Kyoto from Yokkaichi, Japan

Diamond Princess docks in Yokkaichi, Japan in August. I am currently considering shore excursion options and wondering if anyone has experience with a 1 day Kyoto tour from this port. It appears that Kyoto is only 1 1/2 hours away by car but I can't find any private tours that go to Kyoto from Yokkaichi. Any suggestions?

I wouldn't drive if I were you. Japanese drivers aren't like Americans. (Assuming you're from the US). See if you can get a shinkansen train to Kyoto and experience Japanese bullet trains? Or you can take a bus, I think. https://japanbusonline.com/en/CourseSearch/12400020001 But FYI - Japanese trains are very punctual, so using them is generally a good idea if you have to be back by certain time, etc. Did you ask Princess about excursion options?

Also if the ship docks in Kobe, it may be better to hit Kyoto from Kobe because it's closer. Once you get to Shin-Kobe station (make sure to tell them it's SHIN-Kobe -- "Shin" indicates it's a bullet train station -- you can reach Kyoto in about 30 minutes on Nozomi or Hikari Express Trains on Tokaido-Sanyo line for less than $35/each way. I think it takes about 10-15 mins to get to the Shin-Kobe station from the dock. All Japanese taxis are metered, and drivers are very good and honest, so you shouldn't worry about them taking you the long way or something. FYI - most Japanese taxi drivers can't speak English, so make sure you know what to say to get back to the dock. (To go to the Shin-Kobe station, all you have to say is "Shin-Kobe eki" (Eki = station). Shin-Kobe station staff speaks some English). There's a Kyoto tour for cruise ships docking in Kobe, but I know nothing about it personally because I've never used it. https://www.toursbylocals.com/KyotoShoreExcursionByJumboTaxi-PrivateTour But that tour's expensive unless you can get at least 4-5 people to do it w/ you.

Thanks. We don’t stop in Kobe so this is the closest we will get. The ship does not offer any tours to Kyoto and I did not find a bullet train option. I think the regular train takes about 2 hours so I would prefer to use a private car with a Japanese driver for the day. Is this possible and practical?

As far as I know there is no private driver option like you do in Thailand. You need to hire a taxi for a full day which very expensive. And the driver you hire from Yokkaichi won't be able to show you around in Kyoto because he won't know the area unless he was born and raised there maybe. You need to hire a local Kyoto taxi to take you around Kyoto. Last time I had a 50 minute ride on taxi, it was about 10k yen, which is about $100US. The best way to get there is by going to Nagoya and transfer to a bullet train. If not, does your ship stop in Osaka? That one is even closer to Kyoto than Kobe.

Also how many hours do you have in Yakkaichi? And what do you want to see in Kyoto?

Btw Yokkaichi station has a train to Nagoya.

The train from Yokkaichi to Nagoya takes about 30 minutes.

Nagoya to Kyoto via Shinkansen (bullet train) also takes about 30 minutes.

Both trains run very often.

To correct a bit of mis-information, the prefix "Shin" in front of a train station name does NOT mean that it is a bullet train (Shinkansen) station. There are hundreds of train stations in Japan with the prefix "Shin" that are NOT Shinkansen stations.

"Shin" in Japanese " 新 " just means "new".

Shinkansen 新韓線　translates to "new trunk line".

Coincidentally, many Shinkansen stations are relatively new, and have that prefix name: e.g. Shin Yokohama 新横浜, Shin Osaka　新*********阪, Shin Kobe　新小部.

But there are many more "New" Stations in Japan that do NOT service bullet trains.

And there are many more stations servicing bullet trains that do NOT have Shin as a prefix; e.g. Tokyo, Ueno, Shinagawa, Nagoya, Kyoto.

We are in Yokkaichi from 9 AM to 6 PM but we also have to deal with immigration since the previous port was Busan, SK. Maybe there is not enough time for a practical Kyoto visit (The ship is not offering any tours to Kyoto that day). There is certainly more to see in Kyoto than we have time to see but it may be our one and only opportunity so I was hoping to see a few of the more famous sites. Catching the bullet train in Nagoya sounds like the best option so I guess we'll focus on a few sites closer to the station in Kyoto to maximize our limited time. Thanks for all your help!

One more question. Is it possible to leave the ship in Yokkaichi and rejoin it the next day in Yokohama? If so, this would allow us to spend more time in Kyoto and then take the bullet train to Tokyo later the next day.

I tried to post the info for the train timetable from the website www.hyperdia.com which I use for all my Japan travels. It seems the fastest is 82 minutes Yokkaichi to Kyoto.

The only way I could see it working for you would be to get a taxi from ship to Yokkaichi station then train to Kyoto station. Pre arrange a goodwill guide to meet you at the Kyoto station, jump in a taxi and have the goodwill guide take you around for as long as you can. I suspect you wont arrive into Kyoto station much before midday and would have to leave by 3 to be sure of getting the ship. You would only get a bit of a drive around and also perhaps get to visit the golden pavillion. Is it worth the cost and stress to see Kyoto? mmmmm maybe not but I do absolutely love kyoto. I look at a cruise being a taster of places, it tempts me to return and do more indepth travels of those places I like. We have done 2 cruises around Japan and both times followed the cruise with 2 weeks of land travel, arranged myself with the assistance of goodwill guides in Tokyo and Kyoto when pushed for time. If you think you might return to Japan I would leave Kyoto til next time but if its your one and only ever time in Japan then yes it is doable only just. The goodwill guides speak average to very good english so can give you information while in the taxi.

Take time: 82 Minutes Transfer: 1 Times Distance: 184.8 km

Total:¥ 7,080

Have a play with hyperdia.com and it gives you all the info you need re times, cost, platform numbers etc.

rogernel,

Leaving the ship and rejoining it in a different port needs to be arranged with the cruise line before the cruise.

One more question. Is it possible to leave the ship in Yokkaichi and rejoin it the next day in Yokohama? If so, this would allow us to spend more time in Kyoto and then take the bullet train to Tokyo later the next day.

What you ask is possible, but takes some work on your part - and some extra work from the ship.

When a cruise ship is in a foreign port, a temporary blanket visitor visa is issued for all passengers on the ship. That visa is valid as long as the ship remains in port.

As soon as the ship departs, the visa expires. Anyone left behind is illegally in the country.

In order for you to legally stay behind when the ship departs, you must visit Japanese Immigration Officials in that port and explain what you plan to do.

Then they will issue you a regular tourist visa allowing you to remain legally ashore.

If you plan to rejoin the ship in Yokohama - even for a few minutes to retrieve your bags - you are technically leaving Japan again, and must go through additional Immigration procedures there. If you are rejoining the ship in Yokohama (but only for a few minutes or hours) it may be possible for the cruise line and Port Agent to issue you a visitors pass that does not require visiting Immigration.

Thanks again. Since our arrival in Yokkaichi follows our visit to Busan, SK, it is my understanding that everyone on the ship must go through immigration (on the ship) anyway. Do you think they would process our tourist visa at this time or will they insist on doing that at their regular office on shore. Going through immigration again when we return to the ship should not be a problem.

Thanks again. Since our arrival in Yokkaichi follows our visit to Busan, SK, it is my understanding that everyone on the ship must go through immigration (on the ship) anyway. Do you think they would process our tourist visa at this time or will they insist on doing that at their regular office on shore. Going through immigration again when we return to the ship should not be a problem.

It may help if you have a better understanding of how immigration really works when a foreign ship visits Japan.

Internationally, when a foreign flag ship visits any country:

When the passengers or crew board the ship they are leaving one country and (temporarily) visiting another (the country whose flag is on the stern of the ship).

Whenever the passengers or crew go ashore from that ship, they are legally leaving one country and entering another.

Technically, whenever passengers or crew go ashore, they should go through local immigration. Whenever they re-board the ship, they should go through immigration again.

With today's technology, many governments have simplified the process, allowing passenger and crew manifests emailed ahead by the ship to act as valid lists of those who should automatically receive blanket visitor visas that are connected to the ship's visit.

In most countries, when the ship departs, updated manifests sent to local immigration officials promises that all the passengers and crew who received temporary visitor visas are onboard and leaving the country. The local immigration officials accept this as fact, cancelling all the temporary visas that were attached to the ship's visit.

In most countries, if a foreign flag ship is transporting passengers and crew between two national ports, the ship emails updated manifests to the next port. Immigration officials can compare the old and new manifests, ensuring that all previous passengers and crew are accounted for, and no new passengers or crew have joined the ship without going through immigration formalities.

Japan usually will not accept these shortcuts. Japanese officials do not necessarily trust foreign flag cruise operators, and usually insist on visually confirming the movement of all passengers and crew onto and off of any cruise ship visiting any Japanese port.

In nearly every case (but not always) anytime a foreign ship (and sometimes even Japanese ships) visits any Japanese port - regardless of the previous or next scheduled port - EVERY passenger and Crewmember (even Japanese) must go through face to face immigration procedures when exiting or entering the ship.

Other than Japanese inconsistency in applying these procedures, the only other way that someone can board a foreign cruise ship in a Japanese port is as a temporary visitor.

To do this, the port agent and Ship's Captain must both submit request letters (in Japanese) to Japanese Immigration Officials, well in advance, promising to ensure that the visitor leaves the ship before it departs the port.

Approval of these visitor requests can take a few hours, a few days, a few weeks - or never.

Thanks for letting me know that advance preparations are required. I called Princes yesterday and they completed a "Deviation of Route' form for us. They said it would take a few days to process but did not expect any problems. They also said that US citizens do not require any additional visas for this to happen.