We are the Yonaguni@Yu editorial team, living in Yonaguni.
To get to Yonaguni Island, you can fly from Naha or Ishigaki, or, for those who love nature, take the ferry from Ishigaki.
This ferry between Ishigaki and Yonaguni is a testing ship, said to be the most shaky and vomit-prone in Japan.
None of our staff had ridden it for a year, so I had the chance to try it out myself and here is my review.
From Yonaguni to Ishigaki by ferry
This time we will be taking a ferry from Yonaguni to Ishigaki.
Ferry Yonakunioperates two round trips a week between Ishigaki and Yonaguni.
Please note that the ship may stop for a week during long holidays. During the Obon holiday in 2022, the ship was docked and closed for about three weeks.
The ferry Yonakuni is basically used to carry goods.
Ferry YonakuniBasically, it transports goods.is.
Unlike an airplane, which takes just 30 minutes, this is a long journey of about 4.5 hours. Moreover, due to the intense shaking, even tourists would not be able to board the ferry in 100 people. It feels like it's 1 in 3000 people. (This is the author's impression.)
Actually boarding the ship
Tickets must be purchased at the ferry terminal 30 minutes before departure on the day of departure. Advance purchases and online purchases cannot be made on the Yonaguni side.
I got very excited when the receptionist told me, "The train will be shaking today."
At that time, I still had this feeling that if I was going to board a boat, I wanted to rock along and tell a heroic tale about it!
The ferry departs
As soon as we set sail, we headed west. We passed the westernmost point of Japan and now we're at the westernmost point of Japan on the sea, so it's time for photos.
This time we went as a group of three.
Shaking so much that it feels dangerous
The rocking wasn't that bad until an hour after we departed, but from then until we arrived, the rocking was the worst I'd ever felt in my life. If I had to compare it to the Bering Sea, I would say.
The shaking was so intense that it was virtually impossible to stand without the handrail, let alone go to the deck.
The up and down shaking is so strong that even if you are sleeping in the guest room you will feel as if you are being woken up and your body is floating.
I could hear someone clearly throwing up from the toilet, "Ehh!!!" It was such a time-distancing scene on board that I felt like I was going to puke too lol
By the way, when I arrived at Ishigaki Port, I grabbed the handrail and got a huge amount of salt on it lol
summary
The ferry was about five times tougher than I had expected.
Once we reached the stone wall the shaking still didn't stop, so we went out to eat dinner and went to bed early.
It's a ship that everyone should try at least once in their life. If you don't have the time or energy, I recommend flying. I wasn't feeling well until the next day.
Especially from November to February, the seas are rough and flights are likely to be canceled, so be sure to consider flying when you enjoy your trip to Yonaguni!
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