Aboard Azamara Pursuit with Azamara
Cruise Overview
From Minami's neon-lighted Dotombori and historic Tenno-ji to the high-rise class and underground shopping labyrinths of Kita, Osaka is a city that pulses with its own unique rhythm.
Though Osaka has no shortage of tourist sites, it is the city itself that is the greatest attraction.
Home to some of Japan's best food, most unique fashions, and warmest locals, Osaka does not beg to be explored—it demands it.
More than anywhere else in Japan, it rewards the impulsive turn down an interesting side street or the chat with a random stranger.
People do not come here to see the city, they come to experience it.Excluded from the formal circles of power and aristocratic culture in 16th-century Edo (Tokyo), Osaka took advantage of its position as Japan's trading center, developing its own art forms such as Bunraku puppet theater and Rakugo comic storytelling.
It was in Osaka that feudal Japan's famed Floating World—the dining, theater, and pleasure district—was at its strongest and most inventive.
Wealthy merchants and common laborers alike squandered fortunes on culinary delights, turning Osaka into "Japan's Kitchen," a moniker the city still has today.
Though the city suffered a blow when the Meiji government canceled all of the samurai class's outstanding debts to the merchants, it was quick to recover.
At the turn of the 20th century, it had become Japan's largest and most prosperous city, a center of commerce and manufacturing.Today Osaka remains Japan's iconoclastic metropolis, refusing to fit Tokyo's norms and expectations.
Unlike the hordes of Tokyo, Osakans are fiercely independent.
As a contrast to the neon and concrete surroundings, the people of Osaka are known as Japan's friendliest and most outgoing.
Ask someone on the street for directions in Tokyo and you are lucky to get so much as a glance.
Ask someone in Osaka and you get a conversation.The main areas of the city, Kita (north) and Minami (south), are divided by two rivers: the Dojima-gawa and the Tosabori-gawa.
Between Kita and Minami is Naka-no-shima, an island and the municipal center of Osaka.
Kita (north of Chuo Dori) is Osaka's economic hub and contains Osaka's largest stations: JR Osaka and Hankyu Umeda.
The area is crammed with shops, department stores, and restaurants.
Nearby are a nightlife district, Kita-shinchi; Naka-no-shima and the Museum of Oriental Ceramics; Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle); and Osaka Koen (Osaka Park).
Restaurants, bars, department stores, and boutiques attract Osaka's youth to Minami (south Chuo Dori); theatergoers head to the National Bunraku Theatre and electronics-lovers to Den Den Town.
For a glimpse of old Osaka, visit Tenno-ji Temple and Shin Sekai.
The main stations are Namba, Shin-sai-bashi, Namba Nankai, and Tenno-ji.
There's easy access to the Municipal Museum of Fine Art and Sumiyoshi Taisha (Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine).The bay area, to the west of the city center, is home to the Osaka Aquarium and Universal Studios Japan.
The Shinkansen stops at Shin-Osaka, three stops (about five minutes) north of Osaka Station on the Mido-suji subway line.
To the north of Shin-Osaka is Senri Expo Park.
The Hong Kong Island skyline, with its ever-growing number of skyscrapers, speaks to ambition and money.
Paris, London, even New York were centuries in the making, while Hong Kong's towers, bright lights, and glitzy shopping emporia weren't yet part of the urban scene when many of the young investment bankers who fuel one of the world's leading financial centers were born.
Commerce is concentrated in the glittering high-rises of Central, tucked between Victoria Harbor and forested peaks on Hong Kong Island's north shore.
While it's easy to think all the bright lights are the sum of today's Hong Kong, you need only walk or board a tram for the short jaunt west into Western to discover a side of Hong Kong that is more traditionally Chinese but no less high-energy.
You'll discover the real Hong Kong to the east of Central, too, in Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and beyond.
Amid the residential towers are restaurants, shopping malls, bars, convention centers, a nice smattering of museums, and—depending on fate and the horse you wager on—one of Hong Kong's luckiest or unluckiest spots, the Happy Valley Racecourse.
Kowloon sprawls across a generous swath of the Chinese mainland across Victoria Harbour from Central.
Tsim Sha Tsui, at the tip of Kowloon peninsula, is packed with glitzy shops, first-rate museums, and eye-popping views of the skyline across the water.
Just to the north are the teeming market streets of Mong Kok and in the dense residential neighborhoods beyond, two of Hong Kong's most enchanting spiritual sights, Wong Tai Sin Temple and Chi Lin Nunnery.
As you navigate this huge metropolis (easy to do on the excellent transportation network), keep in mind that streets are usually numbered odd on one side, even on the other.
There's no baseline for street numbers and no block-based numbering system, but street signs indicate building numbers for any given block.
The Hong Kong Island skyline, with its ever-growing number of skyscrapers, speaks to ambition and money.
Paris, London, even New York were centuries in the making, while Hong Kong's towers, bright lights, and glitzy shopping emporia weren't yet part of the urban scene when many of the young investment bankers who fuel one of the world's leading financial centers were born.
Commerce is concentrated in the glittering high-rises of Central, tucked between Victoria Harbor and forested peaks on Hong Kong Island's north shore.
While it's easy to think all the bright lights are the sum of today's Hong Kong, you need only walk or board a tram for the short jaunt west into Western to discover a side of Hong Kong that is more traditionally Chinese but no less high-energy.
You'll discover the real Hong Kong to the east of Central, too, in Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and beyond.
Amid the residential towers are restaurants, shopping malls, bars, convention centers, a nice smattering of museums, and—depending on fate and the horse you wager on—one of Hong Kong's luckiest or unluckiest spots, the Happy Valley Racecourse.
Kowloon sprawls across a generous swath of the Chinese mainland across Victoria Harbour from Central.
Tsim Sha Tsui, at the tip of Kowloon peninsula, is packed with glitzy shops, first-rate museums, and eye-popping views of the skyline across the water.
Just to the north are the teeming market streets of Mong Kok and in the dense residential neighborhoods beyond, two of Hong Kong's most enchanting spiritual sights, Wong Tai Sin Temple and Chi Lin Nunnery.
As you navigate this huge metropolis (easy to do on the excellent transportation network), keep in mind that streets are usually numbered odd on one side, even on the other.
There's no baseline for street numbers and no block-based numbering system, but street signs indicate building numbers for any given block.
Though Osaka has no shortage of tourist sites, it is the city itself that is the greatest attraction.
Home to some of Japan's best food, most unique fashions, and warmest locals, Osaka does not beg to be explored—it demands it.
More than anywhere else in Japan, it rewards the impulsive turn down an interesting side street or the chat with a random stranger.
People do not come here to see the city, they come to experience it.Excluded from the formal circles of power and aristocratic culture in 16th-century Edo (Tokyo), Osaka took advantage of its position as Japan's trading center, developing its own art forms such as Bunraku puppet theater and Rakugo comic storytelling.
It was in Osaka that feudal Japan's famed Floating World—the dining, theater, and pleasure district—was at its strongest and most inventive.
Wealthy merchants and common laborers alike squandered fortunes on culinary delights, turning Osaka into "Japan's Kitchen," a moniker the city still has today.
Though the city suffered a blow when the Meiji government canceled all of the samurai class's outstanding debts to the merchants, it was quick to recover.
At the turn of the 20th century, it had become Japan's largest and most prosperous city, a center of commerce and manufacturing.Today Osaka remains Japan's iconoclastic metropolis, refusing to fit Tokyo's norms and expectations.
Unlike the hordes of Tokyo, Osakans are fiercely independent.
As a contrast to the neon and concrete surroundings, the people of Osaka are known as Japan's friendliest and most outgoing.
Ask someone on the street for directions in Tokyo and you are lucky to get so much as a glance.
Ask someone in Osaka and you get a conversation.The main areas of the city, Kita (north) and Minami (south), are divided by two rivers: the Dojima-gawa and the Tosabori-gawa.
Between Kita and Minami is Naka-no-shima, an island and the municipal center of Osaka.
Kita (north of Chuo Dori) is Osaka's economic hub and contains Osaka's largest stations: JR Osaka and Hankyu Umeda.
The area is crammed with shops, department stores, and restaurants.
Nearby are a nightlife district, Kita-shinchi; Naka-no-shima and the Museum of Oriental Ceramics; Osaka-jo (Osaka Castle); and Osaka Koen (Osaka Park).
Restaurants, bars, department stores, and boutiques attract Osaka's youth to Minami (south Chuo Dori); theatergoers head to the National Bunraku Theatre and electronics-lovers to Den Den Town.
For a glimpse of old Osaka, visit Tenno-ji Temple and Shin Sekai.
The main stations are Namba, Shin-sai-bashi, Namba Nankai, and Tenno-ji.
There's easy access to the Municipal Museum of Fine Art and Sumiyoshi Taisha (Sumiyoshi Grand Shrine).The bay area, to the west of the city center, is home to the Osaka Aquarium and Universal Studios Japan.
The Shinkansen stops at Shin-Osaka, three stops (about five minutes) north of Osaka Station on the Mido-suji subway line.
To the north of Shin-Osaka is Senri Expo Park.
The Hong Kong Island skyline, with its ever-growing number of skyscrapers, speaks to ambition and money.
Paris, London, even New York were centuries in the making, while Hong Kong's towers, bright lights, and glitzy shopping emporia weren't yet part of the urban scene when many of the young investment bankers who fuel one of the world's leading financial centers were born.
Commerce is concentrated in the glittering high-rises of Central, tucked between Victoria Harbor and forested peaks on Hong Kong Island's north shore.
While it's easy to think all the bright lights are the sum of today's Hong Kong, you need only walk or board a tram for the short jaunt west into Western to discover a side of Hong Kong that is more traditionally Chinese but no less high-energy.
You'll discover the real Hong Kong to the east of Central, too, in Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and beyond.
Amid the residential towers are restaurants, shopping malls, bars, convention centers, a nice smattering of museums, and—depending on fate and the horse you wager on—one of Hong Kong's luckiest or unluckiest spots, the Happy Valley Racecourse.
Kowloon sprawls across a generous swath of the Chinese mainland across Victoria Harbour from Central.
Tsim Sha Tsui, at the tip of Kowloon peninsula, is packed with glitzy shops, first-rate museums, and eye-popping views of the skyline across the water.
Just to the north are the teeming market streets of Mong Kok and in the dense residential neighborhoods beyond, two of Hong Kong's most enchanting spiritual sights, Wong Tai Sin Temple and Chi Lin Nunnery.
As you navigate this huge metropolis (easy to do on the excellent transportation network), keep in mind that streets are usually numbered odd on one side, even on the other.
There's no baseline for street numbers and no block-based numbering system, but street signs indicate building numbers for any given block.
The Hong Kong Island skyline, with its ever-growing number of skyscrapers, speaks to ambition and money.
Paris, London, even New York were centuries in the making, while Hong Kong's towers, bright lights, and glitzy shopping emporia weren't yet part of the urban scene when many of the young investment bankers who fuel one of the world's leading financial centers were born.
Commerce is concentrated in the glittering high-rises of Central, tucked between Victoria Harbor and forested peaks on Hong Kong Island's north shore.
While it's easy to think all the bright lights are the sum of today's Hong Kong, you need only walk or board a tram for the short jaunt west into Western to discover a side of Hong Kong that is more traditionally Chinese but no less high-energy.
You'll discover the real Hong Kong to the east of Central, too, in Wan Chai, Causeway Bay, and beyond.
Amid the residential towers are restaurants, shopping malls, bars, convention centers, a nice smattering of museums, and—depending on fate and the horse you wager on—one of Hong Kong's luckiest or unluckiest spots, the Happy Valley Racecourse.
Kowloon sprawls across a generous swath of the Chinese mainland across Victoria Harbour from Central.
Tsim Sha Tsui, at the tip of Kowloon peninsula, is packed with glitzy shops, first-rate museums, and eye-popping views of the skyline across the water.
Just to the north are the teeming market streets of Mong Kok and in the dense residential neighborhoods beyond, two of Hong Kong's most enchanting spiritual sights, Wong Tai Sin Temple and Chi Lin Nunnery.
As you navigate this huge metropolis (easy to do on the excellent transportation network), keep in mind that streets are usually numbered odd on one side, even on the other.
There's no baseline for street numbers and no block-based numbering system, but street signs indicate building numbers for any given block.
Cruise Itinerary
Aboard Azamara Pursuit
Launch Year: 2001 Length: 180 Width: 25 Currency: USD Capacity: 690 Crew Count: 408 Deck Count: 8 Cabin Count: 345
The launch of Azamara Pursuit® in 2018 opened the seas to maiden ports, new itineraries, and the opportunity to provide our guests with even more unforgettable, unique, and immersive experiences than ever before. Like our sister ships, Azamara Pursuit offers some of the most extraordinary adventures on Earth, to places you’ve always dreamed of. Or, perhaps, only just heard about.
New-to-Azamara destinations include Antofagasta (Chile), Lima (Peru), and the Beagle Channel—and those are just some of our South American maiden destinations. Not only do we now take you to 15 unique ports and a whole host of bucket-list locales, but we also stay longer in each one, so you have more time to experience the world’s many wonders in a truly AzAmazing way.
Azamara Pursuit Facilities
Azamara Pursuit Includes
Cabin Details
YOUR OWN SEASIDE RETREAT
Welcome to your vacation home with ocean views, sea breezes, and all the style and amenities of a boutique hotel. Relax in your cruise stateroom with plush cotton robes and slippers, French bath products, fresh flowers, and 24-hour room service. Our goal is to make you comfortable so you can spend more time on important things. Like exploring the world.
EXPERIENCE THE SUITE LIFE
The premier way to travel, discover luxury with each Azamara voyage from our Club World Owner's Suite, Club Ocean Suite, Club Continent Suite or Club Spa Suites. As a suite guest receive a variety of exclusive benefits in addition to modern accommodations and authentic service. We take care of all the details, so you can focus on the adventure ahead.
A boutique hotel at sea, each of our cruise suites offer the comforts of a five-star hotel suite with the added decadence of ocean views, sea breezes, and butler service. Relax with spa-like sea breezes, and butler service. Relax with spa-like amenities including plush cotton robes and slippers, French bath products, fresh flowers, and fine linens. Open the sliding glass doors to your private balcony and curl up with book, dine al fresco dining, or stargaze. Share a drink of your favorite spirit—on the house. And should you need anything, your English-trained butler is never more than a call away, ready to assist with reservations, private parties, dinners for two, and much more.
THE LUXE LIFE: YOUR CRUISE STATEROOM
When you book a cruise stateroom, you'll love the polished style and stellar service in your own private retreat. You'll appreciate the finer touches included, but it takes more than a beautiful room to elevate a voyage from "good" to "great." With Azamara®, you'll discover just how much professional service and a friendly attitude can add to your enjoyment.
