Ferries to Niigata

Niigata ferry port is on the west coast of Japan on Honshu and is the departure point for the island of Sado and for the night ferries to Hokkaido. From here you can reach 5 destinations: Ryotsu on Sado, Akita and Tsuruga on Honshu, and Otaru and Tomakomai Higashi on Hokkaido. Together the services add up to as many as 28 departures a day, and crossings take between one hour and 18.25 hours. The port is served by Sado Kisen and Shin Nihonkai Ferry.

Getting there and the terminal

Niigata has two ferry terminals, and they are a long way apart. Sado Kisen sails to Sado from the terminal at Bandaijima 9-1 in Chuo ward, right next to the Toki Messe convention centre; a multi-storey car park is linked by a footpath. From JR Niigata station the Sado Kisen line bus takes around 15 minutes and a taxi about ten. Shin Nihonkai Ferry to Hokkaido, Akita and Tsuruga, by contrast, leaves from the Yamanoshita quay at Furuminato-cho 2-20 in Higashi ward. The Rinkocho line bus runs there from bay 5 at JR Niigata station in about 15 minutes; by car it is around 7.5 kilometres from the Niigata-Kameda exit.

Check-in

Shin Nihonkai Ferry requires you to be at the terminal 60 minutes before departure, and 90 minutes during Golden Week, the summer holidays and around the new year. With Sado Kisen, vehicles enter the waiting area at least one hour before departure; foot passengers buying at the counter should be there 30 to 40 minutes ahead, and the gates open about 15 to 20 minutes before departure.