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The Mizuki Shigeru Road of yokai monster statues in Sakaiminato

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Spectrum of the Seas in Sakaiminato

Next call Mon, 26 Oct 2026, 09:00–19:00 (10 h in port), at Sakai Yumeminato Terminal (Takenouchi South Quay). Below: only the plans and tours that fit that call.

1 call aheadabout 8 usable hours on 26 Oct3 timed days fit
Photo: mstk east / CC BY 2.0

Sakaiminato port guideComplete guideEvery Spectrum of the Seas berth in JapanSpectrum of the Seas ship guideOther ships at Sakaiminato

Every Spectrum of the Seas call at Sakaiminato

1 call ahead, Oct 2026: the pattern, and the plan for each kind of day

Every upcoming call keeps the same hours, 09:00–19:00: plan one day and repeat it.

Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship
Photo: カテキン / CC BY-SA 4.0
DateIn portUsableBerthKind of day
Mon 26 Oct2026 · next09:00–19:00~8 hSakai Yumeminato Terminal (Takenouchi South Quay)Full 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 daylight stretch. Dates and times from Sakai Yumeminato Terminal (Sakai Port): 2026 cruise schedules Sep-Dec (PDF R8.9.22) and Feb-Jul (PDF 2026-02-18) (as of 2026-09-22); the daily programme has the final word.

Tour opening days from the operators' live schedules on Viator, checked 25 Oct; a date can close as seats sell.

Your 26 Oct call on one page

Spectrum of the Seas in Sakaiminato: the day sheet

Mon, 26 Oct 2026, 09:00–19:00 (10 h in port), at Sakai Yumeminato Terminal (Takenouchi South Quay). Off the ship from 09:30, back at the gangway by 17:30. Print it or save it before you lose the ship's Wi-Fi.

First Japanese port: immigration on the day

Spectrum of the Seas arrives from Shanghai, 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 84 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.

Taxi card: show the driver, and when to head back

Sakaiminato Station & the yokai road境港駅~15 minLeave here by 17:00 to be at the gangway by 17:30

“Leave by” is the gangway time minus the taxi time quoted above and 15 minutes to find a taxi; on big-ship days ranks run out, so leave earlier rather than later.

Days that fit Spectrum of the Seas’s call

8 hours ashore: the days that fit

Cut to the 26 Oct call. The half hour to get off and the hour before all-aboard are already kept free.

If it rains: The rainy-day Sakaiminato →

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.

  1. 0:00Taxi to Sakaiminato Station (~15 min), or bus 41
  2. 0:40Mizuki Shigeru Museum
  3. 1:40Eyeball-daddy sweets in the shops on the Road
  4. 2:00Walk the road back, spotting missed statues
  5. + 1 more stops on the full route

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

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.

  1. 0:00Mizuki Road + museum (the short plan’s core)
  2. 1:45Taxi to the Direct-Sales Center (~10 min) — closed Tuesdays
  3. 2:00Crab: buy one boiled that morning
  4. 3:00Kani-don or nodoguro at the food hall
  5. + 1 more stops on the full route

Costs about 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 ¥250 pp by bus 41 into town

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

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.

  1. 0:00Meet the guide at the Yumeminato terminal and drive to Matsue Castle
  2. 0:40Matsue Castle, about an hour
  3. 1:40Drive to the Adachi Museum (~40 min)
  4. 2:20Adachi gardens, about 1 h 50 min — framed like paintings, viewed from within
  5. + 2 more stops on the full route

Costs about covered by the tour (from US$220 pp, both entry tickets included)

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

Guided days that fit 8 hours

Shared cars with a guide first; each takes no more than the 26 Oct call leaves you. Booked through Viator; there is no tour desk at the pier.

Shared car · per person5.0★ · 4needs a 7-hour call

Sakaiminato Semi Private Tour for Cruise Passengers

A five-hour small-group run from the cruise terminal to Matsue Castle and the Adachi Museum of Art, with both …

from US$220 per person · max 15Why it is here →Private car · per personneeds a 10-hour call

Sakaiminato Private Vehicle Service with Restaurant Reservation

An eight-hour chartered car with a driver, with a route you choose on a form after booking and an optional res…

from US$269 per person · max 15Why it is here →Private car · per person5.0★ · 1needs a 10-hour call

Art and Gardens of Sakaiminato by Private Car

An eight-hour private-car garden day: Yuushien on Daikon Island, the Adachi Museum of Art, and the Tottori Han…

from US$865 per person · max 15Why 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.

Quick answers

Spectrum of the Seas at Sakaiminato

Where does Spectrum of the Seas dock in Sakaiminato?

At Sakai Yumeminato Terminal (Takenouchi South Quay), according to the port's published schedule. From the berth: From Yumeminato: no standing shuttle — your ship’s shuttle only if it runs one (may be paid); otherwise taxi ~15 min (~¥2,300) or bus 41 from a stop 20 min on foot. Berths can be reassigned on busy days; the daily programme has the final word.

How long is Spectrum of the Seas in Sakaiminato?

Mon, 26 Oct 2026: 09:00–19:00 (10 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 next call (Mon, 26 Oct 2026).

What can you do in Sakaiminato with 8 hours from Spectrum of the Seas?

3 of the port's timed days fit the next call: The yokai road (about 2.5h), Road + market feast (about 4h), The Adachi excursion (about 5h). 3 guided days fit the call, shared cars first.

Dates, times and berths from Sakai Yumeminato Terminal (Sakai Port): 2026 cruise schedules Sep-Dec (PDF R8.9.22) and Feb-Jul (PDF 2026-02-18) (as of 2026-09-22). Schedules change; your ship's daily programme has the final word.