The is a privately-owned

cruiseferry A cruiseferry is a ship that combines the features of a cruise ship and a Ro-Pax ferry. Many passengers travel with the ships for the cruise experience, staying only a few hours at the destination port or not leaving the ship at all, while ot ...

operator connecting

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

Sendai is the capital Cities of Japan, city of Miyagi Prefecture and the largest city in the Tōhoku region. , the city had a population of 1,098,335 in 539,698 households, making it the List of cities in Japan, twelfth most populated city in Japan. ...

, and

Tomakomai is a city and port in Iburi Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. It is the largest city in the Iburi Subprefecture, and the fourth largest city in Hokkaido. As of 31 July 2023, it had an estimated population of 167,372, with 83,836 households, an ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is a subsidiary of the Nagoya-based

Meitetsu Group The of companies centers on the Nagoya Railroad railway company, which links Nagoya and its suburbs. Many companies in the group are designed to enhance the value of the Meitetsu rail network. In addition to the railroad system, the group includes ...

, a group of companies that focuses primarily on rail transport in the

Chūkyō metropolitan area , or the , is a major metropolitan area in Japan that is centered on the city of Nagoya (the "Nagoya#Etymology, Chūkyō", i.e., the "capital in the middle") in Aichi Prefecture. The area makes up the most urbanized part of the Tōkai region. The ...

History

The Taiheiyō Ferry was first founded as the in 1970, operating a line between Nagoya and Ōita City with the ''Arkas'', with a stop at

Nachikatsuura, Wakayama 270px, Nachikatsuura town hall is a town located in Higashimuro District, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan. , the town had an estimated population of 14,420 in 7,622 households and a population density of 79 persons per km2. The total area of the town ...

added in May 3rd, 1975. The current route between Nagoya, Sendai, and Tomakomai soon began in 1973. In 1982, the Meitetsu Group acquired the Taiheiyō Enkai Ferry and renamed it to its current name.

Routes

The Taiheiyō Ferry operates a single regular route between Nagoya, Sendai, and Tomakomai. Ships operate every day between Sendai and Tomakomai, and every other day between Nagoya and Sendai. Out of the three ships the company operates, only the ''Kiso'' and ''Ishikari'' stop at Nagoya. The company also operates seasonal routes to

Ise Bay is a bay located at the mouth of the Kiso Three Rivers between Mie prefecture, Mie and Aichi prefecture, Aichi Prefectures in Japan. Ise Bay has an average depth of and a maximum depth of . The mouth of the bay is and is connected to the small ...

Kōchi Kochi is a city in Kerala, India. Kochi or Kōchi may also refer to: People * Kochi people, a predominantly Pashtun nomadic people of Afghanistan * , a Japanese surname: ** Arata Kochi (born 1948 or 1949), Japanese physician and World Health Org ...

Okinawa most commonly refers to: * Okinawa Prefecture, Japan's southernmost prefecture * Okinawa Island, the largest island of Okinawa Prefecture * Okinawa Islands, an island group including Okinawa itself * Okinawa (city), the second largest city in th ...

, and the

Bonin Islands The Bonin Islands, also known as the , is a list of islands of Japan, Japanese archipelago of over 30 subtropical and Island#Tropical islands, tropical islands located around SSE of Tokyo and northwest of Guam. The group as a whole has a total ...

Fleet

Current fleet

The Taiheiyō Ferry has operated a total of twelve ships, three of which are in operation: the ''Kiso'', ''Ishikari'', and ''Kitakami'', which are named after the Kiso,

Ishikari is a city located in Ishikari Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan. As of July 31, 2023, the city had an estimated population of 57,764, with 27,434 households, and a density of 80 persons per km². The total area is . On October 1, 2005, the villa ...

, and Kitakami rivers, respectively. The names are chosen to represent each region ( Chūbu,

Hokkaido is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...

, and Tōhoku) that the ferry serves. All ships can carry a certain number of cars as well as passengers. Additionally, all ships are equipped with dining rooms and rooms for lodging.

Former fleet

Incidents

During the

2011 Tōhoku earthquake Eleven or 11 may refer to: *11 (number) * One of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011 Literature * ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn *''Eleven'', a 1970 collection of short stories by Patricia Highsmith *''Eleven'' ...

, the ''Kitakami'' (1st generation) was moored at Sendai. The ''Kitakami'' managed to escape to sea before the ensuing tsunami, but Taiheiyō Ferry's terminal was heavily damaged along with the rest of the Port of Sendai. 123 cars belonging to the company and most of the equipment on shore were lost. Regular services to Sendai resumed on June 5, and repairs to the terminal building were completed on July 8.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Taiheiyo Ferry Ferry companies of Japan 1970 establishments in Japan