Taiwaned

Question for the collective:

I am transporting a car from Osaka to Okinawa on a ferry, which will supposedly take 36 plus hours.

I understand that there are NO restaurants, NO internet (except whatever signal you may incidentally come into contact with) and everybody sleeps on mats on the floor on the ferry.

Has anyone taken this trip before?

angra

I don't have any info to add, but I am interested in seeing the other responses.

What ferry are you taking?

AlwaysAisle

A-Line Ferry operates from Osaka Nankou Ferry Terminal, located along New Tram connecting southwest terminal station of subway Yotsubashi line and Chuo Line. The ferry stops at Amai Oshima Island, Tokuno Island, Okino Erabu Island, and Yoron Island (islands between mainland Kagoshima and Okinawa island) before reaching to port at Naha at Okinawa.

Usually scheduled six journys per month. Depart Osaka at 6:30 p.m. and arrive on 8:30 a.m. day three (day one is departure day from Osaka). You are correct that the ship does not have a restaurant or a gift shop. Only vending machines selling cup noodle type foods (hot water provided), microwave foods and drinks. There is a shower room and game room with arcade type games. There is satellite TV but no internet, there is pay phone onboard.

A-Line Ferry website is in Japanese only and indicates they have looked into onboard internet service (Wi-Fi) but ferry route is out of range area by land based service and satellite based service could will not allow cost which most passengers are willing to pay.

There is a ferry service from Osaka to Shibushi, Kagoshima with full service ferry with restaurants, etc. Due to distance and demand of Okinawa there just is not much passenger ferry demand to Okinawa. This ferry service to Okinawa used to be full service with restaurants, etc. but due to decline of demand it now operates like this.

P.S.
A-Line Ferry also has Kagoshima – Okinawa service, stopping at same islands along the way. Makes 6 – 8 journeys per month. Departs Kagoshima on 6:00 p.m. and arrives at Naha, Okinawa on 7:00 p.m. next day. Driving from Osaka to Kagoshima then on ferry may be better?

angra

A-line also indicates that they have cabins available for that route, and that "everyone sleeps in a big room on the floor" is just the cheapest option, so I thought maybe OP wasn't using them.

Taiwaned

Yes, we will be going on the A-Line.

There are cabins? I wonder if I can upgrade?

If I understand correctly, there is a public bath. Is there a shower? I really am not into bathing in public.

What should I do for food? Not really into just eating vending machine food. What suggest do you folks have?

abmj-jr

I would just pack a couple of sandwiches and such for later and carry on a bento for the first meal. Of course, after years of eating trail food halfway up some mountain or another, I am pretty un-picky about food, even as I enter old age. ;-)

YMMV.

AlwaysAisle

Fare will be, for example I used Toyota Camry which is 4.85 m long. Transporting one Toyota Camry from Osaka to Naha is 91,550 yen.

Then add passenger fare:

2nd Class (sleeping on carpeted floor with everybody in one large room): 19,330 yen

2nd Class bunk bed Cabin B (room for eight people, unless you purchase ticket for eight people you share the room): 21,380 yen

2nd Class bunk bed Cabin A (room for four people, some has additional carpeted floor space to sleep for two more people, again unless you purchase entire cabin you share the room): 25,550 yen

1st class (two twin size bed, not a bunk bed, shower, TV, and toilet in the room, it is not clear but looks as if you want room for yourself you need to buy for two people): 38,660 yen

The website says shower, and not hot tub or ofuro (お風呂), does not say if show has private cubicle or if shower is like gang shower of a gym locker room.

For food, if you do not want a vending machine food then to bring your own. Sounds like this ferry caters to a truck drivers on tight budget and most of them do not pay for restaurant food anyway, bring own to save money. Even with that seems like most of the time cargo is shipped by itself, not with a truck and a driver. Hence, the ferry only operates few time per month.

Okinawa is a small island, not like Hokkaido, most tourist heading to Okinawa needing a car simply fly and rent a car at Okinawa. Hokkaido is large so there seems to be a demand to bring your car and drive around Hokkaido, same as freight where cargo need to be carried further around Hokkaido so more demand for truck and driver ferry.

P.S.

Just for the reference, Marine Cargo Okinawa will ship a passenger car from Osaka to Okinawa as freight on a ship starting from 57,000 yen.

If by some reason need to bring own car to Okinawa, many find shipping a car by cargo and self to fly to Okinawa to be more convenient and economical rather than using A-Line ferry service and traveling with your car.

Again, A-Line ferry service seems to be more for a truck driver carrying cargo to Okinawa and need to travel with a truck and cargo. Not much for a person looking to bring own car to Okinawa.

Taiwaned

Thank you very the detailed response.

Yes, we are aware that if it was the issue of just sending the vehicle, there was a cheaper method. However these folks are moving to Okinawa and are bringing all their belongings.

The cars will be packed to the max.

Car transport does not allow them to pack the vehicle, so I have been told.

That is why I am driving one of the vehicles and need to stay with the vehicle to Okinawa.

mapleg

Public bath. It's Japan. The showers will be in the public bath as is typical in any onsen, sento or similar.

Most reviews I have read of travelling by long distance Japanese ferry mention the food is dire and suggest bring as much of your own as you can.

angra

Does A-line allow sending the car on the ferry without an accompanying passenger? I would be sorely tempted in this situation to do that and fly the people to Okinawa. 36 hours on that boat does not sound like fun to me.

Understood that you did say "need to stay with the vehicle to Okinawa" so maybe you want/need/prefer to stay with the vehicle even if it is not required. Maybe the Kagoshima ferry would be an option? Less time stuck on the boat and probably cheaper, but a good bit more driving.

jib71

I would pay money to avoid spending days on a ferry with a bunch of truck drivers who have nothing to do but smoke cigs, chew on dried squid, drink one-cup ozeki, and lie on the tatami, picking wax from their ears with bamboo implements.

AlwaysAisle

You just described my weekend…

Taiwaned

Yeah I know it's Japan.

Getting naked in front of strangers isn't a problem. Getting naked in front of friends is the part I don't like. Getting naked in front of the wife isn't a problem either.

When we do go to an onsen, it is a private own tub beside the room type I really enjoy.

As far as I understand, their needs to be a driver accompanying the vehicle. That is why I am going. They are bringing both vehicles and my friend's wife does not want to be on the ferry for that long.

angra

Let's try to explore that some more. My Japanese is not good enough to tell for sure, but their website looks like it might support "unmanned" cars.

Linky maybe someone with better language skills can figure that out.

AlwaysAisle

It is shower, not sento (銭湯, Japanese public bath) setting. It specifically says so on their website and ship deck plan on the website also show as such. Don’t make me repeat this again! What is not clear is that if the shower is single private cubicle or if is a gym locker room type gang shower. Any case, the journey is 38 hrs., there is nowhere in passenger carriage states that you and your friends must take shower at same time.


It clearly says Yuujinnsha (有人車) which means an automobile with people, it clearly implies that there must be a person associated with an automobile during entire journey.