Making the most of Sakaiminato
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Sakaiminato port is approximately 5 km from the city centre, or a 10-minute taxi journey.
Set between sea, sky and mountains, this small fishing harbour has been prized for centuries for its superb seafood.
Sakaiminato is the home of Shigeru Mizuki, creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro, a character appearing in many forms across Japan. Kitaro's spirit is present on Sakaiminato's Kitaro Road, which is dedicated to every character in Mizuki's stories. One hundred bronze figures of those characters stand along both sides of the road.
Getting around
The Hama Loop Bus operates Two Courses, the Main Course and Life Course. The Main Course conveniently connects major locations, including Municipal Administration Offices, Hospitals and Sight-seeing Spots. Right Loop Course and Left Loop Course buses operate: one travels clockwise around the right loop and the other counter-clockwise on the left, both departing from and returning to City Hall as their base. Check the locations of the boarding and alighting stops before using the loop bus for greater convenience.
Both the fishing wharf and town centre are compact enough to explore on foot.
Nearby places
Sakaiminato also opens onto a very ancient area of Honshu. To the west, Izumo-taisha is among Shinto's oldest and holiest shrines, in a landscape dotted with Japanese Bronze Age burial mounds. Matsue has the celebrated “Black Castle”, a six-storey, black-walled fortress that housed a clan of the mighty Tokugawa dynasty, rulers of Japan for over 250 years. To the east rises the great snow-covered peak of Mt. Daisen, considered one of the four most scenic mountains in all Japan.
Food and shopping
Every kind of Kitaro-related souvenir is widely available. Items featuring Medama Oyaji, or the Eyeball Daddy character, seem particularly popular.
Money
Japan's currency is the yen. Notes come in ¥10,000, ¥5,000 and ¥1,000 denominations, with coins of ¥500, ¥100, ¥50, ¥10, ¥5 and ¥1.
Japanese ATMs are becoming more useful, and most allow withdrawals from overseas accounts; post offices also have ATMs. Major credit cards are taken by most shops and restaurants in large cities, but carry enough cash if spending any time in rural areas. Japan remains very much a cash society, and some shops, hotels and restaurants refuse cards regardless of location.
Do not tip, because it is regarded as rude!