Ports of Aomori, Kushiro, Hakodate and Otaru

Hello guys.

In about 4.5 weeks we will be on the Diamond for its Japanese immersion cruise and I am hoping someone can comment on the ports of Aomori, Kushiro, Hakodate and Otaru. Specifically we are interested in low key excursions that we can get privately from the docks. I was told as these are relatively new ports and due to the language barrier there are if any private, English speaking tours available. I am hoping that someone who was there recently could help on this.

We do have some ship excursions booked but prefer private. Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you, Larry.

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We were on the Diamond for 27 days starting in May and visited these ports.

All of the ports provided complimentary (yes, you read that right) shuttles, generally to the train station. The exception was Otaru, where we didn't know there would be a complimentary shuttle, but there was. It took us to a market area that was close to the canal area. It was a couple of blocks walk to the shuttle from the ship.

Each port had great welcome committees who will help you with maps, train/bus info, etc. We had a great time and found the ports very welcoming and eager to please. Most of the ports are a fair distance from the city center.

Now, just because we had the complimentary shuttles doesn't mean you will also.........we were given a questionnaire at one port as to whether we would pay for the shuttle, and if so how much.

As for independent excursions, we were unable to find any in advance, but found ourselves using public transport (buses and trains) to get to the places of interest for us. I'm not a big record keeper as to bus/train numbers and schedules since I just want to enjoy the moment, so can't help you with a lot of detail.

Have a great trip.

Good info, very helpful. Thanks!

I just got off this cruise and the other two voyages on Diamond Princess and can confirm the free shuttle service and tourist info booths at each port. Helpful for maps and they can assist you in English.

Have not met a taxi driver who could speak English - so I did have someone who was bilingual write down where I wanted to go in Japanese and how to return to the ship if I was not using a train/bus.

If you don't have one already, buy a Japan travel guide book. Even though we did have some ship shore excursions booked, we often went back to that book.

Also, Peter, is the Port Lecturer onboard. He can give you information as well on each port of call. And has lectures you can go to or watch later on the tv in the cabin.

It was a fantastic cruise experience!

Cheers.

Great! Thank you. This is what I was looking for. BTW a friend of mine found a free app that translates voice commands from Eng.-Japanese and back so that should help a great deal.

We also found that the ship shore excursions to be of good value, especially if they take you farther afield. While the distances to some places seem short and easy, sometimes the train connections were not that easy (for example, the trains would run once an hour in a smaller port).

Also, look at some of the Japanese-language excursions from Princess online. Once you get onboard, you'll not see the descriptions in English at the Shore Ex Desk, and thus be harder to book. We took a few of those tours, granted the tour was conducted in Japanese, but the tours may take you to different places than the English counterparts and I believe they were a wee bit cheaper. All you would need to know on those tours is when to get back on the bus! (and someone will help you).

That's great about that app. Make sure you know a few words in Japanese too!

I just got off this cruise and the other two voyages on Diamond Princess and can confirm the free shuttle service and tourist info booths at each port. Helpful for maps and they can assist you in English.

 

Have not met a taxi driver who could speak English - so I did have someone who was bilingual write down where I wanted to go in Japanese and how to return to the ship if I was not using a train/bus.

 

If you don't have one already, buy a Japan travel guide book. Even though we did have some ship shore excursions booked, we often went back to that book.

 

Also, Peter, is the Port Lecturer onboard. He can give you information as well on each port of call. And has lectures you can go to or watch later on the tv in the cabin.

 

It was a fantastic cruise experience!

Cheers.

We're trying to decide which book to take as a backup to the info they give on the ship and all the pages we've gleaned in advance from the web. The Eyewitness Guide looks really good to me, but DH is worried about the weight - I tend to overpack! And it does Tokyo and Kyoto really well, but not the minor ports. We really wish Rick Steves did Japan! Which book did you use?

We used Lonely Planet's guide. It was very good.

I also had a DK guide for Tokyo - because we were there for a week.

You could also photocopy some pages from a guide book (your own or one from the library), to cut down on some space...

Cheers.

This may be more than you need for a cruise, but for in-depth travel in Japan, the best guidebook by far is "Gateway to Japan" by June Kinosh!ta (I have to misspell that as otherwise cruisecritic censors it) and Nicholas Palevsky. It has no pictures and is out of print. Used copies are usually fairly expensive but some Barnes and Noble sellers currently have it for $1.99. Snap it up while you can. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/gateway-to-japan-june-kino****a/1006081386

While I'm here, let me post some links to earlier threads on these ports.

Aomori: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34939636&highlight=aomori#post34939636

Hakodate and Kushiro: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34282627&highlight=hakodate#post34282627

Kagoshima: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34198733&highlight=kagoshima#post34198733

While I'm here, let me post some links to earlier threads on these ports.

 

Aomori: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34939636&highlight=aomori#post34939636

 

Hakodate and Kushiro: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34282627&highlight=hakodate#post34282627

 

Kagoshima: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=34198733&highlight=kagoshima#post34198733

In Hakodate the fish market is wonderful and a must!!! Relax at the Starbucks by the waterfront and shopping.

I found or really was alerted to Hakodate Goodwill Association and have a tour with a local planned there. The fees are nominal and I just with all of these ports had something like this.

As for language a friend of mine told me about a free app that can translate for you. It's called iVoice. It has a great number of stock phrases and you can also speak your language and it translates to whatever language you choose. So far the voice recognition has been spot on.

I know this is an old thread, can anyone confirm if the shuttles to/from the train stations mentioned in one of the first posts are still running in summer 2017?

The free shuttle to the train station in Hakodate was working last September when we were there. Otaru was walkable from the ship. We didn't go to the other ports mentioned.

We had a Goodwill Guide in Hakodate who met us at the train station. We paid $35 booking fee and his bus fares while we were with him. We also bought his lunch at an inexpensive local restaurant that he suggested. These costs were shared between four of us, so it was a very inexpensive day, but very interesting. Our guide was a sprightly 80 year old retired English and History teacher, so he was well informed and easy to understand. He walked us off our feet, and we quite active people.

Great info. Thank you! How did you line up the Goodwill guide?

Great info. Thank you! How did you line up the Goodwill guide?

We joined another couple from our roll call and they made the arrangements. We googled Goodwill Guides for Tokyo but were too late to get one there. Google for Hakodate would work I'm sure.

great - will dig around... thank you!