Maintenance and operations

Japan runs on 60Hz so the yacht will either require a converter or, as in our case, expect to be on generators the whole time. Getting supplies, spares and other items shipped in was not easy, with items held up by customs and import duties.

I recommend taking a large number of spares, and if you’re running on generators the whole time, do prepare your engineers.

The marine industry is dominated by commercial and fishing vessels. Meanwhile, the Japanese are highly skilled, deliberate and fastidious; if they feel they can’t do a job to perfection, they will not attempt it. Given the small number of superyachts that cruise Japan, refit and repair work may, therefore, be difficult to come by.

Hakodate

Our first port of call was Hakodate on the northern island of Hokkaido, north of the typhoon belt. As the yacht had been at sea since leaving Europe, we took the opportunity to stay on Hakodate’s fairly good commercial dock for a couple of months.

Hakodate is primarily a domestic tourist destination, and therefore accustomed to visitors, but perhaps not so many English-speaking ones. The town was only 10 minutes from the dock and the people were warm and friendly.

There were some great markets and the crew took bike and gondola rides up the mountain. Hakodate is located at the southern end of Hokkaido, which is linked to Japan’s main island by an underground railway so the crew were able to explore other parts of Japan easily.

Although we used Hakodate as more of a fuel, rest and provisioning stop, it could also be a good starting point for a yacht exploring northern Japan.

Inland sea

At the end of September, we made our way down the east coast of Honshu to Osaka Bay. Entering through Kii Suido (Strait) is a rather hectic ordeal with kamikaze fishing vessels crossing the bow at high speeds and dense commercial and ferry traffic. I would highly recommend doing it in daylight hours.

Interestingly, we were not required to take on a pilot for any part of our voyage in Japan.

In Osaka, we berthed at Ashiya Marina, a very sheltered floating dock marina. In fact, we sat through a typhoon here and with doubled lines rode out the storm quite comfortably.

Before setting off to cruise the Inland Sea, it’s wise to take on an agent and complete some journey planning. Permits are required for every anchorage and you can only stay for an allotted time. Each anchorage is managed by a different authority, all of whom have slightly different rules and regulations.

We worked with our agent to devise an itinerary, applying for those anchorages we definitely wanted as well as those that were possibilities. It may seem onerous, but in fact, there were few issues, even when we requested a change to our journey.

Toward the end of October, we departed Osaka with our guests, passing under the world’s largest suspension bridge, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge, which boasts a central span of 1,991 metres.

The Inland Sea is best defined as an excellent cultural cruising destination. Although the waters are calm for water sports, the standout activities were the day trips to iconic destinations such as Osaka, Hiroshima, and islands dedicated to indigenous art museums such as Kyo-No-Joro Shima.

We also visited the small island of Shodo Shima for a tour of a Saki distillery. As with all of Japan, this was an area that needed much more time to do it justice.

Ryuku Islands

Heading down toward the Ryuku Islands, there can be a steady current running south to north as you get south of Honshu. We were pushing against two to three knots for over 48 hours. The water was full of marine life including whales, sharks and dolphins, and we caught mahi-mahi and wahoo for the owner’s upcoming trip.

Okinawa was our first stop. We docked at the new Yonabaru Marina, which is one of the best-value marinas we have berthed in at roughly €1.3/m per day. This is a highly protected floating dock marina, has sandy beaches next door and is only a 45-minute car ride into Naha city and the international airport.

Just before New Year, we headed for the southernmost islands of the Ryuku Group where we found some fantastic diving that exceeded our expectations.

If your owners and guests are divers and adventurers, they will enjoy this off-the-beaten-track experience.

Our first stop was Miyako Island where we picked up a local dive guide for cave-diving. The island offers good shelter, white sand beaches and crystal clear waters.

On Yonaguni Island, Galileo G’s owner was keen to dive the Yonaguni Monument off the south coast. Scientific opinion is divided over whether these underwater structures were man-made thousands of years ago or naturally formed. Either way, these huge underwater pyramids make for an excellent dive.

Yonaguni is a fairly rugged island, there are few if any sheltered bays, and it would be advisable to dock in its western harbour or anchor close by. Arriving on the commercial dock, we were greeted by the local harbourmaster/divemaster armed with two giant bottles of saké and colourful stories about local diving.

We undertook four drift dives at Yonaguni Island where the marine life was fantastic. I had never before seen marlin during a dive, yet in Yonaguni we saw seven over successive dives, as well as hammerhead sharks, tuna and wahoo. Between November and June, the hammerheads can be very prolific, at times numbering in the hundreds.

Iriomote Island is closer to Taiwan than to the main islands of Japan. There’s a superb all-weather anchorage at Funauki Bay where we passed an amazingly clear night. Here, in the absence of city lights, the stars were stretched horizon to horizon.

The island is home to an indigenous wildcat and is covered in tropical rainforest and edged with white sand beaches fringed with coconut palms. It has walking trails, waterfalls and river systems that can be explored by tender or on local tour boats.

In the south, Kanokawa Bay has a large coral bommie in the centre, which is a manta cleaning station where we swam with four large manta rays. It can be exposed to swell, so pick your weather.

There are small villages on the island, yet, like in many of the smaller townships, there is no English spoken.

You learn to communicate with sign language, and the Japanese people are more than happy to welcome you.

Ishigaki Island was another tropical paradise offering wonderful Japanese culture and cuisine. The town is great for a wander, with good local bars and restaurants to choose from.

The commercial wharf is not recommended for a long-term stay due to the wash from commercial marine traffic. Nagura Bay is a good, sheltered anchorage in the south, while the anchorage off the town between Taketomi and Ishigaki City is also good. Otherwise, there is not a great deal of shelter if the trade winds are blowing and there is northerly swell. We also took on great-quality fuel on Ishigaki Island.

Overall, cruising Japan was fantastic and exposed everyone on board to a rich, vibrant culture, as well as offering some excellent diving and tropical landscapes in the south. It is one of the safest destinations and most respectful societies I have encountered, and the owner and crew all enjoyed cruising Japan immensely.

We were all left wanting more.

japan.travel