Snow-capped Mount Daisen above the surf and sand of Yumigahama beach, Sakaiminato

Your ship · your port · your hours

Where does Le Soléal dock in Sakaiminato?

In port Mon, 3 May 2027, 12:00–19:30 (7.5 h in port). 2 calls listed in all, below.

The short answer

The port has not published Le Soléal's berth in Sakaiminato for 3 May.

In portMon, 3 May 202712:00–19:30 (7.5 h in port)All 2 listed calls →Be back by18:00at the gangway, an hour before all-aboardWhat fits before then →Usable hoursabout 5.5 h12:30–18:00What fits in 5.5 h →

Sakaiminato in one glance

Cut to the 3 May call

What fits your 5.5 hours

On your own · the day that fits

The Adachi excursion

about 5h · Long calls

Follow this route 6 stops, the clock and the map ↓

Also fits this call: The yokai road (about 2.5h) · Road + market feast (about 4h)

The gravel and pine garden of the Adachi Museum of Art under a blue sky

A pond garden with red maples at the Adachi Museum of Art

Fits your 3 May call · with a guide · SakaiminatoSakaiminato Semi Private Tour for Cruise PassengersShared car · per personNew listing · 4 reviewsUS$220 each · US$440 for twoMeets at the pierneeds a 7-hour callfits 92% of calls hereFree cancellation 24h aheadOpen on your date, 3 May · checked 14 NovWhy we would book it, and the clock

Off the ship and back

The berth, the way into town and back in Sakaiminato

Ships here normally use Sakai Yumeminato Terminal.

The port has not published Le Soléal's berth in Sakaiminato for 3 May; ships here normally use Sakai Yumeminato Terminal (nearly all ships, 6 km by road from town) — Showa quays for small expedition ships only.

In more detailEvery call, the berth, what fits and why

The port has not published Le Soléal's berth for 3 May — ships here normally use Sakai Yumeminato Terminal (nearly all ships, 6 km by road from town) — Showa quays for small expedition ships only. Check the daily programme the evening before.
2 calls: 3 May 12:00–19:30 (7.5 h in port) · 6 Oct 07:00–13:00 (6 h in port). Off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, all-aboard 30 minutes before departure, back at the gangway an hour before that: about 5.5 hours to use on 3 May.
3 of the port's timed days fit this call, and 1 guided day does, shared cars first.
Schedule note: From Ponant’s own itinerary page (read 14 Nov 2026); the port has not listed this call or its berth yet.
Also on the cruise line’s itinerary: 14 Apr, 16 Apr, 30 Apr, 22 Oct — neither the line nor the port has published times.
Your 6 Oct call (07:00–13:00) leaves about 4 usable hours; The Adachi excursion does not fit that day.

Days that fit Le Soléal’s call

5.5 hours ashore: the days that fit

Cut to the 3 May call. The half hour to get off and the hour before all-aboard are already kept free.

Rainy-day plan

Swipe sideways for the other days →

Needs a 4.5-hour callabout 2.5hwalkhistory

The yokai road

For those who want one street done well: one ride in, one ride back, all on foot between.

0:00Taxi to Sakaiminato Station (~15 min), or bus 41
0:40Mizuki Shigeru Museum
1:40Eyeball-daddy sweets in the shops on the Road
2:00Walk the road back, spotting missed statues
+ 1 more stop on the full route

Taxi about ¥2,300 each way from the Yumeminato Terminal (estimate), or about ¥250 pp by bus 41; a ship shuttle only if your line runs one

Open in Google Maps, in 3 parts

Follow this route Guided versionSakaiminato Private Vehicle Service with Restaurant ReservationOnly if you want a private car all day: non-refundable and unreviewed. The statues and museum are on foot from the station. · from US$269

Needs a 6-hour callabout 4hwalkfood

Road and market feast

For those who want yokai first, then Japan's biggest crab port at lunch.

0:00Mizuki Road + museum (the short plan’s core)
1:45Taxi to the Direct-Sales Center (~10 min) — closed Tuesdays
2:00Crab: buy one boiled that morning
3:00Kani-don or nodoguro at the food hall
+ 1 more stop on the full route

Costs about ¥4,900 per car by taxi (terminal to station ~¥2,300, road to market ~¥900, market back to the terminal ~¥1,700; tariff estimates), or about ¥250 pp by bus 41 into town

Open in Google Maps, in 3 parts

Follow this route Guided versionSakaiminato Private Vehicle Service with Restaurant ReservationOnly if you want a private car all day: non-refundable and unreviewed. A taxi covers the museum-to-market hop. · from US$269

Adachi Museum of Art Garden, Sakaiminato

Needs a 7-hour callabout 5hviewshistory

Gardens and the lake castle

For long calls who want Japan's best garden and an original castle keep.

0:00Meet the guide at the Yumeminato terminal and drive to Matsue Castle
0:40Matsue Castle, about an hour
1:40Drive to the Adachi Museum (~40 min)
2:20Adachi gardens, about 1 h 50 min — framed like paintings, viewed from within
+ 2 more stops on the full route

Covered by the tour (from US$220 pp, both entry tickets included)

Open in Google Maps, in 3 parts

Follow this route Guided versionSakaiminato Semi Private Tour for Cruise PassengersSame two stops with a driver, no time lost between towns. · from US$220

Your 3 May call on one page

Le Soléal in Sakaiminato: the day sheet

Mon, 3 May 2027, 12:00–19:30 (7.5 h in port). Off the ship from 12:30, back at the gangway by 18:00. Print it or save it before you lose the ship's Wi-Fi.

First Japanese port: immigration on the day

Le Soléal arrives from Busan, so Sakaiminato is where you enter Japan

Japan checks every foreign passenger in person at the first Japanese port, before anyone goes ashore: a passport check and fingerprints. No official time is published for it, so plan the start of the day around the queue.

Before any tourLeave the first hours freeThe only official figure is from Hakata in 2015: ships of 1,000+ passengers took about 85 minutes once the cruise permit was in use. If you book a guide, say this is your ship’s first Japanese port and agree a start time with margin.

Landing permitCarry it ashore all dayForeign passengers on approved ships usually enter on a Cruise Landing Permission (船舶観光上陸許可) and receive a landing permit. The law requires holders to carry it at all times instead of the passport; passengers landed normally carry their passport.

CustomsLeave fruit and meat on boardMost fruit, vegetables and meat products may not be brought into Japan; the penalty can be up to three years’ imprisonment or a ¥3 million fine. Declaration forms are given out on board: follow your cruise line’s instructions.

Sources: Immigration Services Agency of Japan (Immigration Control Act, Art. 14-2 and 23), Japan Customs, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Checked 25 October 2026. Our guide to the first Japanese port

At the pier, before you set off

The terminalWaiting hall, free Wi-Fi, vending machines, three loan wheelchairs and observation decks; open 9:00–18:00 and on every ship day. No ATM.

Cash and ATMsNo cash machine within 1.2 km of the terminal. In town, a 24-hour Lawson stands 240 m from Sakaiminato Station; post offices open weekdays only.

Wi-Fi and dataFree Wi-Fi in the terminal hall.

Steps and slopesThree loan wheelchairs at the terminal entrance. The 800 m Mizuki Shigeru Road is a town street; Matsue Castle's keep is reached by steep stairs.

Weather ashore · a usual May day in Sakaiminato

23° / 14°C74° / 56°F

Rain on about 9 days in 30 — the rain-day plan if the day turns wet

A layer for the evening

The forecast for Mon 3 May appears here from Tue 27 Apr.

Normals 1991–2020: Japan Meteorological Agency, Sakai station · The official figures →

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Every Le Soléal call at Sakaiminato

2 calls listed, May 2027–Oct 2027. The pattern, and the plan for each kind of day

Arrivals run 07:00–12:00 and departures 13:00–19:30: check your own date in the table before choosing a day.

Mon 3 May202712:00–19:30~5.5 h—Half day

Wed 6 Oct202707:00–13:00~4 h—Short

Sat 11 Apr2026 · past06:30–13:30~5 hShowa North QuayHalf day

Tue 14 Apr2026 · past12:15–19:00~4.5 hShowa North QuayShort

Tue 28 Apr2026 · past06:30–12:45~4 hShowa North QuayShort

Thu 30 Apr2026 · past12:15–19:00~4.5 hShowa North QuayShort

Add all 2 calls to your calendar

Usable hours follow the one rule: off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, all-aboard 30 minutes before departure, back at the gangway an hour before that. Overnight calls count the longest stretch ashore between 08:00 and 21:00 (the night is not touring time). Dates and times from the cruise line’s published itinerary; the port has not listed these calls yet; the daily programme has the final word.

The half day · 1 call

Mon 3 May

12:00–19:30 · about 5.5 usable hours · gangway by 18:00

About 5.5 usable hours, back at the gangway by 18:00: one district or one sight with lunch, or a half-day guided tour that starts at the pier.

The guided day for these callsSakaiminato Semi Private Tour for Cruise PassengersShared car · per personfrom US$220 per person · max 15 · fits 1 of 1 half-day call · open on 1 of the 1 checkedWhy it is here, and the clock

The short day · 1 call

Wed 6 Oct

07:00–13:00 · about 4 usable hours · gangway by 11:30

About 4 usable hours, back at the gangway by 11:30: stay within a short taxi ride of the berth, one place done properly, and skip anything that needs a coach.

No guided day on this site fits these calls and is open on them; the timed plans below are the day.

Tour opening days from the operators' live schedules on Viator, checked 14 Nov; a date can close as seats sell.