Booking a Ferry to Beppu

Hello! I am trying to book the Uwajima Ferry from Yawatahama to Beppu and was looking at their site and got rather confused. I was about to call them, but I thought I would ask here first just to make sure. There will be two of us going on June 26th, is it necessary for us to make a reservation? It seems that some ferries only require booking for first class or something?

Thanks so much for any replies! :)

Advance reservations are not necessary, especially if you intend to travel by 2nd class and do not bring a car.

If you want to make sure you get a private 1st or special class cabin or bring a car during a busy travel time, reservations are recommended. Internet reservations are possible if you bring a car:
http://cgi.islands.ne.jp/uwajimaunyu/yoyaku_system/

For other types of reservations you have to phone.

That's good to know. We are trying to do the cheapest possible.

Oh, one more question, we are also trying to take the Jetfoil from Yakushima to Kagoshima later on in our trip. Do we need to make a reservation for that?

Thank you so much for your help!

If the jetfoil is not booked out, you could simply buy the ticket at the ferry terminal before departure without reservations.

I get the feeling that the Yahatahama-Beppu ferry rarely ever books out, so I get the feeling it is not risky not to make a reservation. In case of the Yakushima jetfoil, I am less sure about how risky it is not to make an advance reservation. In the off-season, it is very unlikely going to be booked out, but on busy days during the peak seasons, I feel it may be better to make advance reservations.

But making reservations does not seem easy for foreign tourists. The interface is Japanese only, and payment is due by domestic bank transfer.

Alright, I'll probably just go with making the reservation there and hope it doesn't get booked out then.

Thanks for all your help!