To catch a ferry . . .
What if I told you that there is a non-traditional way of traveling around Japan using an overnight ferry service, would you try it?
That is exactly what I did on this trip. My next stop was Kyoto and although there are many ways to go there, the most interesting option was to take an overnight ferry service that I have been learning about on YouTube.
I mentioned that this is an overnight ferry and not cruise ship as there are no shows, no swimming pool, and no fancy restaurants but there are sleeping quarters.
What the ferry does do is provide a means of transport and saves time for passengers who want to travel across country be it personally or commercially. Vehicles can be driven on board and parked in the ships hold. The passengers stay in the common space which has a grand staircase, a restaurant, a common bathing area, some seating area and sleeping quarters. The ferry only travels at night; boarding is 8 pm; departure from Ehime is 10 pm and arrival in Osaka is 6 am.
So here’s what I did and why I choose this method of moving around Japan
The ferry is not located in Matsuyama but in a town called Iyo-Saijo. It is approximately 1 hour by a limited express train from the JR Matsuyama station and costs 1300 yen.
When I was trying to figure out my timing, I used my Japanese travel app to look at the number of stops and timing. There were a number of time slots to get to Nyuugawa Station. After that, I would still need to get to the ferry terminal.
I wanted to finish up seeing Matsuyama in the morning and have lunch first before I left. The timing of the limited express train was not convenient for my schedule so I took the local train instead.
Even though it was a longer ride, the choice was to wait at either JR Matsuyama station for the next train that was coming later or wait at the ferry terminal once I arrived.
I also did not want to wait for a later limited express train because of the following:
I was going into the countryside so wanted to give myself extra time in case I got lost. My Japanese skills is good enough when traveling but I did not want to test just how far it could stretch it if I got lost.
When I arrive, the sun would start to slowly set and after sunset, Japan can be pitch black if there are no lights.
Before the train left JR Matsuyama Station, there were a lot of students and locals who boarded the train and later departed at different stations along the way.
The travel did not seem long as the train route hugged the coastline so the scenery was amazing. Each station was also something to look forward to so it also helped to break up the time. When I had finally arrived at Nyuugawa Station there was nobody inside the station. Outside of the station, there was a couple of taxis but no shuttle bus. It might be because of the time of day as it was only 3 pm.
The building was empty when I had arrived at the ferry terminal. I was afraid that the doors would also be closed and I would have to wait outside for 3 hours before the ticket office would open. Luckily, the doors slid opened when I step up to it and I manage to quickly find my way up to the departure lounge floor. The lounge had plenty of tables, chairs and electrical outlets, so I spent my time editing my photos that I had taken in Miyakojima and Matsuyama. My travel blogs of those places can be found in the blog section of my website.
オレンジフェリー
Orange Ferry or (オランジフェリー) in Japanese katakana is the name of the ferry service. I linked the English site in the name for those interested. The website is quite complete with a lot of information. There is a lot of information on how to get there, their amenities, types of rooms and departure/arrival times. The Japanese site is more complete if you are able to read or have someone help you.
There are a couple of ways to get tickets.
Buy in person; the ticket counter opens up at 6 pm but probably would not recommend as a tourist. Plus, there is nothing but the ferry terminal in the area so if you changed your mind, you would need to use your cell phone to call for a taxi cab.
Online; if you can read Japanese or have someone help you, you can make an online account. I manage to set one up for myself in case I want to do this again another time.
Email; this is the recommended approach that they say in their websites if you are not able to read Japanese and create an online account. There is a form that you copy and paste into an email and then fill out before sending to them. I am not sure how fast they will respond so don’t make any last minute reservations.
Here are a few things that I found important when I was reading the website:
Depending on when you arrive at Nyuugawa Station, be prepared to take a taxi as opposed to waiting for the bus. The station is an unmanned station so there is no one to help you. If you do decide to take a taxi like me, just tell the taxi driver, “Orange Ferry kudasai” (Orange Ferry please) and the driver will take you there. Don’t forget that the taxi doors are opened automatically by the driver so there is no need to open it yourself. The ride did not take long and costs approximately 1,000 yen if I remember correctly.
Bring cash! for small purchases in the ferry restaurant or vending machines. There is no place for currency exchange so make sure you have plenty of Japanese yen. The prices were reasonable in the restaurant and the vending machines in my opinion.
Wifi may not be consistent so bring a book or watch something on your tablet, computer or phone instead.
Deluxe Single, Suite and Royal Rooms are the only rooms with keys. I booked the Deluxe Single as it allowed me to store my suitcase. You need to pick up when you arrive from the front desk and return the room key before leaving the boat the next day. The other rooms (Single, Single Plus) do not have a key and suitcases need to be stored with the front desk.
Royal Rooms (3 in total) have their own bathroom, all the other rooms including the Deluxe Single and Suites will need to use the communal bath and washrooms.
There seems to be plenty of easy access rooms for individuals with mobility issues which I thought was pretty good.
Overall, the ferry experience was fun and interesting. Since the ferry is mostly a floating hotel and sleeping is what most people will do, there isn’t a lot of extra seating outside of the restaurant to lounge around. There is access to go outside to the deck but since it was cold, windy and dark, there was not a lot to see. Too bad this ferry does not do a daytime route.
A lot of these images were posted on my Instagram account as either posts or reels back in December 2022.
