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Kaikyokan aquarium, Shimonoseki

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When it rains · Shimonoseki

Aquarium, the market hall and Kaikyo Yume Tower

A wet day at Arcaport: two roofed sights and a covered market. From Choshu Dejima, taxi to the aquarium and from the tower back to the ship. Timed from the gangway and back.

4 hr 30 min door to door7 stopsA wet dayStarts from Arcaport
Open the route in Google Maps, in 2 parts
Photo: At by At / CC BY-SA 3.0
Door to door
4 hr 30 min
From the gangway and back
Best for
A wet day
Room to spare
None
What it costs
¥260 for the first fare
Booking
None found
Check each place’s own page before you sail
Best for
A wet day at Arcaport: two roofed sights and a covered market. From Choshu Dejima, taxi to the aquarium and from the tower back to the ship
Room to spare
Fits a 6.5-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.
What it costs
Sanden bus Karato → JR Shimonoseki ¥260; taxi back about ¥1,100 (our estimate). Kaikyokan ¥2,500, Yume Tower ¥750.

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

Numbers follow the route below. Pins are the places themselves; walking lines are not drawn because the best way between two stops can change with the tram, the tide or the weather.

Open in Google Maps, in 2 parts

  1. 1Your ship → Kaikyokan aquarium → Karato Marketon foot
  2. 2Karato Market → Kaikyo Yume Tower → Your shipon foot

Google Maps on a phone takes three stops between start and end, and none on a train or bus route, so the day opens in parts. Each step below also has its own directions.

The route

How the day runs

Times are from the moment you step off, not from the scheduled arrival. Everything shifts if your ship is late; the order does not.

  1. +0:00
    Kaikyokan aquarium, next to the berth

    Opens 09:30; last entry 17:00. Renewed in 2025 with the fugu area and the sea-lion beach

    What you will see hereDirections from the ship (on foot)
    Kaikyokan aquarium, Shimonoseki
    Photo: At by At / CC BY-SA 3.0
  2. +2:00
    Walk to Karato Market (about 0.7 km along the water, our estimate)
  3. +2:15
    Lunch in the market hall or at Kamon Wharf

    Sushi stalls Fri–Sun and holidays only; the market closes on most Wednesdays

    Directions from the previous stop (on foot)Full guide: Karato Market
    Sushi stalls at Karato Market, Shimonoseki
    Photo: Rick888chen / CC BY-SA 4.0
  4. +3:00
    Sanden bus from Karato to JR Shimonoseki, about 10 min, ¥260

    Then 9 min on foot to the tower, or 1 min by bus to Buzenda and 5 min on foot

  5. +3:20
    Kaikyo Yume Tower, observation floor at 143 m

    09:30–21:30, ¥750; a view in cloud is not guaranteed

    What you will see hereDirections from the previous stop (on foot)
    Kaikyo Yume Tower, Shimonoseki
    Photo: ハポニアラ / CC BY 4.0
  6. +4:10
    Taxi from the station area to Arcaport (2.1 km, about 5 min, about ¥1,100, our estimate)

    Taxi stands at JR Shimonoseki east and west exits

  7. +4:20
    Back at the gangway
The margin is not optional. This route ends an hour before all-aboard on purpose. If you are running late, drop the last stop, not the hour.
What the day looks like

Shimonoseki, along this route

Real photographs of the places above and the streets between them. Every one is credited.

Karato Market, Shimonoseki
Karato MarketPhoto: 663highland / CC BY 2.5
Other routes

The other routes in Shimonoseki

Sushi stalls at Karato Market, ShimonosekiArcaport on foot: Karato Market and Akama JinguNeeds a 4.5-hour call · ~2.5hShort calls at Arcaport, best on a Friday, weekend or holiday when the sushi stalls run. From Choshu Dejima add a taxi each way, about 20 minSushi stalls at Karato Market, ShimonosekiUnder the strait to Kyushu, back by ferryNeeds a 6.5-hour call · ~4.5hArcaport calls of 6 hours or more, any day of the week. From Choshu Dejima take a taxi to Akama Jingu first, about ¥3,900 (our estimate)Akama Jingu, ShimonosekiThe whole strait from Choshu DejimaNeeds an 8.5-hour call · ~6.25hBig ships at Choshu Dejima on an 08:00–17:00 call such as Norwegian Jade’s. Times assume off the ship at 08:30 and back by 15:30, an hour before a 16:30 all-aboard
Pick your own stops instead →Back to the Shimonoseki guide
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