Meon 2 Docking at Takamatsu Port
The Setouchi Triennale is an art festival that is mainly held on several islands in the Seto Inland Sea. It is very natural that you will be required to take a ferry to visit the various art installations. Almost all of the art sites are located on small islands with only three regions being located on either Honshu or Shikoku, 2 of the 4 major islands in Japan. It is no wonder that the ferry network from Takamatsu and Uno is extremely important. Almost every day I spent at the festival involved going to the different art sites via ferry. I was very used to the ferries by the end that I felt like a seasoned pro. The learning curve to know where each ferry is located is a little steep but it gets easy quickly. Unfortunately there is no easy way to explain how to find each ferry and where to buy tickets. Each route is different with only a few of them combining their information. Thankfully the Setouchi Triennale’s main information centre has all of the information you need, but they don’t necessarily tell you about where to get tickets and how to transfer from one boat to another. As a person with limited Japanese ability, I did well enough to get everything done, but there were a few things I wish I had learned beforehand.
Naoshima/Shodoshima Ferry Terminal at Takamatsu Port
The two busiest ferry piers had to be the ferries that go to Naoshima and Shodoshima. Both of them are located at the end of the covered walk from the Takamatsu Port Terminal Building. Located at the north-west corner of the port, the building is always busy and full of people in the early mornings. Lots of people head there to get on the first ferries heading to Shodoshima so they can go hiking. Other people are heading to Naoshima in the early morning to enjoy the island before it becomes busy. The ferry between Naoshima and Takamatsu is a nice large passenger and vehicle ferry. It is a ferry that I took often as that model of boat was used extensively to service the various islands. While the ferry is never completely full, boarding and disembarking the ferry can be a little difficult as there are a lot of people trying to do the same thing you want to do. In Naoshima, the line to board the ferry can be very long and the efficiency of the crew can be painfully poor. Watching one guy check all of the tickets everyone had was a little annoying but that is the way they did things. Thankfully I didn’t have to worry too much about it.
Meon 2 Running the Takamatsu-Megijima-Ogijima route at Takamatsu Port
South of the main pier for ferries to Naoshima and Shodoshima is a couple of piers for small ferries and the ferry to Megijima and Ogijima. There is a small passenger terminal there that is a little confusing. For the ferry to Megijima and Ogijima, you need to go to the ticket window located outside of the building but for all other ferries, you have to use the ticket windows located inside the building. The building itself services Oshima and Teshima passengers, but I think they also serve other passengers using the high speed ferries. The ferry to Megijima and Ogijima was a nice boat with a capacity to handle many people. The Meon 1 and 2 were used and it is probably one of the most recognizable boats in the entire port. The red base and white top along with the characters on the side of the boat make it really easy to spot. I found the passenger area to be a little small but it was probably due to the large number of people using the ferry for the Triennale. The high speed ferries were a little different. They were small boats that ploughed their way through the waters.
Thunderbird Ferry Running the Naoshima-Teshima-Inujima Route at Inujima
I had the opportunity to take two different high speed ferries. The high speed ferries are simply small boats that go a little faster than the large vehicle ferries. They have both an indoor section and an open rear section. People are allowed to stand but the number of people allowed on each boat is limited. It is very important that you arrive early enough to get a ticket or you may not be able to get onto the boat. The ferry from Naoshima to Teshima and Inujima was a nice little boat that had extra seating in the aisle. They had special hidden seats in the aisle that I didn’t know about but the view from the back was nice. The ferry from Teshima to Takamatsu was a different story. The boat had three sections, a forward section, a driver’s section in the middle, and a rear open section. The forward section was nice but you are situated low in the boat and can’t see out of the windows. This can easily help in causing sea sickness. The best seats are in the driver’s section where you can watch the crew operate the boat as well as get decent views of the area around you. If you have a choice, avoid the forward section if you are not good on boats.
Uno-Takamatsu ferry route terminal in Takamatsu
The last ferry I took was the ferry between Uno and Takamatsu. They used similar boats to the Takamatsu and Naoshima route so the ferries themselves were not very interesting. The upper deck was not very nice but the route they took was very interesting. Departing Uno, the ship heads around the west side of Naoshima allowing you to see the shipyards just west of Uno. I had a chance to see a few of the military ships that were being fitted as well as other ships in dock. Once you pass the shipyard things get a little boring if you have been that way before as the view is almost the same as the Naoshima route. One thing to note is that the ferry itself is not located with the other ferries in Takamatsu. It is located at the east end of the port, about 200 metres from the other piers. This is probably due to the popularity of the boat for vehicles. The pier is very well marked by bright flashing neon lights at both the Takamatsu and Uno port. You can’t miss the pier but it is easy to miss it if you are not looking in the correct direction.
Asahi Ferry at Miyanoura Port on Naoshima
Naoshima has a couple of ports for various ships. The main port is at Miyanoura. The port at Miyanoura is capable of handling at least a hundred passengers and most people will be familiar with the main area that encompasses the information centre as well as the main terminal building. During the Triennale, they convert an unused event space into a gift shop and information centre for the Triennale. The main port building is generally busy and they have more items related to the region rather than the art itself. It was a little confusing the first day I arrived as I was heading to the fast ferry to go to Inujima. I found the ferry about 100 metres away from the main pier and headed there right away but what I didn’t know was that I needed a special green card to board the ferry. I felt it was a stupid requirement as most people had a 2 day pass, but it was a simple way to know how many people were going to take the ferry. I ended up running back to the main terminal just to get a simple green card. The next time I went to visit Naoshima, I saw some volunteers holding the green cards after the ferry arrived. I wonder if they learned their lesson or if it was just for the weekend only.
Fast Ferry on the Teshima-Takamatsu Route in Takamatsu Port
Teshima is the only other port that can be a little confusing. The port itself is pretty small but the port building and the location of the different ferries is a little confusing. The main vehicle ferry heads from Teshima to Uno and tickets can be obtained in the main terminal building. If you are taking the fast ferry to Takamatsu, you need to head 150 meters west of the main terminal building. I was lucky to have some time before my bus left the port so I could ask the information desk inside the terminal building about how to get tickets for the fast ferry. They told me to head out to the dock and there will be a green car. I was a little confused but understood the instructions. Before taking the fast ferry to Takamatsu, you have to line up a little early and you can buy tickets from the little green car that pulls up just before the ferry arrives. It was a cute little green car but unfortunately I didn’t get any photos of it. Thankfully, during the Triennale, they will occasionally bring in a second ferry to make sure everyone gets home. If you arrive early enough you won’t have any problems catching a ferry to your destination.
2 Day Ferry Pass
The Setouchi Triennale has a very useful 2 day ferry pass. It is valid on all ferries that allow access to the participating islands of the Triennale. The pass costs 4000 yen but it isn’t worth it on certain routes. If you are taking the regular ferries, it isn’t worthwhile to use the ferry pass unless you plan to visit a couple islands at a time. I found that it was most useful on the fast ferries as they often cost more than 1000 yen each way. I used the pass for the first 2 days at the festival. The first day I took a regular ferry to Naoshima, then the fast ferry to Inujima. I then took a fast ferry to Teshima and another fast ferry to Takamatsu. On my second day, I took the fast ferry out to Teshima again before taking a regular ferry to Uno and then Takamatsu. On my first day alone, I would have spent 4810 Yen and on my second day I spent 2610. As you can easily see, the first day alone I had already made use of my pass and the second day was essentially free. Many of the regular ferries also have round trip deals but the way the Triennale works, it isn’t always easy to make use of the round trip tickets. If you do plan to visit Inujima or Teshima, the pass is definitely worth it, but if you are taking a regular ferry, it probably isn’t worth it.
Last Ferry Arriving at Takamatsu Port from Shodoshima
Ferries are the lifeline of the Setouchi Triennale. The festival itself wouldn’t be able to operate without ferries and building a bridge to each of the islands is not really feasible. A bridge linking the islands would completely destroy the look and feel of each island and the ferries themselves are a part of the festival. While the art is front and centre when it comes to the festival, the people, the islands, and the ferries are also integral to the festival. You can’t have this festival without any of these parts and if any of them are missing, the atmosphere would change for the worse. When taking any of the ferries, be sure to enjoy them as much as possible as you will find that they are just as important as the art and leave an equally lasting memory.
Ferries in the Setouchi Triennale is part of a series of posts on the Setouchi Triennale. Follow the links below to read more about the different aspects of the Setouchi Triennale.
- Dru’s Great Setouchi Triennale 2013 Misadventure
- Shamijima
- EAT&ART TARO on Shamijima
- Inujima
- Food of Inujima
- Teshima – Kou and Ieura
- Teshima – Karato
- Eating on Teshima
- Uno
- Ogijima (Part I)
- Ogijima (Part II)
- ONBA CAFE
- Megijima
- Naoshima (Benesse Art Site)
- Naoshima (Honmura & Miyanoura)
- Naoshima (Transportation)
- Takamatsu Revisited
- Takamatsu (Setouchi Triennale Edition)
Information:
- Setouchi Triennale (Ferry List & Schedules Page)
I was about to confess that I’d never travelled on a ferry when I remembered, duh, ferries on Lake Victoria in Africa! They’re a bit more dilapidated than these ones. 😉
I think I had travelled only a handful of times on a ferry before Kagawa. Now, I can’t count anymore (near 100 times wouldn’t be far fetched)
I’ve been on a LOT of ferries in my life. Taking the ferries from Vancouver to Victoria and also a ferry to a beautiful island called Mayne Island. http://www.mayneisland.com/
My first ferry in Japan was going from Oma, Aomori to Hakodate. Return trip of course. I then had a trip from Odaiba to Tokushima. Oh yeah, also took a ferry to Miyajima. Then there was the ferries here. 🙂 This is not counting the times I went on “cruises” of harbours and such.
3 years ago I wrote about my ferry experiences here: http://blog.hinomaple.com/2010/05/04/ferries-of-japan/
Yeah, building bridges would be the worst possible thing.
As you said, taking the various ferries can be a little confusing, but yeah, soon enough, you get it, and it becomes very easy.
Indeed, things and methods change from one place to another or even one day to the other for various reasons.
First, one must keep in mind that pretty much every different destination is handled by a different company, this is the main reason why tickets booths are separate and many.
In Takamatsu, everything is quite well indicated though, both in Japanese and in English (and if you don’t read Japanese, it’s pretty easy to find your way too, although learning the kanji for each island doesn’t hurt, and that’s pretty easy to do).
And people are here to help you.
The other reason is that three years ago, during the first Triennale, more than anyone else, the ferry companies were taken by surprise by the number of visitors (remember that they had planned for 300,000 visitors and about one million showed with 500,000 for October only), so this year they’re getting ready for the upcoming onslaught, and Spring session was also a way to test new methods (for example, the green tickets for the speed boats).
The experience of 2010 has really made things way more efficient when it gets crowded. For example, last year I went to Naoshima during golden week (not the best idea when I live nearby, I know) and it was as crowded if not more than during October 2010. As people tend to arrive on various boats, but most of them depart on the last boat, this is where things get complicated. Three years ago, some people got stranded on some islands at times.
Last year, when they realized that not everyone would fit on the last ferry to Takamatsu, they had not one but two speed boats ready just in case (and this is how I got to take a speedboat from Naoshima to Takamatsu for the price of a slow ferry).
You said, that the ferry are rarely full. It’s true in normal days, but I don’t know for this summer, but in October, during the Triennale, they will be full. Almost all of them.
Also, some things are there only during the Triennale, for example, the little green car in Teshima. On regular days, if you don’t already have your ticket, you can simply buy it as you board the boat.
Finally, one last word about the Shikoku Ferry (the ferry from Takamatsu to Uno). It has a huge pier because it used to be the main access from Honshu to Takamatsu before the bridges were built, and thousands and thousands of people used to make the trip daily (imagine this large ferry being full for pretty much every trip).
Since the advent of the bridges, the ferry is slowly dying out. I really hope it will stay afloat as long as possible, but I don’t have high hopes, although it remains cheaper to take the ferry than the bridge, and the time is not that different if you go from downtown Takamatsu to some parts of Okayama). There actually used to be two companies operating that route and one shut down last year (the even bigger building behind the Shikoku Ferry one, that is now empty).
Wow, thanks for the long response.
Glad to hear that things are a lot better than the previous Triennale. I hope it keeps getting better and better. Mostly so that people won’t get angry at things. With any sort of transportation that is not very frequent, you really have to take things in stride and be as flexible as you can be.
I still think that little green car is so cute. I hope to see it again.
Noted on the fullness of the ferries. I should update the post, but it is just too hot at this moment. 🙂
I also hope the ferry to Uno keeps operating. I think a smaller ferry is adequate, but the number of trucks using it was surprising. The ferry looked full of trucks and a few cars. Kinda scary trying to get around the trucks as they squeezed them in as tight as possible in the front.
Yes keeping people happy is very important for the Triennale, but people almost must learn to be flexible (most Japanese people are not too good at that). In October 2010, I remember changing our plans at the last minute several times, just because one ferry was full and the other one leaving shortly after for another destination was not. I also remember one guy getting really really angry when he realized that he wouldn’t be able to board the last boat from Teshima to Takamatsu (and I still feel bad for the poor Koebi-tai volunteer who couldn’t do anything and got yelled at in such a way).
Concerning the Shikoku Ferry, I think the company survives mostly thanks to trucks. I guess that as it’s cheaper than the bridge, many truck companies prefer that option.
What’s ironic is that I’m pretty sure it takes about the same amount of time to drive from Takamatsu to Okayama City via the bridge than to take the ferry.
Those Koebitai volunteers still get yelled at. I saw one poor girl getting yelled at by a guy who missed his ferry. He seemed to be blaming the girl for bad information when usually they have no control over how it is displayed. I couldn’t hear everything though but I felt that there really isn’t any point to yelling or getting upset. Sad, yes, but as you said, being flexible is very important.
I can see why trucks like it. It is simple and the drivers can just take a 1 hour nap rather than driving across the bridge. I still hope the company can keep going though.
I’ve just discovered your blog through Rurousha. She suggested I stop by here because I am heading to the Setouchi Triennale next month! I’ve only just started reading through your many posts but this one about the ferry system is so helpful. I now know where to head once I get to the port. Thank you for the tips!
Glad she gave you the reference. I hope you have a great time there. It is so much fun and the art is just AMAZING.
Be sure to read as much as you can. I did my best to give a good idea into what the festival is about. David, I know you are reading his posts, has a lot of better info. If you just need a quick overview, this is a good place to visit.
Again, hope you have a great time!