All-Suite Japanese Cruise Ship to Debut Sat.

Yokohama, Sept. 17 (Jiji Press)--The Mitsui Ocean Sakura, an all-suite Japanese cruise ship, is set to go into service Saturday.

Ahead of the debut, its operator, Tokyo-based MOL Cruises Ltd., an affiliate of major Japanese shipping firm Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd., invited members of the press to view the inside of the new cruise ship in Yokohama, Kanagawa prefecture, south of Tokyo, on Wednesday.

The Mitsui Ocean Sakura, the successor to MOL Cruises' Nippon Maru cruise ship, which has ended its 35-year service, has a total of 229 guest rooms and five restaurants. Footbaths are available at a swimming pool.

The 87-square-meter Signature Suite, the largest of the guest rooms, is equipped with large windows through which customers can enjoy an ocean view.

The ship, which is about 200 meters long, will be mainly used for short-term trips of one to three nights. Prices of a three-day cruise from Jan. 3, 2027, that will tour around the Seto Inland Sea in western Japan start at 194,000 yen per person. The tour will depart from and arrive at the port of Kobe in Hyogo Prefecture, which faces the inland sea.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]