Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
valley
dani, tani
谷
waterfall
taki
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SAFETY AND COMFORT ON BOARD
Since there are thousands of islands in Japan
every day, from Wakkanai, Hokkaido to Yonaguni-jima,
there are hundreds of ships with tens of thousands of passengers at sea. How safe, and how comfort-
able, are the ferries?
First consideraion: Safety.
Japan's passenger shipping industry is second to none in its safety record.
It is subject to one of the world's most rigorous inspecion regimens and the leet is regarded as one
of the best maintained in the world. Nevertheless, there have been catastrophes. The last major dis-
aster was in 1963. Then, the
Midori Maru
bound for Kumejima hit sudden squalls and unusually high
seas and foundered on a sand island, an uninhabited outcropping in the Keramas. She went down and
112 lives were lost. Since that ime, there have been no such disasters in the Ryukyus.
Second consideraion: Comfort.
Broadly speaking, there are three sizes of ships used for passenger
ferry traic: small, medium and large. Small ships, for trips under an hour, usually ofer hard plasic
seats both in the cabin and outdoors. It's not very comfortable but at least the trip is short. Medium-
sized ships, used for journeys that take 2-4 hours, generally have reclining airline-style seaing, air-
condiioning, restrooms and a snack bar. In addiion, there is always outdoor space on top for bet-
ter viewing or fresh air. On longer journeys of 5-20 hours or more, large ships will always have com-
fortable in-board seaing,
tatami
-style resing accommodaions, dining faciliies and, at addiional ex-
pense, private cabins, the most comfortable of all. But don't worry. Most passengers sleep quite well
in the tatami rooms. One important safety and comfort note: passengers are not allowed to sleep in
their vehicles. There is the danger of poisoning from carbon monoxide gas or other fumes.
