About Oarai Ferry Terminal
Oarai Ferry Terminal
In December 2008, “Oarai Ferry Terminal” was certified and registered as the first “Minato Oasis” in the Tokyo metropolitan area.
It is the gateway port for ferries to Hokkaido and also functions as a tourist base.
We have the best location and 100 chairs for you to wait comfortably until boarding.
It is also equipped with an elevator, guidance and warning blocks, and ostomate-accessible flush fixtures to ensure that everyone can use the terminal with ease. It is also a popular spot for welcoming the first sunrise.
If you want Whole Japan Rail Pass, first make a ticket reservation!
If you have a discount coupon, you can make a reservation and purchase tickets online at a discount price.
How to get there
There are more than 20 buses a day from the Tokyo Station bus terminal to JR Mito Station, and one of them used to run directly to Oarai Port FT via JR Mito Station without transfer. You will need to take an express bus to JR Mito Station and change buses.
Departing from the Tokyo Station bus depot at 14:30, the bus will arrive at Mito Station around 16:30. At Mito Station, transfer to a local bus departing at 17:25, arriving at Oarai Port FT at 17:55.
First, head to the “JR Express Bus Terminal” to purchase a ticket for the express bus.
However, the Tokyo Station is very spacious. It is difficult to find the Yaesu South Exit ticket gate. If so, go to the “Yaesu Chuo Exit”, which is large and easy to find. After exiting the station building through the ticket gate, turn right and walk for about one minute to the JR Express Bus Terminal building.
Tickets for the highway bus can be purchased either at an automatic ticket machine or at a manned ticket counter. The highway bus fare from Tokyo Station to Mito Station is 2,120 yen one way. The fare from Mito Station to Oarai Port FT is 620 yen one way. This fare is paid at the time of getting off the bus, as is the case with most local buses. Please note that Suica, PASMO, and other national transportation system IC cards cannot be used for payment on the buses between Mito Station and Oarai Port FT.
Tips
Oarai Port Ferry Terminal is located in Oarai-cho Minato Chuo, Higashi-Ibaraki County, Ibaraki Prefecture.
Ferries bound for Hokkaido arrive and depart from here.
On this day, we visited Oarai Isomae Shrine.
From there, I drove to the Oarai Port Ferry Terminal.
I went to the ferry terminal to go through the boarding procedure.
There was a long queue at the counter.
I had already made a reservation on the Internet, so I should have been able to check in automatically, but…
However, an error message appeared on the screen, saying, “Please call an attendant.
It took quite a long time for the agent to work.
I tried again, but the error occurred again.
It would have been faster to wait in line.
Finally, the procedure was completed, and we went to the second floor.
The waiting area is quite clean.
It seems that all passengers except the driver board the ship from here.
I looked outside.
The number of cars has increased considerably.
The restaurant.
It looks like a self-service restaurant.
There is also a souvenir store.
Toilets are flushing.
As the boarding time was approaching, I left my wife and returned to the car.
The Sunflower.
The passengers started boarding the boat.
Soon after, the cars started boarding.
Since it is a large ship, we were taken around in a circle, and went down to the deep basement (apparently, the second floor).
There are many guides, so there is no need to get lost.
However, it is quite a long way from the parking space to the cabin, so it would be difficult if you forgot your luggage.
Once inside the ship, kids’ rooms and stores are lined up around the lobby.
There is even a pet room.
The ship’s information is displayed on a monitor, which is very modern.
The ship goes up to the seventh floor.
There seems to be a half-buffet at the restaurant.
I bought a pumpkin gelato at the store and tried it.
I felt like I was in Hokkaido one step ahead of the others.
I went to the upper floor.
There is a restaurant.
I checked the menu for tomorrow’s lunch.
Alcohol menu.
This is the inside of the restaurant.
A large bath.
The open-air baths will be available after the ship departs.
The ship is quite beautiful.
This time we will stay in a private room.
It is a bunk bed.
There is a power outlet at the bedside, which is easy to use.
The toilet has a hot-water seat.
There is a shower, but I didn’t use it because I went to the public bath.
There is a restaurant, but I ate at a convenience store in the room.
It was time to leave the ship, so I went out on deck.
It was time to sail.
The night view of Oarai port is beautiful.
I went to the other side of the deck.
Next morning, we went to the deck to see the sunrise.
The weather was fine and we could see the beautiful sunrise.
Tsure didn’t like it, saying he was sleepy (smiles).
The ship seemed to be sailing off the coast of Iwate Prefecture.
Back in the cabin, we had breakfast at a convenience store.
Hokkaido was now in sight.
After 11:30, we decided to have lunch.
We headed for the restaurant.
There were two choices on the menu: Keema Curry or Tenshinhan.
I choose keema curry and buy a meal ticket from the ticket machine.
At 12:00, the restaurant opens.
I was handed a packet of curry.
Since it was so convenient, I decided to eat it at the window seat.
It was quite tasty.
When it was time to disembark, we left the cabin and got into the car.
After going around in circles, we went out of the ferry.
Finally, we landed in Hokkaido.
It’s already been 10 days since I started this blog series called “Hokkaido Trip,” but I finally made it to Hokkaido (smiles).
The inside of the ship is beautiful and functional as it is a newly built ship.
Most of the cabins are private rooms, which is a big difference from the large rooms we used to sleep in.
Moreover, the rooms were equipped with bathrooms and toilets, so they were no different from those in ordinary hotels.
The large bathrooms also have saunas, making it a perfect place to stay.
The restaurant is a little unattractive in terms of price and menu.
Even with that, I was able to get to Hokkaido while I was sleeping.
Website
https://www.sunflower.co.jp/route/line/port/
