Wakayama, May 10, 2026 (News On Japan) - As ferries cut across the open waters between Wakayama and Tokushima during the Golden Week holidays, passengers aboard the Nankai Ferry found themselves enjoying a slower pace of travel far removed from Japan’s notorious highway congestion.
“It’s a 12-day holiday,” one passenger said aboard the ferry on May 5th. “There’s something extraordinary about traveling by ferry. Usually I spend my days staring at a computer screen.”
Another traveler added: “It’s really fun because you can see the ocean up close.”
The Nankai Ferry operates between Wakayama Port and Tokushima Port, with eight round trips each day and a crossing time of just over two hours. A one-way passenger fare costs around 2,500 yen.
During the second day of the long holiday period, travelers from across Japan gathered at the terminal despite rainy weather. A couple from Yokohama was embarking on a seven- to eight-day motorcycle trip around Shikoku.
“We wanted to do some touring around Shikoku,” the husband said. “The weather was turning bad, so we thought we’d take the ferry instead.”
The pair planned to revisit destinations such as the Shikoku Karst and the UFO Line scenic road, both popular among motorcycle enthusiasts.
The terminal was crowded with bikers arriving from distant regions, while travelers carrying bicycles and large suitcases also appeared more numerous than usual.
Shortly after departure, a group of three young passengers began photographing the scenery from the deck. The trio, graduate students at the University of Tokyo from Europe, had rented a camper van to travel around western Japan.
“We only met about three weeks ago,” one of them said. “Then two weeks ago we decided to take a Golden Week trip together.”
All three had arrived in Japan only in April. Their goal, they explained, was to visit places that could only truly be appreciated by living in Japan.
The students planned to travel through Shikoku before eventually reaching Kyushu. Their rented camper van, fitted with three beds, cost around 220,000 yen, which they split among themselves.
Elsewhere onboard, children played happily with an elderly man who turned out to be a complete stranger.
“We just met on the ferry,” a parent explained with a laugh. “The children became attached to him immediately.”
Another family was returning to Tokushima to visit relatives. They said traveling by ferry was far easier than driving the entire route.
“If we drove, it would probably take around three hours and everyone would become irritable,” the mother said. “Here the children can play around, so it’s much more convenient.”
For decades, the Nankai Ferry has served as an important transport link between Kansai and Shikoku. However, passenger numbers declined sharply after the opening of the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge, while the COVID-19 pandemic dealt another major blow to operations. The company has since announced plans to withdraw from service by the end of March 2028.
Among the passengers was an 18-year-old university student returning home to Tokushima after beginning his studies in Chiba Prefecture this spring. Traveling by overnight bus, train and ferry, he reflected on his first experience living alone.
“Until now meals would just appear every day without me thinking about it,” he said. “I realized how amazing that actually was.”
He added that hearing the familiar Kansai and Tokushima-style intonation after arriving in Namba Station immediately made him feel more relaxed.
Foreign travelers were also a noticeable presence at the Tokushima terminal. One cyclist from France was touring Japan under the working holiday program and planned to continue on toward Kyoto after crossing to Wakayama.
Another foreign cyclist had already spent four months traveling across Japan.
“I really love cycling,” he said in English. “It’s a good way to explore, meet people, and see beautiful places.”
Later in the afternoon, the atmosphere aboard the Wakayama-bound ferry shifted as more passengers returned from job hunting trips and family visits.
One university student from Tokushima said he had traveled to Osaka for a job interview with a company headquartered in Tokushima.
Asked how the interview went, he smiled and replied: “Probably okay.”
Another family, traveling from Tokyo through Kagawa and Tokushima before heading to Wakayama, said the ferry offered a valuable chance for the driver to rest.
“My husband is downstairs sleeping,” the wife said. “He’s been driving the whole way from Tokyo.”
Her husband, originally from Wakayama, said the ferry held deep personal memories for him.
“My grandparents lived in Tokushima, so we often took this ferry to visit them,” he recalled. “Sometimes we even boarded in the middle of the night if something had happened. I’ve ridden it so many times that hearing it may disappear makes me feel sad.”
During Golden Week, the Nankai Ferry was slightly livelier than usual, continuing its long role of carrying travelers, families and memories quietly across the sea.
Source: MBS
