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Udo Jingu’s vermilion hall at the foot of the cliffs, with the stairway down to the sea and surf on the rocks

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Plan your day · Aburatsu

How long are you ashore in Aburatsu?

Pick your hours and get a finished day, every step timed from the gangway and back.

Photo: ja:User:Sanjo / CC BY-SA 3.0
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PORT OF JAPAN — Port Day Sheet
Aburatsu

Shore plans, timed from official timetables and our estimates · port-of-japan.com/aburatsu/ · Checked

Finished days

Your day in Aburatsu, hour by hour

Pick the one that fits your call. Times count from the moment you step off, and every plan is back on board an hour before all-aboard.

The Horikawa Canal and its bridges, Aburatsu
Photo: mari / CC BY 2.0
For a 5-hour call or longer · 2 hr 45 min door to door

Aburatsu town: the canal, the Carp station and katsuo

Short calls and late arrivals; lunch needs 11:00 or later. Bibinya is closed on Mondays, at the end of the month on Tuesdays too, and on 23 and 30 March 2027

Fits a 5-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

  1. +0:00
    Taxi from the quay to Horikawa Bridge (2.6 km by road, about ¥1,200, our estimate)

    A rank at the quay is not confirmed: ask the ship to book one

  2. +0:10
    Horikawa Bridge (1903) and a walk up the canal to the roofed Yumemi Bridge

    Free, open all the time

  3. +0:50
    Aburatsu Akarenga-kan, the 1922 brick warehouse

    Weekdays 10:00–17:00, weekends and holidays 09:00–17:00; free

  4. +1:10
    Walk to JR Aburatsu Station, painted Carp red (about 10 min, our estimate)
  5. +1:25
    Walk to Bibinya in the fishing port for katsuo aburi-ju (about 15 min, our estimate)

    11:00–15:00; closed Mondays, and Monday and Tuesday at the end of the month. On those days eat in the shopping street. In winter the dish may not be served

  6. +2:30
    Taxi from Bibinya back to the quay (2.6 km, about ¥1,200, our estimate)

    Ask the restaurant to call one

  7. +2:45
    Back at the gangway

Running late? Before 11:00? Restaurants are shut: do the canal and the station, and take the Tourist Center’s e-bike (¥2,000 a day, 08:30–17:00) out to Lion Rock at Umegahama instead of lunch.

Transport spend: two taxis, about ¥1,200 each way (our estimate). The brick warehouse is free; katsuo aburi-ju is ¥1,700 a box. Full route, map and photos

Obi castle town, Aburatsu
Photo: z tanuki / CC BY 3.0
For a 6-hour call or longer · 4 hr door to door

Obi castle town by taxi

Calls of 6 hours or more. With the train instead, leave JR Aburatsu at 08:53 or 10:59 and come back on the 13:14 or 15:00 from Obi. The houses are open 09:30–17:00, last entry 16:30

Fits a 6-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

  1. +0:00
    Taxi from the quay to the Obi tourist car park by the Otemon gate (12 km, about 20 min, about ¥4,500, our estimate)

    Agree a pickup time with the driver: no rank in Obi is confirmed

  2. +0:25
    Buy the Ayumi-chan food-walk ticket at the car park ticket office

    ¥1,600 adult with all six houses; ¥1,000 with two houses

  3. +0:35
    Otemon gate, the cedar grove on the old keep site, Matsuo-no-maru and the castle history museum

    Castle grounds free

  4. +1:45
    Yoshokan, the lord’s residence and its garden, then the samurai lanes
  5. +2:30
    Obi-ten and lunch at Obiten Kura by the gate, or snacks on the food vouchers

    Obiten Kura 09:00–17:00, last order 16:00; its Hana set is booked the day before

  6. +3:30
    Taxi back to the quay (about 20 min)
  7. +3:55
    Back at the gangway

Running late? Skip Yoshokan. The taxi back is the fixed cost: leave Obi by the time you agreed with the driver.

Transport spend: two taxis, about ¥4,500 each way (our estimate). Six houses ¥800 on the combined ticket, or ¥1,600 with five food vouchers. Full route, map and photos

Udo Jingu, the shrine in a sea cave, Aburatsu
Photo: MaedaAkihiko / CC BY-SA 4.0
For an 8.5-hour call or longer · 6 hr 15 min door to door

Udo Jingu, the moai and Obi in one taxi day

An 08:00–17:00 call on any day but Wednesday (Sun Messe closes). Times assume off the ship at 08:30 and back by 15:30, an hour before a 16:30 all-aboard

Fits an 8.5-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

The moai of Sun Messe Nichinan, Aburatsu
Sun Messe Nichinan, the seven moaiPhoto: Cukieiris / CC0
Obi castle town, Aburatsu
Obi castle townPhoto: z tanuki / CC BY 3.0
  1. +0:00
    Taxi by the hour from the quay to the Udo Jingu tourist car park (about 25 min)

    Book the day before through a Nichinan taxi firm: Nanko 0987-23-5131, Miyako Taxi 0987-23-4141

  2. +0:25
    Walk down to the main hall, about 20 min

    The near car parks are closed by a road collapse

  3. +0:45
    Udo Jingu: the hall in the cave and the luck stones

    Gates 06:00–18:00, free

  4. +1:45
    Walk back up to the car park, about 20 min
  5. +2:05
    Sun Messe Nichinan, the seven moai (about 4 km, about 10 min)

    09:30–17:00, adult ¥1,000; closed Wednesdays

  6. +3:15
    Drive inland to Obi (about 20 km, 30 min)
  7. +3:45
    Obi castle town: lunch with obi-ten, the Otemon gate and Yoshokan

    Combined ticket ¥800

  8. +5:45
    Drive back to the quay (12 km, about 20–25 min)
  9. +6:10
    Back at the gangway (about 14:40)

    About 50 minutes ahead of the 15:30 target

Running late? Behind by noon? Drop Sun Messe or cut Obi to the gate and lunch. The driver is the clock: tell them the gangway time when you set off.

Transport spend: a taxi by the hour, ¥2,780 per 30 min on the time tariff, about ¥34,700 for the day (our estimate, for up to four). Sun Messe ¥1,000; Obi houses ¥800. Full route, map and photos

Obi castle town, Aburatsu
Photo: z tanuki / CC BY 3.0
Rainy day · 4 hr door to door

A wet day in Obi: museums, houses and obi-ten

A wet day: the history museum, the Komura Memorial Hall and the old houses are under a roof, and the lanes are short

Fits a 6-hour stop with nothing to add (off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, back at the gangway an hour before all-aboard). A longer call gives you the extra time; on this one, do not add a stop.

  1. +0:00
    Taxi from the quay to Obi (about 20 min, about ¥4,500, our estimate)
  2. +0:25
    Obi Castle History Museum: armour, swords and a projection of the town

    Combined ticket ¥800

  3. +1:05
    Komura Jutaro Memorial Hall, on the diplomat who signed the 1905 Portsmouth treaty

    Renewed in 2022

  4. +1:45
    Yoshokan and the merchant house museum
  5. +2:30
    Lunch at Obiten Kura
  6. +3:30
    Taxi back to the quay
  7. +3:55
    Back at the gangway

Running late? Short of time? Stay in Aburatsu: the 1922 brick warehouse by the canal is free and indoors, and the Tourist Center is 5 minutes away.

Transport spend: two taxis, about ¥4,500 each way (our estimate). Combined ticket for the six houses ¥800. Full route, map and photos

What you can do

What fits your hours in Aburatsu

Everything here is a round trip from the gangway. The half hour to get off and the hour before all-aboard are already set aside. Tap what you want.

Udo Jingu, the shrine in a sea cave, AburatsuSee · 3h round trip

Udo Jingu, the shrine in a sea cave

A vermilion main hall built inside a sea cave at the tip of Cape Udo, with the Pacific breaking on the rocks below. From the terrace you throw clay luck stones at a turtle-shaped rock, men with the left hand and women with the right. Gates 06:00–18:00, grounds free. The road to the two near car parks has collapsed, so allow about 20 minutes on foot from the tourist car park.

~3hSee the detail
Obi castle town, AburatsuSee · 3h 30m round trip

Obi castle town

The Ito lords ruled from Obi for 280 years, and the town has been a preserved district since 1977: the rebuilt Otemon gate, mossy stone walls, a cedar grove where the keep stood, and samurai lanes. The grounds are free. Six old houses and museums, 09:30–17:00 (last entry 16:30, closed 29–31 December), cost ¥300 each or ¥800 together; the food-walk ticket at ¥1,600 adds five vouchers for local snacks.

~3.5hSee the detail
The moai of Sun Messe Nichinan, AburatsuSee · 3h round trip

The moai of Sun Messe Nichinan

Seven full-size moai stand on a lawn above the Pacific, made with the permission of the Rapa Nui elders after a Japanese team re-erected the fallen moai of Ahu Tongariki in the 1990s. 09:30–17:00, last entry 16:30; adult ¥1,000. Closed on Wednesdays except public holidays, and on a few other days on its calendar.

~3hSee the detail
The Horikawa Canal and its bridges, AburatsuSee · 2h round trip

The Horikawa Canal and its bridges

The Obi domain dug this canal in 1683–86 to float its cedar to the port. A stone arch of 1903, Horikawa Bridge, still crosses it, and the roofed Yumemi Bridge of Obi cedar, built without nails in 2007, stands upstream. The 1922 brick warehouse beside it, Aburatsu Akarenga-kan, is free to look round.

~2hSee the detail
Katsuo aburi-ju, AburatsuEat · 2h round trip

Katsuo aburi-ju

Nichinan’s own dish: line-caught bonito marinated two ways, seared at your table over a small charcoal brazier and eaten on rice from a lacquer box. Nine restaurants serve it to a shared standard, ¥1,700 a box; in the low-catch season, winter above all, it may not be served. Bibinya, facing the fishing co-op, opens 11:00–15:00 and closes on Mondays, and on Monday and Tuesday at the end of the month (so on Tuesday 30 March 2027, and on 23 March 2027 after the Monday holiday).

~2hSee the detail
Eat · 3h 30m round trip

Obi-ten and the food-walk ticket

Obi-ten is the town’s fried fish cake, made with tofu, brown sugar and miso, so it tastes faintly sweet. Obiten Kura by the Otemon gate fries it in front of you and serves set meals. Obiten Kura is open 09:00–17:00 (last order 16:00). The Ayumi-chan food-walk ticket, ¥1,000 or ¥1,600 with the houses, swaps five vouchers for obi-ten, thick sweet omelette and other snacks along the lanes.

~3.5hSee the detail
Aburatsu Station in Carp red, AburatsuSee · 2h round trip

Aburatsu Station in Carp red

Nichinan has hosted the Hiroshima Carp baseball team’s camp at Tenpuku Stadium since 1963, and the town painted its station in the team’s red. It is a short stop on the way to the canal or the train to Obi: the Aburatsu shopping street and the 1922 brick warehouse are a few minutes away on foot.

~2hSee the detail
Chicken nanban, AburatsuEat · 2h round trip

Chicken nanban

Miyazaki’s own fried chicken: battered, dipped in sweet vinegar and topped with tartare sauce. Horikawa Restaurant Tomura, a few minutes from the canal, serves a chicken nanban set for ¥1,350 and Miyazaki wagyu at lunch, 11:00–14:00. It closes on Tuesdays, which rules out most 2027 calls; on those days have lunch in Obi instead.

~2hSee the detail
Aoshima and the Devil’s Washboard, AburatsuSee · 5h 30m round trip

Aoshima and the Devil’s Washboard

A small island of subtropical trees joined to the shore by a causeway, with a shrine in the middle and flat rock ridges, the “Devil’s Washboard”, running out into the sea around it. The coastal train from Aburatsu takes about 55 minutes and runs rarely: it fits a ship in by about 08:00, or by 10:00 on a call that sails at 17:00 or later. The 08:53 out and the 12:32 back give about 2 h 50 min on the island.

~5.5hSee the detail
The wild horses of Cape Toi, AburatsuSee · 5h round trip

The wild horses of Cape Toi

Misaki horses, a native breed, graze freely on the grassy headland of Cape Toi above the Pacific. It is the long drive of this port and only works by taxi or a ship’s tour on a call of seven hours or more. Entry and parking charges on the cape are not confirmed in our sources; ask the driver.

~5hSee the detail

Round trips are counted from the gangway and include getting back. Two stops in the same direction overlap, so a real day usually comes in under the total you see, never over it.

Every ride from this berth

Getting around Aburatsu

Every port
TAXI

Aburatsu town and JR Aburatsu Station by taxi

Taxi on the Miyazaki tariff from 1 Feb 2026: ¥600 for 1.0 km, then ¥100 per 285 m · JR Aburatsu about ¥1,600, Horikawa Canal about ¥1,200, Tourist Center about ¥1,400 — our estimatesBy phone; no shuttle published for the ships on the list
How to get there
  1. Taxi to JR Aburatsu Station, 3.6 km, about 5 min (JTA), or to the Horikawa Canal, 2.6 km. A rank at the quay is not confirmed: ask the ship to book one or phone a firm
  2. The Nichinan City Tourist Center (Sonoda 2-1-1, Nichinan Techno Center 1F) is 400 m from JR Aburatsu Station and the canal; it hires e-bikes, ¥2,000 a day, 08:30–17:00
  3. Shuttle: none of the lines on the 2026–27 list publishes one for Aburatsu. Holland America sells an “Aburatsu Shuttle Bus” to the Tourist Center, but no Holland America ship is on the list; ask your ship. On foot the station is 3.4 km, about 45 min, if the port lets you walk out of the cargo area

JTA gives JR Aburatsu as about 5 minutes by car from the quay. A taxi rank at the quay on cruise days is not confirmed; taxi firms: Nanko 0987-23-5131, Miyazaki Daiichi Kotsu 0987-23-1221, Miyako Taxi 0987-23-4141.

Today's times in Google Maps
TAXI

Udo Jingu and Sun Messe Nichinan

About ¥5,200 to Udo Jingu, ¥6,200 to Sun Messe each way (our estimates, no waiting) · by the hour ¥2,780 per 30 min on the time tariffFree-flow; no rank at either sight is confirmed
How to get there
  1. Taxi north on Route 220, 14 km, about 20 min to Udo Jingu (Nichinan tourism gives 20 min by car from JR Aburatsu)
  2. The road to car parks 1 and 2 has collapsed: drivers use the tourist car park, about 20 min on foot from the main hall
  3. Sun Messe Nichinan is about 4 km further, about 6 min; back to the quay 17 km

Keep the taxi, or agree a pickup time: there is no rank we can confirm at Udo Jingu or Sun Messe. Miyazaki Kotsu bus from 油津待合所 in Aburatsu: 08:10, 10:40, 12:40 (weekdays), 15:05, 16:10, about 25 min, ¥740; back from Udo Jingu 11:07, 12:37, 14:57, 16:47 (16:47 weekdays only; timetable of 1 Oct 2026); Sun Messe ¥830, about 5 min beyond Udo. The bus stop at Udo Jingu is about 10 min on foot from the hall.

Today's times in Google Maps
TRAIN

Obi castle town by JR

¥270 each way (cash ticket) · rental bicycle at JR Obi ¥500 a day, 07:30–17:30Roughly every 1–4 hours; same times on weekdays and weekends (JR Kyushu timetable as of November 2026; JR revises it each March)No Suica — coins
How to get there
  1. Taxi to JR Aburatsu Station
  2. JR Nichinan Line to Obi, 9 min: 08:53, 10:59, then 14:50
  3. Obi Station to the Otemon gate about 15 min on foot (Nichinan tourism); back from Obi at 09:50, 13:14, 15:00, 16:00

Miss the 10:59 and the next train is 14:50. A taxi from the quay is about ¥4,500 each way (12 km, our estimate) and saves the station transfers.

Today's times in Google Maps
TRAIN

Aoshima by JR

¥870 each wayAburatsu → Aoshima at 07:37, 08:53, 10:59, then 14:50No Suica — coins
How to get there
  1. Taxi to JR Aburatsu Station
  2. JR Nichinan Line north along the coast to Aoshima, about 55 min
  3. Back: Aoshima 12:32 → Aburatsu 13:23, or 14:00 → 15:10

Fits only a ship in by about 08:00, with the 08:53 out (at Aoshima 09:44) and the 12:32 or 14:00 back: about 2 h 50 min on the island with the 12:32. By taxi it is 47 km, about ¥16,900 each way, our estimate.

Today's times in Google Maps
The one rule: be back on board 60 minutes before all-aboard — every day above already banks it. Phones auto-switch to local time, but all-aboard runs on ship time. Check the daily programme's clock, not your lock screen. More to pick from on the Aburatsu guide and the Top 10.

Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada

MY SHIP DAY — fill this in before you walk off
Ship
Date
Docked at (berth)
All-aboard (SHIP time)
My deadline = all-aboard − 60 min
Last shuttle back

Phones auto-switch to local time; all-aboard runs on ship time. Write both if they differ.

GETTING AROUND — the facts that don't change by day (today's times: ship's programme or Google Maps)

Aburatsu town and JR Aburatsu Station by taxi: ① Taxi to JR Aburatsu Station, 3.6 km, about 5 min (JTA), or to the Horikawa Canal, 2.6 km. A rank at the quay is not confirmed: ask the ship to book one or phone a firm ② The Nichinan City Tourist Center (Sonoda 2-1-1, Nichinan Techno Center 1F) is 400 m from JR Aburatsu Station and the canal; it hires e-bikes, ¥2,000 a day, 08:30–17:00 ③ Shuttle: none of the lines on the 2026–27 list publishes one for Aburatsu. Holland America sells an “Aburatsu Shuttle Bus” to the Tourist Center, but no Holland America ship is on the list; ask your ship. On foot the station is 3.4 km, about 45 min, if the port lets you walk out of the cargo area Fare Taxi on the Miyazaki tariff from 1 Feb 2026: ¥600 for 1.0 km, then ¥100 per 285 m · JR Aburatsu about ¥1,600, Horikawa Canal about ¥1,200, Tourist Center about ¥1,400 — our estimates. By phone; no shuttle published for the ships on the list.

Udo Jingu and Sun Messe Nichinan: ① Taxi north on Route 220, 14 km, about 20 min to Udo Jingu (Nichinan tourism gives 20 min by car from JR Aburatsu) ② The road to car parks 1 and 2 has collapsed: drivers use the tourist car park, about 20 min on foot from the main hall ③ Sun Messe Nichinan is about 4 km further, about 6 min; back to the quay 17 km Fare About ¥5,200 to Udo Jingu, ¥6,200 to Sun Messe each way (our estimates, no waiting) · by the hour ¥2,780 per 30 min on the time tariff. Free-flow; no rank at either sight is confirmed.

Obi castle town by JR: ① Taxi to JR Aburatsu Station ② JR Nichinan Line to Obi, 9 min: 08:53, 10:59, then 14:50 ③ Obi Station to the Otemon gate about 15 min on foot (Nichinan tourism); back from Obi at 09:50, 13:14, 15:00, 16:00 Fare ¥270 each way (cash ticket) · rental bicycle at JR Obi ¥500 a day, 07:30–17:30. Roughly every 1–4 hours; same times on weekdays and weekends (JR Kyushu timetable as of November 2026; JR revises it each March).

Aoshima by JR: ① Taxi to JR Aburatsu Station ② JR Nichinan Line north along the coast to Aoshima, about 55 min ③ Back: Aoshima 12:32 → Aburatsu 13:23, or 14:00 → 15:10 Fare ¥870 each way. Aburatsu → Aoshima at 07:37, 08:53, 10:59, then 14:50.

SHOW THIS TO A TAXI DRIVER — 運転手さんへ
Aburatsu Port, East District Quays No.9–10 (cruise ship)油津港 東地区 第9・第10岸壁（クルーズ船）までお願いします
Udo Jingu, the shrine in a sea cave鵜戸神宮
The moai of Sun Messe Nichinanサンメッセ日南
The Horikawa Canal and its bridges堀川運河
Katsuo aburi-ju魚料理びびんや
Obi-ten and the food-walk ticketおび天蔵
Aburatsu Station in Carp red油津駅

Point at a line. Taxis are metered and honest; tipping is not expected in Japan.

The one rule: be back on board 60 minutes before all-aboard — every plan above already banks it. · Free guide: port-of-japan.com/aburatsu/ · By Takumi Yamada, Tokyo, Japan
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