Sakaiminato and Muroran on your own

[tsutt35]

Seeking any information on either of these ports. Cruising with Princess next year and wondering if there are shuttles into town and if they are doable on your own on foot. I have stumbled across a post stating that there was a HOHO for Muroran but can't find any further information. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thank you in advance :)

[RaeBay]

Hi keep me informed of what you find out as on same cruise. If you work out anything send me an email it is on the spreadsheet.

Sorry couldn't be of help

 

 

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[laughing husky]

I also have searched to no avail....:( But there tours by locals in Sapporo...which is not far away...

[tsutt35]

I also have searched to no avail....:( But there tours by locals in Sapporo...which is not far away...

 

Sapporo is nearly 2 hour’s away by train (2 trains) from Muroran. We spent a week in Sapporo at Xmas a couple of years ago. Loved the city but not going to head back with such a long distance. If you are interested go to hyperdia.com to see train times and costs.

[CJcruzer]

I arranged a tour to Hell's Valley geothermal area, Lake Toya and Mt. Usu - very nice day. Not sure how much or what there is to see in the town itself.

[tsutt35]

I arranged a tour to Hell's Valley geothermal area, Lake Toya and Mt. Usu - very nice day. Not sure how much or what there is to see in the town itself.

 

Thanks CJ. Which port did you arrange that for and did you use a particular company?

[RaeBay]

I arranged a tour to Hell's Valley geothermal area, Lake Toya and Mt. Usu - very nice day. Not sure how much or what there is to see in the town itself.

 

 

 

That would be great exactly what I wanted to do but could not work out how to do it.

 

Tanya if you organise this let me know it is from Muroran"

 

 

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[RaeBay]

Tanya just put up a post for Muroran on roll call

 

 

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[pacrimheather]

The cruise line typically coordinates with the port to offer a hop on, hop off type bus service from the port to several locations. If you are new to Japan, you may be more than satisfied just doing that. One of the bus stops is a short walk from Higashi-Muroran JR train station--the city's main station.

 

One option, especially if you are used to driving on the same side of the road as Japan, is to rent a car and visit the city's famous 8 scenic spots. The roads in the area are quite wide with little to no traffic. I drove for the first time in Japan here and really found the sights beautiful. If you reserve online in advance, you can request English GPS.

 

There are a number of things to see/do around Muroran besides making the long bus ride to Sapporo which is basically a modern city without much to offer in terms of cultural or historical interest. It's pretty easy to take a bus or train to the nearby onsen (hot springs) town of Noboribetsu. There is also an interesting museum in Shiraoi to learn about the Ainu (indigenous people of Hokkaido). The Lake Toya area is quite nice too, and you can take a ride up on the ropeway to the top of Mt. Usu to see Showa Shinzan and a nice view of the lake.

 

The key thing to remember is to MAKE SURE you consult the relevant timetables for trains and buses before heading out and make sure you have a return plan too. Runs are much less frequent than in a major city, and having to catch a taxi back to the ship would be very costly.

 

Hope that helps!