ferries on Inland Sea

Planning my first Japan trip. Was hoping to travel by boat the length of the Inland Sea because reported to be very scenic, but all the ferries that I can find online between Osaka/Kobe and Kyushu ports go at night. Are there any boats that do this trip, or even part of it, in daylight hours? I have lots of time and don't mind stopping over in various places. I love boat travel because it's slow.

Indeed, all the long distance ferries are operating during the night. You could take short distance ferries between islands, Honshu and Shikoku all along the Inland Sea. It would take several days, but I imagine it to be very interesting.

All the best with this. I like slow boat travel, too. And I like the Seto Naikai.

I have been to many of its islands by ferry eg Shodoshima, Shiraishi, Hinase. The jumping off points have been Okayama, Kasaoka and Matsuyama, mostly. Once I chartered a boat out of Hiroshima - a long time ago, I don't have the contact details.

I have done my travels in several short trips, but I would be interested in knowing about ferries or charters that go island to island.

I love looking at the islands in the early morning or at dusk, and being on them in the day.

But I have to say the area is another of Japan's under-appreciated beauty spots. People just work too damn hard, with leisure time in little bursts. That doesn't work for this area.

And I hate hose goddam big-ass money-losing view-destroying cyclist-forbidding bridges.

But a good time can be had! I hope you have good responses to this.

http://www.ehimeajet.com/sea.php

It has details of some ferries in the Inland Sea, and also links to some ferries that go to Kyushu.

It was useful to us when we went Hiroshima - Matsuyama (but I realise you want to do a longer trip)

Also, if I may suggest something, I can't recommend highly enough to go to Naoshima (Benesse and Chichu Museums, and the Art House Projects - all easily Google-able). It was a highlight of our last trip, and I already want to go back.