JAPAN CRUISE SEMINAR Aomori welcome
FEATURE
viewed between July-August, and the Tsugars Kokeshi Doll Museum in Kuroishi City where visitors can paint a face on their own wooden doll as a keepsake.
Closer, is Sannai-Maruyama Historical Site, 15 mins from the port by car.
Omotenashi at the fore
Six ports located in the Sea of Japan and Seto Inland Sea showcased their offer to cruise lines and media in London. Mary Bond reports.
K
ickstarting the Japan Cruise Seminar in London’s Japan House was guest speaker Douglas Ward, author of the
Berlitz Cruising & Cruise Ships guide who has been to Japan more than 50 times. He told how he first visited in 1979 on a QE2 World Cruise. ‘What hit me immediately was the friendliness of the people – Omotenashi: to wholeheartedly look after guests is a mindset of hospitality that is very evident for any cruise passenger visiting Japan.’
Kanazawa
Located in the Sea of Japan, Kanazawa Port has seen cruise traffic grow from six calls in 2012 to 50. To cater for the increase Kanazawa Cruise Terminal is opening in April 2020 covering a 10,600sq mtr foorprint spread over three floors.
On the ground level are CIQ, baggage handling facilities, waiting area and information desk. On the second floor there is a restaurant, multipurpose rooms including seminar space and viewing point. The top floor houses offices.
In the area surrounding the new terminal there is parking for 900 vehicles including cars, buses and taxis. Kanazawa welcomed
50 calls last year including 44 from international cruise lines. Almost half of the ships were from the luxury segment.
Just a short distance (3 miles) to downtown, accessible by car in 20 minutes, Kanazawa is a UNESCO Creative City of Crafts & Folk Art.
From gold leaf craftsmanship to Yamanaka lacquer ware and Kutani porcelain to Kaga-yuzen silk dyeing, the skills have been passed down through centuries from generation to generation and still flourish in the Ishikawa Prefecture today. Giesha and teahouse culture shorex are also extremely popular.
It is possible to join workshops and learn the skills from local artists.
Aomori
Aomori boasts five ports: Aomori itself, Ominato, Hotokegaura, Tugaru and Hachinohe.
One of Aomori’s biggest draws is the cherry blossom in Hirosaki Park where the best viewing is from late April to early May. It is one hour by car from the berth. Also reachable in the same time are Tanbo Art featuring amazing Rice Paddy Art, best
The berth at Hachinohe spans 240mtr in length with 12mtr water depth. The coastal area boasts beautiful natural attractions such as coastal walks and Oirase Gorge.
Tsugaru has a 230mtr long berth providing a gateway to Tachineputa Museum (Gosyogawara City) and UNESCO World Heritage Site Shirakami Sanchi about 90 minutes by car.
Ominato offers a 260mtr long berth with 7.5mtr depth. 30 minutes away is Osorezan City. Shimokita Geo-Dining is a special activity.
Hotokegaura port is for tender boats only with three berthing options. It provides access to Cape Oma and Sai Village and its naturally-carved cliff limestone formations.
Sakai
Sakai Port (Sakaiminato) boasts a central location in the Sea of Japan 221nm from Busan, 467nm from Vladivostok to the north and 687nm from Shanghai to the south. The port offers various berths for any sized ship.
A new passenger terminal at Takenouchi Minami District is scheduled to open this year which includes a 280mtr long berth extension of which 400mtr is with dolphins. The single storey building covers around 3,300sq mtr with a roof top observation deck.
Sakaiminato provides access to Izumo ‘Land of the Gods’ the birthplace of Japanese Mythology with the Izumo Taisha Grand Shrine a big draw.
The Shimane Museum of Ancient Izumo showcases archaeological discoveries from the region.
From Sakai, Award winning gardens
seatrade-cruise.com
Geisha evenings in Kanazawa
Seatrade Cruise Review
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