It linked Aomori and Hakodate for 23 years and 7 months: moored just as it was in 1988.
Built at the Mitsubishi shipyards in Kōbe, the Hakkōda-maru linked Aomori and Hakodate from 12 August 1964 to 13 March 1988, the last and longest-serving of the Tsugaru-class ships, shortly before the Seikan Tunnel made the line redundant. It has been moored ever since as it was in service, and today you can visit it in about 40 minutes: the bridge, the engine room and the vast deck for the railway wagons remain open, and a diorama recreates Aomori's morning market of the ’50s.
Japan's first museum devoted to a connecting train ferry, set up in the Hakkōda-maru itself after the Seikan service was discontinued. Opened to the public in July 1990.
ℹ️ April–October 9:00–19:00 (last entry 18:00), November–March 9:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30); closed on Mondays from November to March (or the following day if it is a public holiday), in the second week of March for inspection, and on 31/12–1/1. A few minutes’ walk from JR Aomori Station.
🚉 Aomori · 6 min walk
Holidays in Japan? Plan them with us.Over 2,000 real places, a day-by-day itinerary.FreeOpen the map →Sources: city.aomori.aomori.jp · ja.wikipedia.org
Nearby
A-FACTORY200 mphoto by 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Nebuta no Ie Wa-Rasse200 mphoto by 掬茶 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Sannai-Maruyama Archaeological Site4 kmphoto by z tanuki · CC BY 3.0
Aomori Prefectural Museum of Art4 kmphoto by Angaurits · CC BY-SA 3.0