Kitakyushu - Tokyo Ferry Reservation

Hi!

I'm planning on getting the ferry from Kitakyushu to Tokyo in a couple of days and was wondering If anyone knows if I can just show up and buy a ticket on the day (I also have a bicycle). I've done it quite a few times before on other ferries Japan and it's been fine but I'm unsure if they will let me for this ferry as it is far longer than normal!

It seems as though the only way to book a ticket in English is through AFerry however they do not have an option to bring a bicycle so I'm not sure if I should get a ticket off them. AFerry also seems to stop selling tickets to each Kitakyushu-Tokyo ferry 4-5 days before the departure days so I'm not sure if that means the ferries are getting fully booked or if they stop selling for another reason.

Any input of help would be much appreciated, thanks!

no you need to pre book. it is not a requirement, but if you just turn up and the cruise is full, you will be turned away.

all bouts have a legal limit of the number of people that can cruise on them per trip. so if they fill up before the date of travel, you miss out.

this is any cruise ship, not just japan ships/boats.

I scanned quickly the Japanese webpage and it seems that even there you need to reserve 5 days in advance but they have a phone number. If you can ask a Japanese to make the call for you that might be best.
Otherwise I would book the seat for you and just hope the best for the bicycle. Just be there with ample time. I can not imagine that all the bike spots are taken now in March.
Also can you pack your bicycle in a bag? If yes, it normally counts as luggage and it is also cheaper. It is not so convenient as just rolling on though.

As it seems you are touring Japan by bicycle here just the link to my blog where I describe my 2 months cycling through Japan last year, but maybe more interesting for you where I tried to gather different type of practical information on bicycle routes etc. hope it helps.

http://bicycletraveljapan.blogspot.jp

Enjoy your ride through Japan!

Thanks for the advice, I'm actually on the ferry now. Didn't have to book or anything luckily could just show up and all was cool. I didn't use a bike bag because it's would've been expensive for me to get one than to just pay the fee to get the bike on unfortunately!

Also thanks for the blog link, unfortunately though I'm just at the end of my 9 month tour (hence the ferry back to Tokyo XD), I'm sure it would've been helpful to have had at the beginning!

9 months!!! Wow, I envy you. I hope you had a great time. Do you have a blog of your own? Or strava?

Yeah cheers, it was a lot of fun!

Unfortunately don't have a blog and only found out about strata towards the end of the tour though.