Port of Japan is written and run by Takumi Yamada — a Japanese traveler based in Shizuoka who has made the rounds of these ports, and who spends an unreasonable number of weekends on Japan's coasts, rivers and mountains. The site grew out ofPort of Fuji, our deep guide to Shimizu, after one question kept arriving from cruise passengers: "this is great — but what about the rest of our ports?"

Here is the belief the whole site runs on: your hours ashore are precious.Most passengers get one day — sometimes just an afternoon — in each place. We want every one of those hours spent enjoying Japan's culture, food and regional character, not deciphering shuttle timetables or second-guessing a tour brochure. The ports of Japan are gloriously different from each other — a volcano commute in Kagoshima, glowing festival floats in Aomori, a shogun's tuna town under Mt. Fuji — and our job is to hand you each one at its best, sized to the hours you actually have.

The rules that keep it honest

The 60-minute rule. Every plan is built backwards from your all-aboard time with a full hour in reserve. Walk-it verdicts. Tours are how this site earns, and we still tell you when a port doesn't need one. Verified facts.Numbers come from what we've measured on the ground or from official sources — and each page says which. Credited photos, no ads. Every image names its photographer; there are no display ads, pop-ups or countdown timers here, and never will be.

Corrections and questions are welcome — a port changes, we'd rather know:takumi.yamada@monogatari-inc.com