We're flying directly to Sapporo, staying two nights either there or in Otaru where we board the ship.

I looked into adding some days pre-cruise - maybe staying in Tokyo for a few nights - but was unable to get ff tix for a logical stay for what we wanted to see - it would either have been too short or too long, so when I found ff seats straight to Sapporo I jumped on that.

We spent 5 days in Kyoto and Nara a few years ago and loved it. If you've not been I would highly recommend going there. You can fly from Osaka to Sapporo.