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chaz47
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
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 Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:55 pm Post subject: the slow boat to... northern Japan? |
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Does this exist? I've got plans to go to northern Japan but don't want to fly and deal with hours of airport security. Nor do I really understand the point of getting there that quickly when I have a long holiday. Money is key and the option to leave just as cheaply on a whim is also important.
Any help is appreciated. |
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Xuanzang
Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Location: Sadang
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| Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:14 pm Post subject: |
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| I know ferries go to Shimonoseki, Osaka and Fukuoka from Busan but I`m not sure they go to Sapporo or Hokkaido though. |
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pandapanda
Joined: 22 Sep 2007
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| Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:20 pm Post subject: |
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| Not directly, you could take a boat to Osaka then take the bus to northern Kyoto and take the boat to Otaru. |
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chaz47
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:43 pm Post subject: |
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| pandapanda wrote: |
| Not directly, you could take a boat to Osaka then take the bus to northern Kyoto and take the boat to Otaru. |
I tried to price bus tickets before and they seemed pretty expensive. I imagine any ferries/boats in Japan would be too. I'd really hate to travel on the Japanese economy if I could help it, especially with the current weakness of the won. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 2:08 am Post subject: |
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Unfortunately they don't exist.
There is a boat that goes from Seokjo Korea to Vladivostok Russia, and then several different boats that go from Vladivostok to Hokkaido or Niigata.
I live in Northern Japan. There are quite a few ferries going to just about everywhere but up here. The cities just aren't that big up here for one.
If you want inexpensive travel in Japan, look up 'Seishun 18'....its for taking local trains, and is availble certain times of the year. |
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chaz47
Joined: 11 Sep 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 2:42 am Post subject: |
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| Tiger Beer wrote: |
Unfortunately they don't exist.
There is a boat that goes from Seokjo Korea to Vladivostok Russia, and then several different boats that go from Vladivostok to Hokkaido or Niigata.
I live in Northern Japan. There are quite a few ferries going to just about everywhere but up here. The cities just aren't that big up here for one.
If you want inexpensive travel in Japan, look up 'Seishun 18'....its for taking local trains, and is availble certain times of the year. |
Any idea how long it might take to get from Shimonoseki to Hirosaki?
I imagine if you can reach Hakata from Tokyo in a day it might be similar but the train traffic to northern Japan is bound to be a bit less frequent I would think?
What are the amenities like on the trains?
It sounds like a distinct possibility and a bit of an adventure. Thanks.
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:00 am Post subject: |
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| chaz47 wrote: |
| Tiger Beer wrote: |
Unfortunately they don't exist.
There is a boat that goes from Seokjo Korea to Vladivostok Russia, and then several different boats that go from Vladivostok to Hokkaido or Niigata.
I live in Northern Japan. There are quite a few ferries going to just about everywhere but up here. The cities just aren't that big up here for one.
If you want inexpensive travel in Japan, look up 'Seishun 18'....its for taking local trains, and is availble certain times of the year. |
Any idea how long it might take to get from Shimonoseki to Hirosaki?
I imagine if you can reach Hakata from Tokyo in a day it might be similar but the train traffic to northern Japan is bound to be a bit less frequent I would think?
What are the amenities like on the trains?
It sounds like a distinct possibility and a bit of an adventure. Thanks.
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Very barebowns and slow and boring on local trains. It would definetely take you a full two days, possibly three days of rail travel to get to Hirosaki.
But then again, if there were ferry services available on a similar route, it would equally take a good solid two days as well. |
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Donghae
Joined: 24 Dec 2003
Location: Fukuoka, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:44 am Post subject: |
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OP, I heard about a ferry from Korea (probably Pusan) to Kanazawa not long ago. I've a feeling it may have only run in the summer.
There are quite a few boat options for going to northern Japan though.
This the one I'd suggest. If you go to Shimonoseki by ferry, just hop across to Shin-Moji port in Kyushu. You can get a short ferry across the Strait to Mojiko, and then a bus from there to Shin-Moji. From there you can get an overnight boat to Kobe or Osaka, followed by a train journey up to Maizuru in northern Kyoto Prefecture. From Maizuru there's a ferry to Otaru in Hokkaido.
This Japanese ferry website is excellent and will give you lots of useful links, but bear in mind that some of the route information this guy has put on his site in English is now out of date.
http://www.interq.or.jp/white/ishiyama/e-index.htm |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:58 am Post subject: |
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| chaz47 wrote: |
| Tiger Beer wrote: |
Unfortunately they don't exist.
There is a boat that goes from Seokjo Korea to Vladivostok Russia, and then several different boats that go from Vladivostok to Hokkaido or Niigata.
I live in Northern Japan. There are quite a few ferries going to just about everywhere but up here. The cities just aren't that big up here for one.
If you want inexpensive travel in Japan, look up 'Seishun 18'....its for taking local trains, and is availble certain times of the year. |
Any idea how long it might take to get from Shimonoseki to Hirosaki?
I imagine if you can reach Hakata from Tokyo in a day it might be similar but the train traffic to northern Japan is bound to be a bit less frequent I would think?
What are the amenities like on the trains?
It sounds like a distinct possibility and a bit of an adventure. Thanks.
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Very bare bones and slow and boring on local trains. It would definetely take you a full two days, possibly three days of rail travel to get to Hirosaki.
But then again, if there were ferry services available on a similar route, it would equally take a good solid two days as well.
Ferry-wise, almost all of them go to either Kyushu, Osaka, Nagoya or Tokyo. So technically, you should be able to get a ferry as far north as Tokyo, then you could take a local train from there. I think there is also a ferry from Tokyo to Sapporo, but then you gotta take trains again southward to Hirosaki. There might even be a ferry from Tokyo to Sendai, possibly. |
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I_Am_The_Kiwi
Joined: 10 Jun 2008
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 5:36 pm Post subject: |
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You could take a night bus from Tokyo to Hirosaki. About 9 hours, should cost around 10,000Y.
You could also do a sleeper train, if you book early they are sorta cheap plus you save a night on accommodation.
you could do the local trains all the way but would probably be easier to timetable it all out once your in japan and can sit in a train office with someone who has the local timetable book.
Unless youre stopping in Hirosaki to go boarding, or just using it as the place to catch the trains to Hokkaido, then you should just go through to Aomori City. Hirosaki is a really nice place, kinda small though, but there are several ski feilds around there. One in particular is Hakkoda, which if you have time i would highly reccomend! But make sure you go with a guide if you go off piste. |
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Tiger Beer
Joined: 07 Feb 2003
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| Posted: Tue Dec 02, 2008 7:49 pm Post subject: |
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| I_Am_The_Kiwi wrote: |
| you could do the local trains all the way but would probably be easier to timetable it all out once your in japan and can sit in a train office with someone who has the local timetable book. |
In all the train stations, they can also print out a schedule. Just give them your destination, and they will print it out in Japanese - then will hand-write the English next to the Japanese (of the transfer stations).
SEISHUN 18 is the local train deal.
The beauty of local trains with the Seishun 18, is if you have a lot of time, you can get off the station ANYWHERE you want....and spend as much time as any place you want, and just get back on again whenever you feel like it.
If the OP is in a hurry and really only wants to get to the far north of Japan only, then I'd imagine all local trains would be a nightmare. But depends on the OP.
There are also some moonlight trains (available on the Seishun 1 . For example, there is one from Fukuoka to Osaka that runs local lines overnight, without transfers. |
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