Since we’d spent nearly fourteen months travelling all the way from Cameroon mostly overland, we didn’t want to fly to our trip’s end destination, Japan. Instead, in South Korea we took a couple of buses from Seoul to Busan to catch an overnight ferry to Japan. We tried to book tickets in advance, but online everything was showing up sold out. So rather than just leave it alone, we headed to the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal in person.
This post is about our experience taking the overnight ferry from South Korea (Busan) to Japan (Fukuoka).
Before you go
You most likely do not need a visa for either of these countries (check that, according to your nationality). After travelling for so long we were running low on passport pages. If you’re in the same situation no worries, on arrival they only add a tiny sticker to your dwindling space.
On an overnight ferry, the trip is about eight and a half hours long, not counting additional time for checking in, waiting, dis/embarking, and so on.
They might search your luggage when you arrive in Japan. So don’t be carrying fruit, meat, or things like that.
There is a cafeteria onboard which wasn’t selling meals when we sailed. The tuck shop sold snack-type stuff and instant ramen, and beverages (beer). There are microwaves and drinking water dispensers, hot water too. We are very wary of any sort of public transport at this point (one too many trips spent either starving or nibbling on stale biscuits) so we had food with us.
Have an eSim like Airalo already downloaded and ready to go.
Seoul to Busan
You can get to Busan in two and a half hours with the high speed train link from Seoul.
We didn’t want to go right away, so we took the high speed train to Pohang. That’s also two and a half hours. There we changed to a local train to Gyeongju. That’s a nice town to spend a day in, and we stayed a couple of nights just to visit some tombs around town. Not incredibly interesting, if I’m being honest, but since this is Korea we’re talking about, we also had some delicious dinners there and that’s reason enough.
From Gyeongju we caught a bus to Busan, that takes one hour. Then we stayed a night in the Haeundae beach area – also heaving with good food opportunities.
Get your ferry tickets
Try to book the ferry tickets online ahead of time to be on the safe side. We tried just a few days in advance and everything was ‘sold out’ – but actually, not really. When we went to the port offices in Busan in person, there was plenty of availability.
Tickets are sold at a whole slew of offices on the second floor at Busan Port International Passenger Terminal. To get to the terminal, take the metro to Choryang station (fifty minutes from Haeundae). Then walk fifteen minutes to the huge terminal building.
There are several ferry companies. New Camellia and Queen Beetle leave for Fukuoka. Pan Star goes to Osaka and Tsushima. Nina goes to Tsushima. Pukwan goes to Shimonoseki.
We booked tickets to Fukuoka with New Camellia, since they were the only office that was open at the time. Also we weren’t hugely worried about where we ended up, as long as it was in Japan.
We sprung for a first class cabin for two people which was quite nice with a window, two bunks and a bathroom. Even a shower, not that we bothered. It’s not an expensive way to travel – our tickets cost a bit less than 100 USD each (278 000 won for two). You can also get a first class cabin for four people (not sure if as a solo traveler, you could book a single bunk in a shared cabin for yourself). Economy class is big open rooms with sleeping mats in rows along the sides. If you’re a solo traveller that looked like a perfectly fine and comfortable option if you don’t want to buy your own cabin.
Departure, and onboard the ferry
To get to the ferry terminal in Busan, take the metro to Choryang station (fifty minutes from Haeundae), and then walk fifteen minutes to the huge terminal building.
On the day of travel you have to come back early to check in and pick up your boarding card well before boarding actually starts. In our case, we had to check in before 16:00, with our ferry not scheduled to depart at 23.00.
Next we cleared customs in the same building, and then we waited around two and a half hours before all passengers were there and allowed to board the vessel. We boarded around 19.30 and the ferry left around 23:00.
We didn’t mind all the waiting around onboard. As you board you go straight to reception, show your boarding cards, and get your room number and key. So we went to our cabin and made ourselves at home.
Then we wandered around the vessel.
We saw the Economy class dorm-style rooms which looked clean and comfortable (especially in comparison with say, sleeper class on an Indian train). We checked out the cafeteria and the lounge areas where a lot of people were heating up noodles or cracking open a beer.
Since the ferry travels between South Korea and Japan you have the opportunity to get squeaky-clean: there’s a sento (communal bathhouse) onboard.
Of course there’s a games room in case you want to win some plastic junk to add to your backpack, and, ta-dah! Karaoke rooms!
Arriving in Japan
The ferry arrived in Hakata Port International Terminal in Fukuoka around 07:30 the next morning. It’s about an 8.5 hour long trip, not counting checking in and waiting time. There’s no rush to get off the vessel if you want to eat something or wait for the crowds to thin at the exit.
Arriving at the ferry port is like arriving at an airport. Just join the queue for passport control and away you go!
Fukuoka to Nagasaki
There’s a tourist information desk at the Hakata ferry terminal. You can get some amount of help here with local city transport around Fukuoka.
From out front of the ferry terminal building, we took a taxi to the Hakata bus terminal. At the bus terminal we got a bus to Nagasaki which took around two hours.
There’s also a bus from the ferry terminal to the centre of town.
Read More
For more of our adventures (and misadventures) as we travel from Cameroon to Japan, check out the rest of my stories from the road.
We’ve crossed a lot of borders by all sorts of random transport. Have a look at our Asia and Africa border crossing reports for strange stories and sage advice.
