Sign in for a personalized experience.
Travel
Living
A-Z
Forum
Friends
Jobs
Shopping
Hotel Reservations

(check-in)

Car Rentals
Compact cars from around 4,000 Yen/day!
Online Hostel Bookings
Hostels and inexpensive ryokan from $10 per night!

Related Pages
Travel
Transportation

Ferry Route Details
Budget Travel

Railways
Taking trains
Shinkansen
Night trains
Buses
Highway Buses
Domestic Air Travel
Car Rental
Highways

Related Questions
Ferries Shikoku to Kyushu--year...
 2 reactions, last updated 14 days ago
Car Ferry from Shimabara to...
 9 reactions, last updated 23 days ago
Japanese ferry information?
 6 reactions, last updated 50 days ago
Tokyo ferry terminal directions.
 7 reactions, last updated 100 days ago
Ferry to Niijima?
 1 reaction, last updated 111 days ago
Ferry from Tokyo to Shikoku
 3 reactions, last updated 124 days ago

Japan Sightseeing Guide
Hokkaido
Sapporo
Otaru
Hakodate
Furano
Abashiri
Noboribetsu
Niseko
Lake Toya
Daisetsuzan
Shiretoko
Rishiri Rebun
Akan

Tohoku
Sendai
Matsushima
Hiraizumi
Akita
Kakunodate
Nyuto Onsen
Aomori
Hirosaki
Lake Towada
Shimokita Hanto
Dewa Sanzan
Aizu

Kanto
Tokyo
Yokohama
Kamakura
Nikko
Kinugawa
Hakone
Kawagoe
Kusatsu
Ikaho
Minakami
Narita

Chubu
Nagoya
Inuyama
Mt.Fuji
Fujigoko
Izu Peninsula
Nagano
Matsumoto
Kamikochi
Kiso Valley
Hakuba
Yudanaka
Sado Island
Takayama
Shirakawa-go
Gujo
Gero Onsen
Kanazawa

Kansai
Kyoto
Osaka
Nara
Kobe
Himeji
Kinosaki
Mount Koya
Kumano
Yoshino
Amanohashidate
Hikone
Iga Ueno
Ise Shima

Chugoku
Hiroshima
Miyajima
Onomichi
Okayama
Kurashiki
Matsue
Iwami Ginzan
Iwakuni
Yamaguchi
Hagi

Shikoku
Takamatsu
Kotohira
Naoshima
Matsuyama
Uchiko
Kochi
Tokushima
Naruto

Kyushu
Fukuoka
Dazaifu
Nagasaki
Kumamoto
Mount Aso
Minamata
Beppu
Miyazaki
Takachiho
Kagoshima
Kirishima
Yakushima

Okinawa
Honto
Miyako
Yaeyama

Survey
How would you rate your experiences staying at Japanese hotels/ryokan?
Very good
Good
Neither good nor bad
Bad
Very bad
Never stayed at one
see results
Other Surveys:
Budget for ryokan stay
Next trip to Japan
Improvements to Tourism
Financial Crisis
Ski Destination
Preferred way to stay at a ryokan
Purpose of visit
Most popular region
Have you recently entered Japan?

japan-guide.com newsletter
Keeping you up to date on Japan travel and living related issues and site updates. Click here to subscribe!

Sponsored Listings
Tour Packages
Guided and individual tour plans.
Japan - Order FREE Brochure!
About vacation plans and specialty travel.
Car Rental
The cheapest rates in Japan!

Home - Travel - Transportation
Domestic Ferries

Ferry arriving on Rishiri Island

Consisting of several thousand islands, Japan is naturally home to an extensive network of domestic ferry routes.

While Japan's four major islands, Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, are connected with each other by bridges and tunnels, most smaller islands can only be reached by ship. But even between the major four islands, ferries can be an interesting, if not particularly fast alternative to trains, buses and airplanes.

Most domestic ferries transport people, vehicles and cargo. While shorter routes are served by small ships, able to carry a couple of cars and a few dozens of passengers, large liners are employed on longer routes.

Larger ferries can carry hundreds of vehicles and passengers and are usually equipped with a range of amenities such as public baths and restaurants. Some come close to being luxury liners.

Boarding a ferry
Tatami space on board of a ferry

On most long-distance ferries, passengers have the choice between three classes, 2nd class, 1st class and special class:

  • 2nd class without bed
    the cheapest option
    Common space with a carpet or tatami mats to rest on.
  • 2nd class with bed
    typically 20%-40% more expensive than 2nd class w/o bed
    Dormitory with about 4-12 beds.
  • 1st class
    typically twice the cost of 2nd class w/o bed
    Room with about 2-4 beds.
  • Special class
    typically 2.5 to three times the cost of 2nd class w/o bed
    Room with about 2 beds.

Bicycles can also be taken onto ferries. As a rule of thumb, the cost for bringing a bicycle is about 100 Yen for each hour of travel. So, on a 9 hour trip, for example, a bicycle will cost around 900 Yen.

Ferry tickets can be reserved and purchased through the ferry companies directly (by phone, online or at the ferry terminal) or through travel agencies. The availability of English speaking staff cannot be counted on.

Below are maps showing major domestic ferry routes. Click here or on a route name below for more details about ferry routes and access information to major ports:

Long Distance Routes:

 
Aomori and Hokkaido:

 
Seto Inland Sea (Seto Naikai):

 
Okinawa and Kagoshima:

English Links
Overview of Japanese Ferries
About the history and present state of Japanese ferries.

Japanese Links
fune.co.jp
Nationwide ferry guide.

Asian-inspired
Plasma TV Stands

Copyright © 1996-2009 japan-guide.com All rights reserved - Last Page Update: November 4, 2008
home - site map - privacy policy - terms of use - contact - L‚ɂ‚¢‚Ä - advertising