{"id":2002,"date":"2025-04-03T16:09:27","date_gmt":"2025-04-03T07:09:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/?p=2002"},"modified":"2025-04-03T16:09:27","modified_gmt":"2025-04-03T07:09:27","slug":"one-piece-fever-is-real-i-took-the-ariake-ferry-to-be-king-of-the-pirates","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/archives\/one-piece-fever-is-real-i-took-the-ariake-ferry-to-be-king-of-the-pirates.html","title":{"rendered":"One Piece Fever is Real! I Took the Ariake Ferry to be King of the Pirates!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hello, everyone!<\/span><\/p>\n

Lately, One Piece has been making waves, and I\u2019ve been caught up in the excitement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fun fact: The One Piece creator, Eiichiro Oda, is from Kumamoto!<\/span><\/p>\n

As the story approaches its climax, the intense developments have reignited my love for the sea. So, in the spirit of adventure, I decided to embark on a thrilling voyage.<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, let’s set sail!<\/span><\/p>\n

The Cheapest Way to Cross from Nagasaki to Kumamoto: The Ariake Ferry<\/b><\/h2>\n

My mission: to become king of the pirates, of course! And how to accomplish this? Witness the sunrise from the deck of the ship!<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Getting to Nagasu Port from Kumamoto City takes about an hour by car, so I set off at 4 AM.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I arrived an hour before the ferry’s departure time.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The first ferry departs at 6 am, but tickets go on sale at 5:20 am. So, I waited and got my ticket as soon as I could.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Now, let\u2019s talk about the price and convenience of this ferry!<\/span>
\n<\/span>For just 2,060 yen, you can cross the sea with a kei car and one adult. If you\u2019re traveling alone on foot, it\u2019s an unbelievable 450 yen.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Want to save even more? They offer a set of four tickets at a discounted rate.<\/span>
\n<\/span>With affordable pricing and departures running roughly every hour, this ferry makes hopping over to Nagasaki incredibly easy.\u00a0It\u2019s probably one of the most convenient ferry routes in the region!<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>With affordable pricing and departures running roughly every hour, this ferry makes hopping over to Nagasaki incredibly easy.\u00a0It\u2019s probably one of the most convenient ferry routes in the region!<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>Plus, since it crosses the Ariake Sea\u2014a relatively calm inland sea\u2014it operates even in slightly bad weather.<\/span><\/p>\n

Setting Sail!<\/b><\/h2>\n

Weather and scenery change in the blink of an eye. Once you board, you never know when the perfect photo opportunity will arise.<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

That\u2019s why it\u2019s crucial to use the restroom before boarding!<\/span><\/p>\n

Now, it’s time to head to the terminal.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The terminal building has a unique, elongated design.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a restroom near the entrance, so I took care of business before heading in.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a small shop inside, but as it was just after 5am, it wasn’t open yet.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>The terminal was dim and quiet in the early morning. Almost liminal.<\/span>
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Need supplies before boarding? There\u2019s a Lawson convenience store (Tamana Nagasu branch) right in front of the port. Super handy!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The skies started out a little cloudy, but cleared up before long.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I immediately rushed to the observation deck.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ideally, I wanted to see the sun rise from the ocean, but since it was summer, the sun was already peeking above the horizon before we left the port.<\/span><\/p>\n

That said, I still couldn\u2019t see the sun directly, so I decided that was good enough!<\/span><\/p>\n

Lost in the world of One Piece, I was ready to witness something magical.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

As we set sail, the sun was still behind a thin veil of clouds, making its light hazy and dreamlike.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then, after patiently watching the shifting scenery\u2026<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The sun finally emerged in its full, round glory.<\/span><\/p>\n

The sky transformed into a gradient of deep blue and warm golden hues.<\/span><\/p>\n

A contrail stretched across the sky as we glided over the calm sea.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Behind me, Kumamoto was fading into the distance.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ahead, Nagasaki grew closer.<\/span>
\n<\/span>
\n<\/span>By the time we arrived, it was still only 7 AM\u2014the entire day lay ahead of me.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fueled by this incredible start, I was looking forward to a day of adventures in Nagasaki!<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One Piece has been loved not only in Japan but all over the world since its series started in 1997.<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve never read it, or if it\u2019s been a while and you\u2019ve forgotten the details, why not dive back in?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

And if, like me, you find yourself inspired, why not take a ferry trip not just as a means of transport, but as an adventure in itself?<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A journey across the sea, chasing the romance of a sunrise\u2014now that\u2019s something worth experiencing.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Hello, everyone! Lately, One Piece has been making waves, and I\u2019ve been caught up in the excitement. Fun fact: The One P … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9,13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2002","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-region","category-sightseeing"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2002"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2018,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2002\/revisions\/2018"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/higojournal.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}