Ferries from Shinmoji to Osaka and Kobe (2026): 3 Routes, Times and Fares from ¥7,700

There are 3 ferry routes from Shinmoji Port in Kitakyushu to Osaka and Kobe that carry your car too. The adult fare starts at ¥7,700 on Meimon Taiyo Ferry (to Osaka Nanko), economy class, in period A of December 2026, and at ¥8,470 on Hankyu Ferry (to Izumiotsu and to Kobe), standard Japanese-style room. To Osaka Prefecture there are Hankyu Ferry’s Izumiotsu route (every day at 17:30) and Meimon Taiyo Ferry’s Osaka Nanko route (every day at 17:00 and 19:50). To Kobe, Hankyu Ferry goes to Rokko Island. Hankyu Ferry’s booking site has been down since October 22, 2026, with no restart date (the phone reservation center is taking bookings).

In short

Cheapest adult fare: Meimon Taiyo Ferry economy, from ¥7,700 (December, period A). Hankyu Ferry is from ¥8,470.
Izumiotsu: every day, leaves Shinmoji 17:30, arrives 6:00 the next morning.
Kobe: until January 3, 2027, only every other day.
Osaka Nanko: 2 sailings a day, 17:00 and 19:50.
Free shuttle buses to Shinmoji Port run from JR Kokura Station and JR Moji Station.

Checked with official pages on October 22, 2026 (Japan time).

Note: All 3 routes are overnight. The booking sites and phone lines are in Japanese. This page does not say whether staff speak English. For a ferry in Japan, a “Japanese-style room” is a shared room with tatami floor where you sleep on the floor, and fares are per person; cars are charged separately.

1. Timetable and fare comparison of the 3 ferry routes from Shinmoji to Osaka and Kobe

Route	Shinmoji departure → arrival	Sailings	Adult fare (Oct–Dec 2026)
Shinmoji – Izumiotsu (Hankyu)	17:30 → 6:00 next day	1 a day, every day	¥8,470–13,750
Shinmoji – Kobe (Hankyu)	18:40 → 7:10 next day (Fri and Sat 20:00 → 8:30)	1 a day. Every other day until January 3, 2027	¥8,470–13,750
Shinmoji – Osaka Nanko (Meimon Taiyo)	17:00 → 5:30 next day, 19:50 → 8:30 next day	2 a day, every day	¥7,700–12,210

The adult fare is the range by travel period for the cheapest cabin (standard Japanese-style room for Hankyu, economy for Meimon Taiyo). Meimon Taiyo changes its fuel surcharge every month, and the adult fare in period A is ¥8,580 in October, ¥8,140 in November and ¥7,700 in December.

2. Shinmoji – Izumiotsu (Hankyu Ferry) schedule

The Hankyu Ferry route between Shinmoji and Izumiotsu has 1 sailing a day, leaving Shinmoji at 17:30 and arriving at Izumiotsu at 6:00 the next morning. From Izumiotsu it also leaves at 17:30 and arrives at Shinmoji at 6:00. The Izumiotsu terminal is at 1-3 Kozushima-cho, Izumiotsu City, Osaka. On the Shinmoji side you board from Terminal 2. Shinmoji – Izumiotsu timetable, Hankyu Ferry official site (Japanese)

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3. Shinmoji – Kobe (Hankyu Ferry) schedule and cancellations

Hankyu Ferry’s Shinmoji – Kobe route has 1 round trip a day. From Sunday to Thursday it leaves Shinmoji at 18:40 and arrives in Kobe at 7:10 (leaves Kobe at 18:30, arrives Shinmoji at 7:00). On Fridays and Saturdays it leaves both Shinmoji and Kobe at 20:00 and arrives at 8:30 the next day. The Kobe terminal is on Rokko Island (3-2-1 Koyocho-higashi, Higashinada Ward, Kobe), and on the Shinmoji side you board from Terminal 1.

From October 6, 2026 to January 3, 2027, engine maintenance cancels the ship “Yamato”, so only “Settsu” sails, and the route runs only every other day from both Shinmoji and Kobe. The days it runs are shown in the monthly operation calendar. The refund fee for people who had already booked is free (Hankyu Ferry notice of cancellations from October 6, 2026, Japanese). Shinmoji – Kobe timetable and operation calendar, Hankyu Ferry official site (Japanese)

Official video by Hankyu Ferry: tour of the ship “Settsu” on the Shinmoji – Kobe route (title translated)

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4. Hankyu Ferry fares (the same for Izumiotsu and Kobe)

Hankyu Ferry fares have 4 levels, A to D, by season. From October to December 2026, an adult in a standard Japanese-style room pays from ¥8,470 (period A, off-season) to ¥13,750 (period D, busiest season). The Izumiotsu and Kobe routes cost the same. Adults are 12 and over. Children (elementary school) are half the adult fare (rounded up to the next ¥10). One infant aged 1 up to school age is free per adult.

Carrying a car in period A costs ¥17,600 for under 3 m, ¥22,000 for under 4 m, ¥26,400 for under 5 m and ¥30,800 for under 6 m, and the driver’s standard Japanese-style room fare is free. Online booking is described as 20% off except in periods C and D. Kobe route fares, Hankyu Ferry official site (Japanese) / Izumiotsu route fares (Japanese)

5. Shinmoji – Osaka Nanko (Meimon Taiyo Ferry) schedule

Meimon Taiyo Ferry’s Shinmoji – Osaka Nanko route has 2 sailings a day: leaving at 17:00 and arriving at 5:30 the next morning, and leaving at 19:50 and arriving at 8:30. The times from Osaka Nanko are the same (the single sailing from Osaka Nanko on January 1 and 2 leaves at 18:30 and arrives at 7:00). The Osaka Nanko terminal (2-2-24 Nankominami, Suminoe Ward, Osaka) is about a 10-minute walk from Ferry Terminal Station. Routes and timetable, Meimon Taiyo Ferry official site (Japanese)

Official video by Meimon Taiyo Ferry: drone tour of the ship “Ferry Kyoto” (title translated)

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6. Meimon Taiyo Ferry fares

Meimon Taiyo Ferry fares have 3 levels, A to C, and change by month. The adult economy fare in period A is ¥8,580 in October, ¥8,140 in November and ¥7,700 in December, and ¥11,330–12,210 in period C (busy season). Children (elementary school) are half. One infant from age 1 up to school age who shares a bed is free per adult, and infants age 0 are free.

The car fare includes 1 driver’s economy fare. In period A of November 2026 it is ¥16,940 for under 3 m, ¥21,340 for 3–4 m, ¥25,740 for 4–5 m and ¥30,140 for 5–6 m. Fares, Meimon Taiyo Ferry official site (Japanese)

7. Booking, and the free shuttle bus to Shinmoji Port

Hankyu Ferry’s booking site and My Page have been unavailable for system maintenance since October 22, 2026, with no restart date (Hankyu Ferry notice of October 22, 2026, Japanese). By phone, you can book through the reservation center at 0570-01-8989 (9:00–18:00), and you can also buy at the terminal counter on the day of sailing. Meimon Taiyo Ferry takes bookings on the web booking page of its official site.

Free buses to Shinmoji Port run from the Shinkansen (north) exit of JR Kokura Station and from JR Moji Station, and you take the bus of the company you are sailing with. For Hankyu Ferry, the bus for the Izumiotsu route leaves Kokura Station at 16:10, and for the Kobe route at 17:20 (18:40 on Fri and Sat). For Meimon Taiyo Ferry, buses leave at 15:40 and 18:40 and arrive at Shinmoji Port at 16:20 and 19:20. Shuttle bus, Izumiotsu route, Hankyu Ferry (Japanese) / Kobe route (Japanese) / Shinmoji Port boarding guide, Meimon Taiyo Ferry (Japanese)

The terminals differ by company: Hankyu Ferry is at 1-1 Shinmoji-kita, Moji Ward, and Meimon Taiyo Ferry at 1-6 Shinmoji, Moji Ward. Arrive 60 minutes before departure for Hankyu Ferry (90 minutes in the busy season), and for Meimon Taiyo Ferry 60 minutes before for cars (90 minutes in period C) and 30 minutes before on foot.

To compare with other ferry routes from Kyushu, see our summary of ferry routes in Kyushu (Japanese).