Japanese ports have been bustling with foreign cruise ships and passengers amid robust demand that has prompted the development of new tour services combining ocean voyages with rail or air travel.
In 2016, 1.99 million tourists arrived by cruise ship, up 78.5 percent from the previous year. The government is aiming to boost that figure to 5 million in 2020, according to the transport ministry.
Kyushu is the most popular stop-off point for ships from abroad. In 2016, cruise ships made 715 port calls there, a sixfold increase from 2013, according to the local transport ministry bureau.