⚓ Cruise Port

Kyoto (Maizuru)

Currency
Japanese yen (¥); cards increasingly accepted, carry some cash.
Language
Japanese; limited English — a translation app helps.
Time in Port
Typically around 8am–6pm.
Pier Location
Ships dock at Maizuru Port; Kyoto is ~1.5–2 hours and Amanohashidate ~1 hour by road.
Best For
Amanohashidate, Kyoto temples, and quiet coastal scenery
About Kyoto (Maizuru)

Maizuru is a quiet former naval town on the Sea of Japan coast, the scenic northern gateway to Kyoto and to Amanohashidate — a pine-clad sandbar counted among the "three great views of Japan." Rural and uncrowded, it trades the big-city buzz of the Osaka side for coastal beauty, red-brick history, and a more tranquil route into Kyoto's temples.

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Insider Tip

Kyoto is a long ~2 hours from Maizuru, so if you'd rather not spend the day on the road, Amanohashidate is the closer, genuinely spectacular alternative — and don't skip the tradition of viewing it upside-down from Kasamatsu Park.

Highlights
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Amanohashidate
A 3.6km pine-covered sandbar across the bay — viewed upside-down between your legs, it's one of Japan's three classic landscapes.
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Kyoto temples
Fushimi Inari, Kinkaku-ji, and Kiyomizu-dera are reachable on a longer day trip south.
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Maizuru Red Brick Park
Handsome Meiji-era naval warehouses turned museums and cafés near the harbour.
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Ine no Funaya
A fishing village of picturesque "boat houses" built right over the water on the Tango Peninsula.
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Nariai-ji & Kasamatsu Park
A hilltop temple and the famous viewpoint overlooking the Amanohashidate sandbar.
Local Food & Drink
  • Sea of Japan seafood — including snow crab in winter.
  • Refined Kyoto cuisine on a temple day trip.
  • Local sake from the Tango region.
  • Grilled fish and rice bowls at the harbour.
Shore Excursion Ideas
1 Amanohashidate sandbar and Kasamatsu viewpoint.
2 Kyoto temples (a longer day south).
3 Ine no Funaya boat houses and the Tango coast.
4 Maizuru naval history and Red Brick Park.
Sailings to Kyoto (Maizuru)
Upcoming Royal Caribbean & Celebrity cruises that visit Kyoto (Maizuru)
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Royal Caribbean
Best Of Japan Cruise
Spectrum of the Seas · 8 nights
Shanghai (Baoshan) · September 11, 2026
From $1,323/pp
 Royal Caribbean
Best Of Japan Cruise
Spectrum of the Seas · 8 nights
Shanghai (Baoshan) · October 24, 2026
From $1,606/pp
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Ships That Visit Kyoto (Maizuru)
Royal Caribbean and Celebrity ships with sailings to Kyoto (Maizuru) in our database
Royal Caribbean
Spectrum of the Seas
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