The Nippon Maru was once a training vessel but was transformed into a stationary museum, now permanently docked in Yokohama harbour within Nippo Maru Memorial Park.

The ship was built by Kawasaki Shipbuilding Corporation in Kobe, Japan and was opened in 1930 alongside another ship, the Kaiwo Maru. It came under the Tokyo Institute for Maritime Training to train marine officers of Japan but before WWII, her sailing rig was removed and she served as a training and postwar transport motorship. It spans 97 metres long and weighs over 2200 tons. When she was still operational, it took 27 officers, 48 seamen and 120 trainees to man the ship.