We'll guide you through a roughly 12-hour overnight journey from Shinmoji Port to Osaka South Port on the Meimon Taiyo Ferry!
This time, I'm taking a trip to Osaka! I used the "Meimon Taiyo Ferry" to travel from Nagasaki to Osaka, so I'd like to share my review!
In conclusion, "It was a very comfortable and enjoyable experience! This time, we arrived at Shinmoji Port at 5:50 PM , two hours before the 7:50 PM departure , and the car didn't leave the ship until 8:50 AM the next morning, so it took about 14 hours! But it was a memorable and wonderful experience! "
Our journey this time began in Nagasaki City, and we arrived at Shinmoji Port of the Meimon Taiyo Ferry at approximately 17:50!
The main event of this "Osaka trip" is the " Naniwa Yodogawa Fireworks Festival, " which will be held on October 17, 2026, so we thought we might as well take a "ferry" to see it! And we also wanted the kids to enjoy the boat trip, so we did some research and found that there are ferries departing from Shinmoji Port and ferries departing from Oita, and after doing some research, we decided to use the "Meimon Taiyo Ferry" which goes from "Shinmoji Port to Osaka South Port"!
As you can see in this video, I boarded the ship on October 16, 2026!
The trip was planned for a total of seven people: four adults, two children under elementary school age, and one 3-year-old. We also planned to bring a Nissan Serena (under 5m) on board, and then make a quick trip back by car on the highway!
For the seven of us mentioned above, we booked a "Tourist" room, and the discounted price through online booking was 54,050 yen!
▼Tourist's Room
It's like a capsule hotel with rooms facing each other, each consisting of a small room!
It felt like a secret base, and as a child, I was excited and comfortable there (lol).
For more details, please check our official website!
[Official] Meimon Taiyo Ferry
Well, if I can get accommodation and transportation for this price, there's no problem, and I don't want to get tired from traveling by car on the way there, so I think it's reasonable!
Also, since we were there, we enjoyed dinner and breakfast buffets at the ship's restaurant!
▼Information on restaurant prices on board the Meimon Taiyo Ferry (Fukuoka-go)
▼Dinner buffet hours: 19:00 - 21:30
Category-based charges
Adults: 2,000 yen (general admission)
Seniors: 1,600 yen for those 70 years and older
Children: Elementary school students 1,000 yen
*Seniors (70 years and older) are required to present official identification that verifies their age.
▼Breakfast buffet hours: 6:40 AM until 20 minutes before arrival
Category-based charges
Adults: 800 yen (general admission)
Seniors: 70 years and older - 800 yen
Children: Elementary school students 500 yen
*Seniors are required to present official identification that verifies their age.
▼Dinner & Breakfast Set (Special Set Price)
If you plan to use both dinner and breakfast, a set ticket is a better deal.
Category-based charges (better than paying individually...)
Adults: General admission 2,600 yen. Save 200 yen!
Seniors: 70 years and older, 2,200 yen (a 200 yen discount!)
Children: Elementary school students 1,400 yen (100 yen discount!)
*Seniors are required to present official identification that verifies their age.
Terms of Use and Information
Payment: Please pay upon entering the store (prepayment required).
Alcoholic beverages: Additional charges apply.
All prices shown include tax.
Since we're here, we decided to order a dinner and breakfast buffet set at the ship's restaurant!
The total for dinner was 13,200 yen!
The total comes to 67,250 yen!
It costs about the same as a hotel stay, plus you get to experience traveling by boat, so this sounds pretty good! (lol)
More importantly, this will be only the second cruise trip for my wife and me, and the first time ever for our children and their grandmother! We booked it hoping that this experience will be useful for their future life experiences!
▼Now, let me introduce them!
Arrived at Shinmoji Port at 17:50!!
It took about two and a half hours to get there from Nagasaki!
There was a bit of traffic congestion near the Kiyama Parking Area, but we arrived without any problems!
After getting off the highway, I found a gas station nearby, so I filled up and boarded the ship with a full tank!
If you have made a reservation online, check-in is complete once you scan the QR code on the login screen and receive a "paper card" to place in front of your car!
The registration process was completed very easily!
There was a replica model at the reception desk of Meimon Taiyo Ferry at Shinmoji Port!
The kids were so excited! (lol)
Those who didn't have a car were waiting here!
You can enter on foot from here!
The truck was making multiple trips, moving its cargo bed back and forth!
They were in the middle of transporting a huge amount of cargo!
This is the entrance!
Many different kinds of people came here!
The spacious atrium feels so refreshing!
They are currently open until 10 PM!
They sell a variety of items, from souvenirs and alcoholic beverages to juices, bento boxes, ice cream, and more!
This is the Meimon Taiyo Ferry game corner!
We also had pachislot machines, crane games, and more!
Vending machine!
They also sold alcohol, juice, ice cream, and instant noodles!
It was being sold at a slightly high price!
This is the buffet car on the prestigious Taiyo Ferry!
This is how I paid this time using PayPay!
Many customers ordered them as a set!
These are the alcohol prices at the prestigious Taiyo Ferry Restaurant!
You can enjoy it however you like!
For dinner, there was a soft drink bar, so the price included drinks for the children!
We have a wide variety of products in our lineup!
This is an irresistible sight for me, someone who loves the color brown!
Also, the food offered changed depending on the time of day, so it was fun to see what was available each time I went to get some!
It's nice that it's gradually removing mostly brown hairs!
Preparing this many varieties alone is a lot of work, so a buffet is a lifesaver!
The children were all enjoying themselves and eating as they pleased!
There's a drink bar, so drinks aren't a problem (lol).
We also enjoyed the customizable dishes that are a staple of buffets!
I also enjoyed making a katsuo donburi (bonito rice bowl) with bonito sashimi topped with tofu, green onions, and bonito flakes!
I'm really full!!!
We departed while the buffet was still going on!
I was having so much fun that I didn't realize it until later, but I'm heading to Osaka!
Onboard, we spent the time exploring with the kids and taking baths, and it felt like time flew by in an instant!
I enjoyed it too!
I loved the feeling of the pitch-black darkness gradually giving way to light!
I was driving at about 30 km/h, but it felt faster than I expected.
Also, I'll watch the sunrise before having a light meal!
The island you can see ahead is Awaji Island!
The sunrise was amazing!!!
It's past 6:40, so let's go to breakfast!
Everyone gets changed and heads to the place where we had dinner last night for breakfast!
I don't usually eat breakfast, but I made sure to have a hearty breakfast on this special occasion!
No, a punch to the stomach!!
The kids were busy taking and eating all sorts of things at the buffet the whole time, so I'm sure they had a great time (lol).
Coffee time at the breakfast buffet!
This is another elegant moment!
There was also milk available, so my wife enjoyed a café au lait!
Mixing ingredients like this is also part of the fun of a buffet (lol).
I've shown you the onboard conditions and buffet of the "Meimon Taiyo Ferry," and it was a lot of fun!
Also, the kids were so excited in the room that they couldn't sleep for a while, but I was able to get a really good night's sleep, which was super comfortable!
I hope this video and blog post will be helpful!
Thank you for reading to the end!
I look forward to your continued support!
