Tokushima Transportation

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We found a cheap way to get from Tokushima to Kyushu by taking the Tokyo Ocean Ferry line. Tickets for two were about $125 and sailed overnight, arriving in Kita-Kyushu near Hakata early in the morning. The tickets included vouchers for a cab ride to the train station. Accomodations are first or second class, with second class being half as much as the cabin we opted for. If you choose second class there is an open berthing area shown in the pictures. The restaurant had pretty good prices for a captive clientele, the baths were clean and hot and had windows looking out onto the ocean. Toilets are shared but showers are lockable stalls making it far superior to anything we ever had in the navy. They also haul cargo but the plus side is you can bring your car along (+Y14,000).

The ferry is quite large and hugs the coast in open ocean. We had good weather so it didn't rock too much and there are vending machines, a restaurant, a baths and a few other amenities including great views of Shikoku's coast. The only downside was that they hustle you off the boat as soon as it moors.

Tokushima is the central port in the Tokyo-Tokushima- Kita-Kyushu line so I think you could take this to or from Tokyo if you so chose, but I have no experience with that leg. Our travel time was about 12 easy hours. No transferring trains, no hauling luggage from place to place, plenty of space to move around. The chedulemakes it appear that the ferry runs daily, leaving about 3:00.