Kumamoto is close enough to Hakata Port that a multi-day cruise is within reach for a weekend. This guide covers Asuka II’s December 2026 Christmas cruise and the MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES sailings from Hakata, plus how to get from Kumamoto to the port.
In short
- The Kyushu Shinkansen connects Kumamoto and Hakata in as little as 32 minutes; from Hakata Station, a bus to the passenger terminal takes about 20 minutes more.
- Asuka II’s Hakata Christmas Weekend Cruise (December 19–21, 2026) does not leave Japan, so a passport is not required — only a valid original ID document.
- MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES runs seven round-trip and five one-way sailings from Hakata between October 2026 and May 2027; eight of the twelve call in South Korea (Busan, Yeosu or Jeju) and need a passport valid for 6 months after the cruise ends and, depending on your nationality and the sailing date, South Korea’s K-ETA.
- MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES fares include most onboard costs, but sailings that call in Korea add ¥3,500 in departure tax and terminal fees. Book through each official site or by phone, in Japanese.
Checked with official pages on September 27, 2026.
1. Getting from Kumamoto to Hakata Port
JR Kyushu and Nishitetsu Bus
The Kyushu Shinkansen runs between Kumamoto Station and Hakata Station in as little as 32 minutes, with a reserved ordinary seat costing ¥5,310 one way in the regular season without discounts; JR Kyushu’s online tickets start from ¥3,900. From Hakata Station, take Nishitetsu Bus route 88 or the rapid BRT bound for “Hakata Port International Terminal” from the “Hakata Eki Nishi-Nippon City Bank-mae F” stop; the ride to the terminus is about 20 minutes. If your ship uses the Chuo Wharf Cruise Center instead, get off at the same terminus and walk about 500 meters further.
Note
Hakata Port has two passenger buildings — Hakata Port International Terminal and the Chuo Wharf Cruise Center — reached by the same bus. Large ships’ berth can change between bookings, and Asuka Cruise’s own boarding guide tells passengers to check the meeting time and place on their personal itinerary rather than assume. Confirm which terminal your cruise line names on your ticket or final itinerary before you travel.
2. Asuka II’s Hakata Christmas Weekend Cruise (December 19–21, 2026)
Depends on the provider
Asuka II departs Hakata at 17:00 on Saturday, December 19, 2026, spends two nights and a full day at sea with no ports of call, and returns to Hakata at 9:00 on Monday, December 21. Check-in opens around 15:00 on departure day. Onboard, the first night has a Christmas show; the second night pairs a Christmas dinner with a special stage by singer Ryoko Moriyama, with reserved viewing for suite-class rooms (S, W, A) and open seating for the other rooms. A free shuttle bus runs from the port to near JR Hakata Station after you disembark.
| Room type | Fare (per person) | My ASUKA CLUB member fare |
|---|---|---|
| K (Stateroom) | ¥161,000 — sold out, waitlist only | ¥144,900 |
| F (Stateroom) | ¥187,000 | ¥168,300 |
| E (Balcony) | ¥220,000 | ¥198,000 |
| D (Balcony) | ¥225,000 | ¥202,500 |
| C (Suite) | ¥339,000 — few left | ¥305,100 |
| A (Asuka Suite) | ¥433,000 — few left | ¥389,700 |
| W (Japanese-Western Suite) | ¥472,000 — few left | ¥424,800 |
| S (Royal Suite) | ¥757,000 — sold out, waitlist only | ¥681,300 |
Fares are per person for two people sharing a room, tax included; a solo traveler in room type K pays ¥241,500. Availability shown is what Asuka Cruise’s own booking site showed on September 27, 2026, and changes daily. All 436 rooms on Asuka II are ocean-view.
Tip
My ASUKA CLUB membership is free, with no annual fee, and open to anyone 2 or older — you do not need to have a cruise booked to join. Everyone in your room must be a member to get the member fare, so join before you book if you want the discount.
Booking: book online with a one-time credit card payment, or call the Cruise Desk at 0570-666-154 (Monday–Friday, 10:30–17:00; closed weekends and holidays). Sales for this sailing began June 10, 2026. The cruise needs at least 200 passengers to go ahead. From around 17:00 each evening, common areas have a dress code (casual, informal or formal on different nights), explained in the schedule sent before boarding.
Book or check availability: Asuka Cruise official booking page for the Hakata Christmas Weekend Cruise (in Japanese). Choose a room in the availability table, then press 「予約へ進む」 (Proceed to booking).
ID and boarding: at check-in, show your boarding ticket, a health questionnaire and a valid original ID document — Asuka Cruise’s boarding-procedure page does not name every accepted document, so if you are unsure whether your residence card will be accepted, ask the Cruise Desk before you travel. Because this sailing does not leave Japan, a passport is required only for an overseas cruise — it is not needed for this one.
Asuka Cruise publishes an English-language page introducing its ships and seasonal voyages at voyage.asukacruise.co.jp/en/, but it is informational rather than a booking site, and it is not stated whether Cruise Desk staff can answer calls in English.
3. MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES sailings from Hakata (October 2026 – May 2027)
Depends on the provider
MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES has seven round-trip sailings from Hakata between October 2026 and May 2027, from ¥161,000 per person for the cheapest sailing (a May 2027 Busan round trip); fares rise from there depending on the room and the sailing. The October 2026 sailing and everything from March 2027 use the ship MITSUI OCEAN SAKURA; the three December 2026 sailings use MITSUI OCEAN FUJI.
| Dates | Destination | Fare range (per person) |
|---|---|---|
| Oct 14–17, 2026 | Tottori (debut call), Busan | ¥240,000–¥800,000 |
| Dec 3–7, 2026 | Tomonoura, Matsuyama, Busan | ¥278,000–¥928,000 |
| Dec 7–10, 2026 | Hamada, Busan | ¥201,000–¥671,000 |
| Dec 10–13, 2026 | Busan, Sakaiminato | ¥208,000–¥693,000 |
| Mar 2–6, 2027 | Himeshima Village, Shodoshima | ¥318,000–¥1,061,000 |
| Mar 6–8, 2027 | Jeju | ¥165,000–¥550,000 |
| May 27–29, 2027 | Busan | ¥161,000–¥537,000 |
Five more sailings leave Hakata but end at a different port, so you would need your own onward transport home: Sakaiminato → Kanazawa (Oct 17–19, 2026, ¥162,000–¥540,000), Yeosu and Kobe → Yokohama (Dec 13–17, 2026, ¥281,000–¥937,000), a sea day → Yokohama (Mar 8–10, 2027, ¥154,000–¥513,000), Jeju, Kochi and Komatsushima → Kobe (Mar 27–Apr 1, 2027, ¥351,000–¥1,170,000), and a sea day → Nagoya (May 29–31, 2027, ¥162,000–¥539,000).
Fares include transport and accommodation, onboard activities, basic meals, more than 200 drinks including alcohol, entertainment, Wi-Fi, and a half-day shore excursion at some ports. Sailings that call in Korea add ¥3,000 international tourist tax and a ¥500 Hakata Port terminal fee on top of the fare. The half-day shore excursion is offered at no extra fee on the December 3, December 7, December 10, March 6 and May 27 round trips, and on the one-way sailings that call at Yeosu or at Jeju, Kochi and Komatsushima; other ports may not have one. Drinks ordered through room service are not included.
Important
Sailings that call in South Korea (Busan, Yeosu or Jeju) leave Japan, so you need a passport valid for at least 6 months after the cruise ends. For the October and December 2026 sailings, the official pages say South Korea’s K-ETA (electronic travel authorization) is not required for Japanese nationals; the 2027 Busan and Jeju sailings say K-ETA is required. South Korea’s K-ETA website says its temporary exemption for certain nationalities runs until December 31, 2026. The sailing pages state travel conditions as of October 2025 or May 2026, so check South Korea’s K-ETA and visa rules for your own passport before you book.
Booking: each sailing has its own page on the official site, where you check room types, fares and space. 2027 sailings went on sale July 3, 2026 (MITSUI OCEAN FUJI) and July 10, 2026 (MITSUI OCEAN SAKURA). For a brochure or phone questions, call the Cruise Desk at 0120-791-211 (toll-free), or 03-4446-7532 from a mobile phone (charged), Monday–Friday, 10:30–17:00.
Book or check details: MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES official list of sailings from Hakata (in Japanese). Pick a sailing, then press 「ご予約へすすむ」 (Proceed to booking) on its page. Travel agents can also book these sailings.
As of September 27, 2026, the official MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES Japan site (mitsuioceancruises.com) does not have a working English-language version — its “/en/” page returns a “page not found” error — so plan to book in Japanese, through a travel agent, or by asking the Cruise Desk whether English support is available.
4. Before you book
- Decide whether you want a sailing that returns to Hakata, or a one-way sailing that ends elsewhere and needs its own onward transport.
- If your sailing calls in South Korea, check your passport’s expiry date and look up South Korea’s current K-ETA and visa rules for your own nationality — do not assume the “not required for Japanese nationals” wording on some sailing pages applies to you.
- Join My ASUKA CLUB before booking Asuka II if you want the member fare; there is no fee to join.
- Book online with a credit card, or call the Cruise Desk in Japanese; ask a Japanese-speaking friend or a travel agent for help if you are not confident calling yourself.
- Check the current fare and room availability on the official site before you travel to Hakata — both change daily and are not fixed by this guide.
Common questions
Do I need a residence card, in addition to ID, to board Asuka II’s Hakata cruise?
The official boarding-procedure page asks for a valid original ID document without naming every accepted document, and a passport only for an overseas cruise. Since the Hakata Christmas cruise does not leave Japan, a passport is not required; if you are unsure whether your residence card is accepted, ask the Cruise Desk before you travel.
Can I pay for MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES or Asuka Cruise fares in installments?
Not stated on the pages we checked. Asuka Cruise’s online booking accepts a one-time credit card payment; for other payment options, ask the Cruise Desk.
What happens if a sailing is cancelled for not enough passengers?
Asuka Cruise’s Hakata Christmas cruise needs at least 200 passengers to sail; the official page does not describe what happens if it is cancelled (for example, a refund process), so ask the Cruise Desk about this before paying in full.
Sources (checked September 2026)
- Asuka Cruise: Hakata Christmas Weekend Cruise (schedule, fares, availability)
- NYK Cruises press release (May 13, 2026): 2026–2027 winter-to-spring cruises, My ASUKA CLUB, ship details
- Asuka Cruise: Boarding-day procedure (ID, passport for overseas cruises only)
- Asuka Cruise: Cruise Desk contact (0570-666-154)
- Asuka Cruise: Asuka II ship overview (436 rooms, all ocean-view)
- Asuka Cruise: dress code
- Asuka Cruise: English-language introduction page
- MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES: Hakata sailings list
- MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES (Shosen Mitsui Cruise Co., Ltd.) press release (May 20, 2026): 2027 itineraries, all-inclusive details, ship info
- MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES: May 2027 Busan sailing (passport, K-ETA), and the October 2026 and December 2026 sailing pages (ports, taxes and fees)
- MITSUI OCEAN CRUISES: Cruise Desk (0120-791-211)
- K-ETA official notice: temporary exemption until December 31, 2026
- Hakata Port International Terminal / Chuo Wharf Cruise Center: official access page (bus routes and times from Hakata Station and Tenjin)
- JR Kyushu: Kumamoto–Hakata Kyushu Shinkansen fare and travel time
