📖 MOL Sunflower Ferry (Tokyo ↔ Hokkaido) (商船三井さんふらわあ)

🎨 Guide Gallery

MOL Sunflower Ferry (Tokyo ↔ Hokkaido) (商船三井��さんふらわあ) image 2

MOL Sunflower Ferry (Tokyo ↔ Hokkaido) (商船三井さんふらわあ) image 3

MOL Sunflower Ferry (Tokyo ↔ Hokkaido) (商船三井さんふらわあ) image 4

MOL Sunflower Ferry (Tokyo ↔ Hokkaido) (商船三井さんふらわあ) image 5

MOL Sunflower Ferry (Tokyo ↔ Hokkaido) (商船三井さんふらわあ) image 6

📝 Introduction

A cheap and convenient sea voyage between the Tokyo area and Hokkaido, leaving beautiful memories of your trip.

📖 Details

MOL Ferry Co., Ltd. operates the ferry "Sunflower" (さんふらわあ), which runs between the Tokyo area and Hokkaido as a leisure ferry with reasonable prices. The ship sails in the evening, offering a choice of luxurious cabins or relaxing traditional Japanese-style rooms, allowing passengers to experience a comfortable and unique sea journey. Additionally, late-night services are also available. Onboard, there is a luxurious restaurant and an observation bath where guests can enjoy stunning ocean views, providing a level of comfort that feels almost unimaginable for a ship. Outside, the expansive scenery of the Pacific Ocean awaits, while inside, various entertainment activities are often held, making the journey itself a wonderful travel experience. At the Sunflower terminals, services are available for travelers to receive interpretation via video calls. Onboard (during evening sailings), there are also automated interpreting devices "ili PRO" that support Chinese, English, and Korean, ensuring that international travelers can feel at ease.

⭐ Highlights

It is cheaper than the price of airplanes or the Shinkansen, and children who have not yet started school can ride for free. You can immerse yourself in the vast natural scenery of the Pacific Ocean, enjoying a leisurely vacation while on the move. The beautifully designed new ship has well-equipped facilities and frequently hosts a variety of entertaining activities such as concerts. A translation system accommodating Chinese, English, and Korean is available. Compared to airplanes, there are no restrictions on the number or weight of luggage passengers can bring within a general range. Additionally, there are many free storage lockers available on board, including both large and small sizes.

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are there no security issues?

A: Mitsui O.S.K. Line Ferries, which operates ferries, stated that in the event of a typhoon or other poor weather conditions, they will cautiously determine whether to sail or cancel the voyage based on low-pressure and typhoon-related information. For safety reasons, the decision will be made right up until the moment of departure. However, in the event of a canceled flight, passengers may change to another sailing or receive a full refund. When sailing in adverse weather conditions, there may be unexpected situations due to severe rolling of the ship, so it is mentioned in the precautions that pregnant women and travelers who are injured or ill should inform the staff when making reservations or boarding arrangements. It is clear that they place a high priority on the safety of every passenger.

Q: Is there any issue with cleanliness and hygiene?

A: Since it started operating in 2017, the newly built ship offers a clean and open space inside, allowing passengers to comfortably enjoy a leisurely journey at sea.

Q: Can you use the internet?

A: Originally, there was no wired LAN network set up on the ship, making it difficult for devices like smartphones to access the internet during the voyage. However, starting from 2019, Wi-Fi services from docomo/SoftBank/AU have been installed, allowing passengers to connect to the internet without relying on their mobile carriers. Additionally, passengers can use their own smartphones or tablets to access the ship's exclusive entertainment service, SSQ (SunFlower Smart QUEST), which offers about 100 movies. It's great to enjoy this service for free. In certain navigation areas, there are portions of the sea where a connection is possible, but almost every mobile carrier's signal becomes unavailable while at sea. Due to the lack of mobile connectivity during the voyage, there is also a coin-operated ship phone available on board (calls cannot be made to the coin-operated ship phone from land).