One of our favourite things about expedition cruising is that it provides the opportunity to explore remote locations that are off the beaten tourist track.

Our latest adventure saw us cruise through the Japanese subtropical islands aboard Ponant’s Le Soleal. There were 198 passengers on board the stylish ship, which featured 11 zodiac boats that whizzed us around on excursions to deserted beaches and jungles.

There are more than 14,000 islands in the Japanese subtropical region, which stretches over 1000 kilometres from Kyushu to Taiwan and most are difficult to visit due to infrequent flights and ferries.

Ponant expedition leader Ryo Ijichi spent many years exploring Antarctica before deciding to create a series of unique itineraries in his homeland. The subtropical islands hold a special place in his heart as he spent many childhood holidays there.

After watching Ryo speak at a Ponant information night last year, we decided to book a seven-day adventure from Fukuoka to Keelung.

The cruise offered no solo supplement, so we secured two cabins for the price of one! Each featured a king-size bed, a bathroom with shower, separate toilet, balcony, Dyptique Paris bath products, minibar, Nespresso coffee maker, Bose Bluetooth speaker and flat screen TV.

We arrived in Fukuoka the day before the cruise departed and loved having the chance to explore Japan’s fifth largest city. Nestled on the northern coast of Kyushu, Fukuoka has a relaxed and very liveable vibe and we really enjoyed ambling through its chilled out but vibrant streets.

All too soon it was time to head to the dock and embark on our adventure. We settled onto our balcony in the late afternoon sun with glasses of Champagne to watch the Fukouka F Queens brass band serenade us from the dock.

Then it was time for dinner in one of the ship’s two restaurants, where we were thrilled to discover our Maitre de was Marvin from our previous Ponant cruise in New Zealand. Marvin is suave, sweet and incredibly good at his job, so we knew we were in very capable hands.

After a picturesque sunset dinner we enjoyed Negronis on deck before heading to bed for our first night at sea.

We arrived the next day at Yakushima, a mountainous island listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. Its forests contain some of Japan’s oldest trees, with some up to 7000 years old.

We chose to go on what was described as having a “medium” level of difficulty but turned out to have a high degree of difficulty. The usual path was closed due to damage from a recent typhoon and we were exhausted by the time we got back down to the meeting point! But it was an incredibly beautiful part of the world.

We were also excited to spot wild Yakushima monkeys, which are a type of macaque with ruddy faces.

That night we enjoyed welcome cocktails with the Captain, followed by a gala dinner where we shared a table with a couple who happened to live just down the road from us and love cruising just as much as we do.

The next day we enjoyed a seafood buffet on deck before sailed into Amamioshima for the afternoon. We initially planned to go kayaking in the famed mangrove swamps, but changed our minds at the last minute and headed off to snorkel instead.

Who knew there were anenomes filled with clownfish in Japan? Not us! The water was crystal clear with lots of coral, including bright blue bommies and dramatic staghorns.

We even discovered an awesome coffee shop in the town itself, called Little Bay, where we cooled down during the unseasonably hot autumn weather with delicious iced coffee.

The town put on the most lovely show for our departure, filled with dancing, singing and traditional instruments, with the mayor giving a speech to thank us for visiting.

Then we sipped the cocktail of the day, the Sidecar, as the sun set over Amamioshima.

The next morning we were up at dawn to watch the sun rise as we cruised into Zamami, a lush paradise filled with stunning white sand beaches, including one with a Michelin star, Furuzamami.

But our priority was a beach offering awesome snorkelling, on a tiny island called Gahi. We had a fantastic time exploring the reef, then jumped on a zodiac and headed to the mainland to check out the famed Michelin-starred beach (pictured main), which was stunning.

The water in Zamami is exceptionally clear due to a current that keeps plankton levels low and the fact there are no rivers that carry sediments into the sea. It is a vivid shade of blue that has been dubbed “Kerama Blue”.

Then it was back to the ship for the cocktail of the day, a delicious Bramble.

Following another pretty sunrise we arrived the next morning at Taketomi-jima, a preserved Okinawan village of red tiles and with fences made from coral. Hibiscus and bougainvillea tumbled over the walls and many of the roofs were guarded by shisa statues, a mythological guardian lion. 

We hired bicycles and pedalled through the quaint streets, which are made from white coral sand. We passed numerous oxen pulling wagons, the traditional form of transport on the island.

Each day brought a fascinating new island for us to explore, the next was Iriomote-jima, “the jungle island”, which is so densely carpeted with mangrove forest that it looks prehistoric. However, we had signed up for snorkelling after being tipped of that it was the top spot of the trip. Unfortunately the operators made a change to their policies and wouldn’t allow people over 60, which cut out 90% of Ponant’s passengers and it had to to be cancelled.

We snorkelled off the beach instead, then enjoyed a deconstructed black rice paella for lunch on the deck of the ship.

Our second last stop was Ishigaki, a surfing town with a Japan-meets-Hawaii vibe. We found a coffee shop serving great iced coffees and enjoyed exploring the streets, but the highlight was a drumming troupe that came on board the ship to perform that evening. They were incredible!

Our final port was Yonaguni, the westernmost inhabited island of Japan, which is home to the pony-like Yonaguni horse, a rare native breed. After a tour of the island we sat down at the port to enjoy delicious miso ramen and gyozas prepared by two lovely women in a food truck.

All too soon it was our last night of the cruise. Time for one last Old Fashioned before docking in Keelung, Taiwan. It was a fascinating week and we feel incredibly lucky to have seen so many islands in the region. Our only regret is that our cruise wasn’t longer – we hope to return one day to explore more islands in this beautiful part of the world.