To travel from Wakkanai to Rishiri Island, most people use the HeartLand Ferry.
The image below shows the Wakkanai Ferry Terminal.
To reach Rebun Island, you also board the ferry here.
It takes about 12 minutes on foot from Wakkanai Station. If your hotel is farther away, taking a taxi is more convenient
Wakkanai Ferry Terminal Exterior
Ticket Counter
Upon entering the terminal, you will see the HeartLand Ferry ticket counter.
Since July and August are peak seasons for Rishiri and Rebun Islands, I booked my tickets online in early August for a late August trip and completed the payment.
Here, you just need to show the barcode from your reservation email for scanning to receive your ticket.
I got my ticket for the 10:50 AM ferry to Rishiri Island (Oshidomari Port Ferry Terminal) on August 22, 2019.
HeartLand Ferry offers first-class and second-class seats. First-class seats are further divided into regular seating and Japanese-style rooms.
Worried about seasickness, I reserved a first-class regular seat (1等ラウンジ席), which is an assigned seat, so you need to select your seat when booking.
The ticket price at that time was ¥5090 per person (now increased to ¥5180), and the journey takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Terminal Facilities
This is my first time at the Wakkanai Ferry Terminal, so I took a look around the building.
I saw small and medium-sized lockers.
There is also a shop.
Stepping outside the terminal, I saw the Amapola Soya ferry (as introduced on the official website)
It is 95.7 meters long, weighs 3555 tons, and can carry 475-550 people. You can also drive your car onto the ferry.
A view of the terminal building from the other side.
The boarding area is on the second floor, accessible by escalator or elevator.
Since the ferry had just arrived, many people were carrying their luggage downstairs to save time.
Second Floor Facilities
On the second floor.
There is a restaurant selling ramen, udon, soba, curry rice, fried chicken, coffee, and ice cream.
There is also a simple post office where you can buy commemorative stamps.
Next to it is a place to stamp commemorative seals.
Ferry to Rishiri Island
There are two boarding gates on the second floor.
On the day I traveled, Gate 1 was for Rishiri Island, and Gate 2 was for Rebun Island.
Many people were lining up to go to Rebun Island.
Getting ready to board the ferry to Rishiri Island.
After passing the check, you can board the ferry.
The entire passageway felt a bit cold and sterile.
Ferry Cabin Entrance.
Second-Class Cabin
Upon entering, the first thing you see is the second-class seating area.
The second-class seats seemed small and reclinable.
However, these are not assigned seats, so you need to find your own seat.
Second-Class Priority Seats
This is the second-class priority seating area.
It feels more spacious, but it also does not have fixed seats.
Onboard Shop
There are shops here where you can buy drinks and snacks.
They also sell ice cream.
Vending machines.
The restroom entrance looks quite nice.
Luggage storage area
This area is for placing suitcases. We were lucky that day; it wasn’t full.
First-class seats
The first-class seats are on the second floor, so you need to go upstairs.
Upon reaching the second floor, you can see the seating chart at the entrance.
There are roughly four sections, and I chose the one on the left.
This is the first-class seating area.
The seats are quite spacious and can recline.
There are numbers next to the armrests.
The feeling of sitting in the seat.
Footrest.
You can place your drink in front, but the distance is a bit far. If your arms are short, you can’t reach it without moving your body. XD
These are the seats in the middle section.
If you sit in the middle, this is the view looking forward.
The ship also offers free Wi-Fi, though the speed is not fast.
There is a TV, and it happened to be showing an MLB game from the U.S.
The ship is leaving the dock.
The weather was terrible that day; it started to rain.
Couldn’t go to the deck to enjoy the view.
Arrival at Rishiri Island
After 1 hour and 50 minutes, we finally arrived at Rishiri Island – Oshidomari Port.
Coming to the first floor, nothing special.
This is the information desk where you can pick up some tourist brochures about the island.
Take a look at the ticket office.
Because 24 hours later, we have to come back to Oshidomari Port to take a ferry to Rebun Island.
Getting ready to leave, I saw a map of Rishiri Island here.
Finally set foot on the land of Rishiri Island.
This is the Oshidomari Port on Rishiri Island.
Opposite the port, there are restaurants, shops, and car rental companies.
If you plan to rent a car, it’s recommended to book online in advance to avoid the risk of not getting a car.
That’s the situation from Wakkanai to Rishiri Island.
Basic Geographic Information
Introducing the locations of Wakkanai, Rishiri Island, and Rebun Island.
Rishiri Island and Rebun Island are located to the left of Wakkanai, with Rebun Island to the upper left of Rishiri Island.
Oshidomari Port is located in the north of Rishiri Island, while Kafuka Port is in the south of Rebun Island.
Wakkanai to Rishiri Island travel time: 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Rishiri Island to Rebun Island travel time: 45 minutes.
Rebun Island to Wakkanai travel time: 1 hour and 55 minutes.
Additional Information
For ferry reservations, you can book on the HeartLand Ferry website, which is available in both English and Japanese. The process is very simple.
However, note that you need to use a credit card to pay in advance when making a reservation.
『Original Source：https://nicklee.tw/2867/wakanai-to-rishiri/』
