pools before continuing along the Miyazaki coastline towards Yakushima, an island of ancient cedar forest, clear rivers and subtropical shores.

Hike with specialist guides beneath thousand-year-old yakusugi, following moss-covered trails into the mountainous interior. Then head underwater, diving Yakushima’s reefs with local specialists among sea turtles and colourful reef life. In summer, loggerhead and green turtles come ashore to nest on the island’s beaches.

Your journey reaches its finale in Kagoshima, beneath the striking silhouette of Sakurajima, one of Japan’s most active volcanoes. Unwind in a natural sand bath on the nearby black-sand beaches, warmed by the volcanic landscape, or simply take in the views from on board. As the voyage draws to a close, there’s time to reflect on a coastal journey though Japan - from quiet islands and ancient forests to centuries-old traditions and dramatic coastlines.