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Glowing Kanto festival lantern poles balanced against the night sky in Akita

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Your ship · your port · your hours

Where does Sapphire Princess dock in Akita?

In port Tue, 13 Apr 2027, 08:00–18:00 (10 h in port). 2 calls listed in all, below.

Photo: FIND/47 / CC BY 4.0

Akita in one glance

Selion Tower, Akita

Selion Tower

A free observation deck at 100 metres, a 10-minute walk from the berth — the Sea of Japan one way, snow mountains the other.about 1h at the port · At the portKanto Festival Center, Akita

Kanto Festival Center

about 3.5h in the city · Bus/taxi to centerKiritanpo hotpot, Akita

Kiritanpo hotpot

Toasted rice sticks simmered in chicken broth with burdock and maitake — Akita’s soul dish, born in hunters’ huts.about 3h · City center
Cut to the 13 Apr call

What fits your 8 hours

Two guests at a cherry-bark craft bench in KakunodateHands shaping cherry bark at the craft benchThree small sweets on a trayFits your 13 Apr call · with a guide · AkitaHalf Day Kakunodate Tour of Crafts Culture and CuisineSmall group5.0★ · 17 reviewsUS$204 each · US$408 for twoTaxi ~60 min from the shipneeds a 10-hour callfits 50% of calls hereNon-refundableOpen on your date, 13 Apr · checked 14 NovWhy we would book it, and the clock
Off the ship and back

The berth, the way into town and back in Akita

Book before you sail

Two more guided days that fit 8 hours

Each takes no more than the 13 Apr call leaves you. Booked through Viator; there is no tour desk at the pier.

Every guided day in Akita
3 Hour Cycling Tour in Kakunodate, AkitaFits your 13 Apr callPrivate5.0★ · 4

3 Hour Cycling Tour in Kakunodate

US$125 each · US$250 for twoStation ticket gate in Kakunodate; confirm with the operatorneeds a 10-hour callfits 50% of calls hereNon-refundableWhy it is hereSword Martial Art Experience in Kakunodate, AkitaFits your 13 Apr callPrivate5.0★ · 4

Sword Martial Art Experience in Kakunodate

US$291 each · US$582 for twoDojo entrance on the main samurai street, Kakunodateneeds a 10-hour callfits 50% of calls hereNon-refundableWhy it is here

Tours are booked through Viator (a Tripadvisor company). If you book, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never decides what we recommend.

On your own

More of Akita within 8 hours

Each one is a round trip from the gangway that fits the usable hours of this call.

All ten, ranked
Senshu Park, Akita

Senshu Park

The castle-site park above downtown — lotus moats, a reconstructed corner turret, and in late April the cherry tunnel Akita waits all winter for.about 3.5h · City center · needs a 5.5-hour callBabahera ice & local sake, Akita

Babahera ice & local sake

Akita sake and local crafts in one shop downtown, in the basement of the Atorion building.about 2h · City center · needs a 4-hour callMagewappa bentwood, Akita

Magewappa bentwood

Cedar bent into featherweight lunchboxes and cups — 400 years of Odate craft that makes rice taste better.about 3h downtown · City center · needs a 5-hour call
Days that fit Sapphire Princess’s call

8 hours ashore: the days that fit

Cut to the 13 Apr 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 →

Selion Tower, Akita

Needs a 4.5-hour callabout 2.5hviewswalk

Tower and port town

For short calls who want everything within sight of the berth.

  1. 0:00Selion Tower — 100m of free views at the port
  2. 0:45Walk into Tsuchizaki port town
  3. 1:30Tsuchizaki Minato History Museum (float on show)
  4. 2:15Walk back to the berth

Free — Selion and the port town are at the berth

Open in Google Maps, in 2 parts

  1. 1Your ship → Selion Tower → Minato Historical Museumon foot
  2. 2Minato Historical Museum → Back to the berth → Your shipon foot
Follow this route
Senshu Park, AkitaKanto Festival Center, AkitaKiritanpo hotpot, Akita

Needs a 7-hour callabout 5hhistoryfood

Castle park and noodle pots

For those who want the castle park, festival poles and a proper local lunch.

  1. 0:00Taxi to central Akita (~25–30 min, about ¥4,500 per car)
  2. 0:30Senshu Park — moats, lotus, the corner turret
  3. 1:45Kanto Festival Center — hoist the practice pole
  4. 2:45Lunch: kiritanpo hotpot or Sato Yosuke inaniwa
  5. + 2 more stops on the full route

Bus ¥550 each way pp, or taxi ~¥4,500 per car each way (estimate); festival center ¥130 (¥370 with Akarenga)

Open in Google Maps, in 4 parts

  1. 1Your ship → Central Akitaby taxi
  2. 2Central Akita → Senshu Park → Kanto Festival Center → Sato Yosuke, inaniwa udon → Akarenga-kan & plazaon foot
  3. 3Akarenga-kan & plaza → Back to the porttrain or bus
  4. 4Back to the port → Back to the shipon foot
Follow this routeGuided versionAkita Private Custom Tour with Local GuideSame Senshu Park with a private guide; the car is extra and the meeting point is not published. · from US$227
Kakunodate samurai town, AkitaKakunodate samurai town, AkitaSamurai town under the cherries, Akita

Needs a 9-hour callabout 7hhistorycrafts

Samurai town under the cherries

For long calls who want a full day among samurai manors and craft shops.

Needs the ship in by 08:00, or the ship in by 09:00 and a sailing at 18:00 or later

  1. 0:00Taxi to Akita Station (~30 min), Komachi to Kakunodate (about 45–50 min, ¥3,070 reserved)
  2. 1:40Samurai district: Aoyagi and Ishiguro manors
  3. 3:00Inaniwa udon lunch in the old town
  4. 4:00Craft shops: cherry-bark tea caddies
  5. + 2 more stops on the full route

Komachi ¥3,070 pp each way (reserved seat), plus taxi ~¥4,500 per car each way between the port and Akita Station

Open in Google Maps, in 5 parts

  1. 1Your ship → Akita Stationby taxi
  2. 2Akita Station → Kakunodate samurai districttrain or bus
  3. 3Kakunodate samurai district → Akita Stationtrain or bus
  4. 4Akita Station → Taxi to the portby taxi
  5. 5Taxi to the port → Back to the shipon foot
Follow this routeGuided versionHalf Day Kakunodate Tour of Crafts Culture and CuisineSame Kakunodate crafts and food with a guide; you still take the Komachi there and back. · from US$204
Your 13 Apr call on one page

Sapphire Princess in Akita: the day sheet

Tue, 13 Apr 2027, 08:00–18:00 (10 h in port). Off the ship from 08:30, back at the gangway by 16:30. Print it or save it before you lose the ship's Wi-Fi.

At the pier, before you set off

The terminalToilets, Wi-Fi and English tourist information at the terminal; a taxi pool for 20 cars; currency exchange and kiosk only on consultation.
Cash and ATMsNo ATM at the terminal. 7-Eleven (1 km) and Tsuchizaki post office (1.1 km, 7:00–23:00 Mon–Sat) ATMs take foreign cards; carry ¥5,000 for taxis.
Wi-Fi and dataFree Wi-Fi at the terminal; the city's Akita-City_WiFi covers Akita Station, Senshu Park, Selion tower and the tourist information centre.
Steps and slopesNo boarding bridge: the gangway is the first obstacle, then 800 m to Selion. Kakunodate's station tourist office lends wheelchairs free.
Weather ashore · a usual April day in Akita
14° / 5°C57° / 41°F

Rain on about 12 days in 30 — the rain-day plan if the day turns wet

A layer for the evening

The forecast for Tue 13 Apr appears here from Wed 7 Apr.

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

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Every Sapphire Princess call at Akita

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

Arrivals run 08:00–09:00 and departures 18:00–23:59: check your own date in the table before choosing a day.

Tue 13 Apr202708:00–18:00~8 h—Full day
Fri 6 Aug202709:00–23:59~13 h—Full day

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 full day · 2 calls

Tue 13 Apr, Fri 6 Aug

08:00 or 09:00 to 18:00 or around midnight · about 8 to 13 usable hours · gangway by 16:30 or 22:30

About 8–13 usable hours, back at the gangway by 16:30 or 22:30: the port's full timed day fits, and so does a guided day that returns in time.

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

Quick answers

Sapphire Princess at Akita

Where does Sapphire Princess dock in Akita?

The port has not published Sapphire Princess's berth in Akita for 13 Apr; ships here normally use Nakajima Wharf, Akita Port Cruise Terminal (Selion tower 10 min on foot). Berths can be reassigned on busy days; the daily programme has the final word.

How long is Sapphire Princess in Akita?

Tue, 13 Apr 2027: 08:00–18:00 (10 h in port); Fri, 6 Aug 2027: 09:00–around midnight (15 h in port). Off the ship 30 minutes after arrival, all-aboard 30 minutes before departure, back at the gangway an hour before that: plan for about 8 usable hours on the call of Tue, 13 Apr 2027, back at the gangway by 16:30.

What can you do in Akita with 8 hours from Sapphire Princess?

3 of the port's timed days fit the call of Tue, 13 Apr 2027: Tower & port town (about 2.5h), The city sampler (about 5h), The Kakunodate return (about 7h). 3 guided days fit the call.

What is the weather like in Akita in April?

On a usual April day Akita reaches about 14 °C (57 °F), with a low of about 5 °C (41 °F); rain (1 mm or more) falls on about 12 days in 30. These are the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 normals for Akita. From 7 days before the call, this page shows the forecast for the day itself.

Checked · Visited in person · Takumi Yamada

Dates and times from the cruise line’s published itinerary; the port has not listed these calls yet. Schedules change; your ship's daily programme has the final word.