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A lone pine on Miharashi no Oka in Hitachi Seaside Park, the hill covered in blue nemophila

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Where does Sapphire Princess dock in Hitachinaka?

In port Tue, 3 Aug 2027, 07:00–16:00 (9 h in port).

Photo: Miyuki Meinaka / CC BY-SA 4.0

Hitachinaka in one glance

Miharashi no Oka: nemophila in spring, kochia in autumn, Hitachinaka

Miharashi no Oka: nemophila in spring, kochia in autumn

A hill in Hitachi Seaside Park planted with nemophila, which turns it blue in late April.about 3h · Hitachi Seaside Park West Gate 5.1 km from the berth, about ¥2,300 by taxi (our estimate)The Kamiiso torii at Oarai

The Kamiiso torii at Oarai

A torii standing on the rocks in the surf below Oarai Isosaki Shrine, on the bluff above.about 2h · 16 km from the berth, about ¥7,000 by taxi (our estimate); about 2 km from AquaworldSakatsura Isosaki Shrine, Hitachinaka

Sakatsura Isosaki Shrine

A coastal shrine reached through a tunnel of old trees, the approach a prefectural natural monument; it is the sister shrine of Oarai Isosaki.about 1h · 6.5 km from the berth, about ¥2,900 by taxi (our estimate) · 0.7 km from Isozaki Station on the Minato Line
Cut to the 3 Aug call

What fits your 7 hours

Off the ship and back

The berth, the way into town and back in Hitachinaka

On your own

More of Hitachinaka within 7 hours

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

All ten, ranked
Aquaworld Oarai

Aquaworld Oarai

Ibaraki’s prefectural aquarium, on the sea at Oarai, with ocean sunfish among its big tanks.about 2.5h · 14 km from the berth, about ¥6,200 by taxi (our estimate) · 1.8 km from the fish market · needs a 4.5-hour callHoshiimo, dried sweet potato, Hitachinaka

Hoshiimo, dried sweet potato

Sweet potato, steamed, sliced and dried in the winter wind: the product Hitachinaka gives its guests.about 30m · Sold at the fish market and at specialist shops near the park · needs a 2.5-hour call
Days that fit Sapphire Princess’s call

7 hours ashore: the days that fit

Cut to the 3 Aug 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 →

Hitachi Seaside Park, Hitachinaka

Needs a 5-hour callabout 2.75h

Hitachi Seaside Park by taxi

Any call of five hours or more when the park is open. Central Wharf is a closed quay: take the ship’s shuttle if it goes to the park

  1. 0:00Taxi from Central Wharf to the park’s West Gate (5.1 km, about 10 min, about ¥2,300, our estimate)
  2. 0:15West Gate: pay at the machines (cards and IC cards accepted) and walk or ride the Seaside Train towards Miharashi no Oka
  3. 0:35Miharashi no Oka: nemophila in late April, kochia in October
  4. 2:10Back to the West Gate
  5. + 2 more stops on the full route

Two taxis, about ¥2,300–2,400 each way (our estimate)

Open in Google Maps, in 3 parts

  1. 1Your ship → Hitachi Seaside Park, West Gate bus stoptrain or bus
  2. 2Hitachi Seaside Park, West Gate bus stop → Miharashi no Oka, the nemophila and kochia hillon foot
  3. 3Miharashi no Oka, the nemophila and kochia hill → Back to the shiptrain or bus
Follow this route
Sakatsura Isosaki Shrine, Hitachinaka

Needs a 6.5-hour callabout 4.5h

Shrine, the flower hill and a seafood lunch

An 08:00–17:00 call. Times assume off the ship at 08:30, so the shrine fills the hour before the park opens

  1. 0:00Taxi to Sakatsura Isosaki Shrine (6.5 km, about 10 min, about ¥2,900, our estimate)
  2. 0:40Taxi to the park’s South Gate (2.8 km, about 6 min, about ¥1,300)
  3. 1:00Hitachi Seaside Park: Miharashi no Oka
  4. 2:45Taxi from the South Gate to Nakaminato Osakana Ichiba (6.8 km, about 15 min, about ¥3,100)
  5. + 3 more stops on the full route

Four taxi legs, about ¥2,900 + ¥1,300 + ¥3,100 + ¥5,500 (our estimates)

Open in Google Maps, in 4 parts

  1. 1Your ship → Sakatsura Isosaki Shrineby taxi
  2. 2Sakatsura Isosaki Shrine → Miharashi no Oka, the nemophila and kochia hilltrain or bus
  3. 3Miharashi no Oka, the nemophila and kochia hill → Nakaminato Osakana Ichibatrain or bus
  4. 4Nakaminato Osakana Ichiba → Back to the shiptrain or bus
Follow this route
Kodokan, Mito

Needs an 8.5-hour callabout 6.25h

Mito: Kodokan and Kairakuen, then Nakaminato

An 08:00–17:00 call, best in the plum season (mid-February to late March). All-aboard 16:30, back at the gangway by 15:30

  1. 0:00Shuttle or taxi to JR Katsuta Station (25 min by car per JTA; about ¥4,600, our estimate)
  2. 0:30JR Joban Line Katsuta → Mito, about 6 min
  3. 0:45Walk from Mito’s north exit to Kodokan (about 0.5 km, our estimate)
  4. 0:55Kodokan, the domain school of 1841
  5. + 7 more stops on the full route

Taxi to JR Katsuta about ¥4,600 (our estimate), JR Katsuta–Mito and back (IC card), Minato Line Katsuta–Nakaminato ¥350 (cash; no IC cards), taxi back about ¥5,500

Open in Google Maps, in 4 parts

  1. 1Your ship → Kodokantrain or bus
  2. 2Kodokan → Kairakuenon foot
  3. 3Kairakuen → Nakaminato Osakana Ichibatrain or bus
  4. 4Nakaminato Osakana Ichiba → Back to the shiptrain or bus
Follow this route
Your 3 Aug call on one page

Sapphire Princess in Hitachinaka: the day sheet

Tue, 3 Aug 2027, 07:00–16:00 (9 h in port). Off the ship from 07:30, back at the gangway by 14:30. Print it or save it before you lose the ship's Wi-Fi.

At the pier, before you set off

The terminalNo terminal building is listed. On past calls the prefecture has set up local-goods and food stalls on the quay.
Cash and ATMsOur sources list no ATM or exchange at the quay. Carry yen for the Minato Line (no IC cards), buses, the market and the Seaside Train; the park's ticket machines take cards, IC cards and QR payments.
Wi-Fi and dataNo port Wi-Fi is published. Hitachi Seaside Park has free Wi-Fi.
Steps and slopesThe quay is flat. Miharashi no Oka is a gentle hill about 1 km inside the park's West Gate; the Seaside Train runs a 40-minute loop with nine stops.
Weather ashore · a usual August day in Hitachinaka
30° / 22°C86° / 72°F

Rain on about 8 days in 30 — the rain-day plan if the day turns wet

Hot: water, a hat and breaks in the shade

The forecast for Tue 3 Aug appears here from Wed 28 Jul.

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

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Every Sapphire Princess call at Hitachinaka

1 call listed, Aug 2027. The pattern, and the plan for each kind of day

Every upcoming call keeps the same hours, 07:00–16:00: plan one day and repeat it.

Tue 3 Aug202707:00–16:00~7 h—Half day

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

Tue 3 Aug

07:00–16:00 · about 7 usable hours · gangway by 14:30

About 7 usable hours, back at the gangway by 14:30: one district or one sight with lunch, or a half-day guided tour that starts at the pier.

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 Hitachinaka

Where does Sapphire Princess dock in Hitachinaka?

The port has not published Sapphire Princess's berth in Hitachinaka for 3 Aug; ships here normally use Central Wharf (中央ふ頭), berths C and D, Hitachinaka district of Ibaraki Port: an industrial quay beside the Hitachi Construction Machinery and Komatsu plants, a SOLAS restricted area. Some ships (Mitsui Ocean Sakura, and Regatta in March 2026) use the Oarai district instead, 18 km south. Berths can be reassigned on busy days; the daily programme has the final word.

How long is Sapphire Princess in Hitachinaka?

Tue, 3 Aug 2027: 07:00–16:00 (9 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 7 usable hours on the call of Tue, 3 Aug 2027, back at the gangway by 14:30.

What can you do in Hitachinaka with 7 hours from Sapphire Princess?

3 of the port's timed days fit the call of Tue, 3 Aug 2027: Hitachi Seaside Park by taxi (about 2.75h), Shrine, the flower hill and a seafood lunch (about 4.5h), Mito: Kodokan and Kairakuen, then Nakaminato (about 6.25h).

What is the weather like in Hitachinaka in August?

On a usual August day Hitachinaka reaches about 30 °C (86 °F), with a low of about 22 °C (72 °F); rain (1 mm or more) falls on about 8 days in 30. These are the Japan Meteorological Agency's 1991–2020 normals for Mito. From 7 days before the call, this page shows the forecast for the day itself.

Checked · Researched, not yet visited · 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.