Help for Kushiro and Hakodate

Greetings,

My wife and I will be arriving in Japan aboard HAL Amsterdam. We would like to enjoy our one day stops in Kushiro and Hakodate without a ship tour, but I'm having a hard time researching these two ports. Does anyone have ideas or suggestions? It's our first trip to Asia and we do not speak Japanese.

Thanks

Suggest you go to the HA Roll Call Board for that Amsterdam cruise. Lots of folks there going on independent tours. Even if you can't join their tours, you should be able to get some good info.

I've been to Hakodate, though not on a cruise, and it's fairly easy to do on your own.

This site tells you where the ship docks (you'll need to take the X out--I had to put it in as otherwise Cruisecritic blanks it all out):

http://japan-cruXise.com/ports/hakodate.html

And these sites tell you about the local sights and transport:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5350.html

http://wikitravel.org/en/Hakodate

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/hokkaido/hakodate.html

The main sights are the Goryokaku fort (the first western fort in Japan, ironically it was the last holdout of the shogunate against the modernizers), and motomachi (the foreigner's quarter), where the highlight is the Russian orthodox church, and the view from the top of the mountain. These are all fairly easy to reach via the tram.

I've not been to Kushiro, but I have been to the areas north of there. The lakes are good (Massho-ko is like a bigger version of Crater Lake), and the Shiretoko Peninsular (probably too far) is spectacular. There does not seem to be a lot in Kushiro itself so a tour may be your best bet. Explore the websites above to get more information.

Thank you MaureenXX and Someotherguy. I appreciate your feedback. The links give me an idea about what I'll be planning when I get off the ship....and the nuts and bolts of public transportation, finding some interesting food, and getting back to the port.

I've been to Hakodate, though not on a cruise, and it's fairly easy to do on your own.

 

This site tells you where the ship docks (you'll need to take the X out--I had to put it in as otherwise Cruisecritic blanks it all out):

http://japan-cruXise.com/ports/hakodate.html

 

And these sites tell you about the local sights and transport:

http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e5350.html

http://wikitravel.org/en/Hakodate

http://www.jnto.go.jp/eng/location/regional/hokkaido/hakodate.html

 

The main sights are the Goryokaku fort (the first western fort in Japan, ironically it was the last holdout of the shogunate against the modernizers), and motomachi (the foreigner's quarter), where the highlight is the Russian orthodox church, and the view from the top of the mountain. These are all fairly easy to reach via the tram.

 

I've not been to Kushiro, but I have been to the areas north of there. The lakes are good (Massho-ko is like a bigger version of Crater Lake), and the Shiretoko Peninsular (probably too far) is spectacular. There does not seem to be a lot in Kushiro itself so a tour may be your best bet. Explore the websites above to get more information.

Someotherguy, thank you very much for this wonderful information.

I trust, you do not mind me copying and pasting this info on our Roll Call.Celebrity Millennium May 10th. 2014.

Cheers,

Kathy.

My wife and I were in Hakodate last year on a Silversea cruise---the fish market is outstanding and large!! You can eat fish as well as observe the market.

Also there is a Starbucks on the waterfront near the center of town.