Sakaiminato is another city tourists never visit.  I never even heard of it until this cruise.   Not much to say about this city, but: Sakaiminato is formed of two kanji characters.  The first means border, and the second is port. Has a population of 32,000, but was 38,000 in 1980. 466 miles from Tokyo, and even with the bullet train covering a good portion, it takes 8 hours to get here by train. At one time it had a sister city, Wonson, North Korea, which was revoked in 2006. The most notable person from here is Shigeru Mizuki, manga creator of GeGeGe no Kitaro.  One hundred bronze statues of the characters line Kitaro Road. A ferry from this port is the only one which can take you to Russia from Japan. Read this vlog  describing what to do if you stay a night and day.  And the ideal spot they recommend is the Onyado Nono Sakaiminato Dormy Inn, which has an onsen and is located right by the train station.  Also offers free noodles in the evening, and, of course, a free Japanese breakf