NYK offers cruises to the Japanese market aboard the company's luxury cruise ship Asuka II, which is operated by NYK Cruises, a wholly owned subsidiary of NYK.

The first vessel in the Asuka series was launched in 1991 and was the first Japanese cruise ship to conduct a world cruise. Since then, the Asuka brand has become synonymous with the luxurious, high-quality cruise experience.

Asuka II was launched in 2006, and the ship's enhanced facilities helped the brand expand its customer base and continue to be recognized as the premier cruise ship within the Japanese market.

Asuka II currently conducts a variety of cruises throughout the year to ports around the world. Voyages can be as short as one night and can feature offshore viewings of immense summer fireworks displays or visits to local festivals. Voyages of a moderate length often explore areas around Japan. And lengthier grand cruises sail to ports in Asia and regions in Oceania.

NYK is devoting great energy to the research and development of transport systems that meet all kinds of customer needs in the fields that include vessel operations, safety, environment, energy saving, etc. To conduct such research and development, NYK established the NYK Logistics Technology Institute in June 1997. The institute was subsequently reorganized into Monohakobi Technology Institute (MTI) on April 1, 2004 to further intensify research and development activities.