Somewhere along the way Wilf and I saw a video about taking an overnight ferry in Japan. We thought that might be a thing to do, and made a note of the company. On this trip we discovered that it was possible to take a ferry from Hokkaido to a port north of Tokyo. We looked into it and thought – well, why not?
The Sunflower ferry line runs twice a day in each direction. There is a sailing from Tomakomai, Hokkaido that leaves at 6:30pm, arriving at Oarai, Ibaraki at 2:00 the next day as well as a night ferry that leaves just after midnight and arrives 7:30pm the same day. We decided on the evening ferry and reserved a cabin as soon as the bookings opened.
The main job of the ship is moving cargo. The parking lot was full of container trucks, most of which were taken on board by a cab, which then departed to pick up another trailer. The process is reversed at the other end. Lots of trailers on board, not that many drivers. The passenger cars go on with only the drivers – the passengers walk on. Everyone comes up top – no one on the 4 vehicle decks.
Accommodation ranges from suites and cabins to a capsule type room or even recliners. Among the onboard services – which include cafeteria, laundry, a children’s play area, and a pet area, there is a public bath.
We had booked a cabin, which turned out to be about the size of a small cruise ship cabin.
We had our own bathroom with toilet, sink and shower/tub. And on the shelf – a robe to wear for sleeping or going to the public bath. While at sea!
There were also public lounges to enjoy,
Good spot for me to catch up on my blog posts.
So – life on board? Cafeteria style food was good and plentiful. Everything was labelled and there was a mix of Western and Asian choices for both dinner and breakfast. Other than the cafeteria everything was in Japanese, so my google translate got a good workout. No wi-fi on board, so our internet access was through cellular, which was sometimes a challenge due to the all metal ship. The beds were comfortable and we slept pretty well. Well, except for the motion of the ship which was a bit rambunctious at times! We did use the public baths, which was nice – a hot bath before bed is a good thing. It was all very relaxing.
It falls into the category of ‘things we’re glad to have done but don’t need to do again’, mostly because it takes a long time. For reference – check in for the ferry begins at 3:30, all aboard about 5:30, sail at 6:30. The port is not near the train station – we took a cab rather than sort out the bus schedule. Limited facilities at the port terminal in Tomakomai. In Oarai the situation was similiar – port long way from the train station. We had decided to stay in Oarai overnight once we landed – that was not necessary and we probably should have gotten ourselves to Mito, at least, before continuing onward the next day. But we had not stayed in Oarai we would have missed one fun little adventure.
While waiting on the platform for the train in Oarai a young woman struck up a conversation with us. She works at the local aquarium and wanted to practice her English. So many young people are afraid to make mistakes but she was brave and dove right in. We had a fun train ride together, which concluded with selfies, of course!
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