The new car ferry Tokiwa Maru of Sado Kisen Kaisha (HQ: Sado City) will start regular service on 8 April.

The Tokiwa Maru is a large car ferry that will operate on the Ryotsu - Niigata route as the successor to the ageing Oosado Maru. It has a gross tonnage of 5,380 tonnes, an overall length of 125 m, a maximum passenger capacity of 1,500 and can carry 28 large buses, 8 passenger cars or 168 passenger cars. Although slightly smaller than the Oosado Maru and Okesa Maru, it is a large car ferry on Japan's remote island routes.

The new link between Ryotsu and Niigata takes 2 hours 20 minutes. (10 minutes less than before).

Previous Sado Kisen car ferries have been painted in white, but the Tokiwa Maru is painted in blue. In addition, the wheelhouse and chimney are coloured with black and red lines. This is in reference to the image of the 'Toki' (egret).

Prior to the regular launch of the Tokiwa Maru, an open house was held at Niigata Port on the morning of Saturday 5 April, which I visited.

According to the schedule, the public opening was to start at 10:00 AM, so we entered Niigata Port at 9:00 AM, looking to have quite a bit of time to spare.

I must have arrived an hour "early", but there is already a long queue in front of the reception desk. Even at a cursory glance, there are more than a hundred people in the queue. The queue continues to grow.

Eventually, the entrance started around 9:35 AM, earlier than planned. In order to prevent accidents, people proceeded through the ticket gates in sections of 10 to 20 people each.

Finally, the Tokiwa Maru came into view. A group of mothers nearby exclaimed, "Wow, it's big, I didn't know it was such a big ship".

As mentioned above, the Okesamaru and Oosadomaru are actually slightly larger than the Tokiwa Maru. When asked, these mothers had never used Sado Kisen before. In other words, people who had never been to Sado were interested in the Tokiwa Maru. I have a feeling that the number of tourists visiting Sado Island is likely to increase significantly as a result of the Tokiwa Maru.

Finally, we enter the ship. I knew the well when I walked on board because it had been reported that the interior was "like a luxury hotel", but I was surprised by the entrance hall. The interior is completely different from the car ferries of the past, with a chic interior with precious wood grain. It certainly has the feel of a 'luxury hotel'.

 こちらは「2等イス席」です。これまでのカーフェリーでは、2等はジュータン席のみでした。こちらのイスはリクライニングはできないのですが、座り心地は良かったです。

This is the '2nd class jutan seat'. The colour of the jutan is also subdued. The space between the aisle and the door is partitioned off by frosted glass, giving it a bright, open impression.

Next is the 'Event Plaza', located in the aft section of the ship.

Traditional Sado performing arts such as onidaiko are performed here, and various events are also held.

After this, you will proceed to areas that are not usually accessible, such as the first-class and special-class cabins.

・・・という肝心なところで、緊急事態が発生しました。

The battery in my digital camera ran out (tears).

As this is unavoidable, the camera on the smartphone will continue to take photos from then on.

This is the 'first-class chair seat'. The level of comfort is considerably increased.

そして、こちらは「ときわ丸」の目玉のひとつ「展望ラウンジ」です。

It is located on the floor just below the wheelhouse and offers the same view as the captain. However, there were just so many visitors that day that the observation lounge was full of people. So many people that the windowpanes were fogged up and we couldn't see the scenery outside very well.

This time, we were also able to visit the wheelhouse, which is not normally accessible. There are all sorts of equipment.

Incidentally, there is a window at the rear of the wheelhouse, from which it seems possible to observe the ship.

 船内には佐渡の風景を描いた版画や絵画が多数展示してあります。他にもトイレ入り口などの壁紙にも佐渡の名勝が描かれています。

Other features that were not previously available on car ferries include a children's room, a nursing room and priority seating for parents and children, so that passengers with small children can enjoy the journey with peace of mind.

The public access was until 11:30 AM. We got off the ship a little earlier than that, around 11:20 AM, but there was still a long queue of people trying to enter in front of the ticket gate. The Sado Kisen staff told us that there were more than 3,000 visitors at that point.

The ship has a capacity of 1,500 passengers, so there were probably more people on board than would have been possible during normal navigation.

I actually went inside and found that the ship was even better than I had imagined. I would like to go on a trip to Sado Island on the Tokiwa Maru in the near future.

A detailed report is also available in Sado ni koi koicha (Come to Sado), if you wish to read it.

Come to Sado: http: //sadokoi.com/report/tokiwamaru_2014_01.html

Vessel information

• Scenic spot: Tokiwa Maru
• Owner: Sado Kisen Kaisha, Ltd.
• Website :http://www.sadokisen.co.jp/
• Service routes: Niigata - Ryotsu route (two vessels with Okesa Maru).
• Year of construction: March 2014
• Date of commencement of regular sailing: 8 April 2014