The is Japanese ferry

Ferry

A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...

 which links between Kagoshima Port and Sakurajima

Sakurajima

, also romanized as Sakurashima or Sakura-jima, is an active composite volcano and a former island of the same name in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan...

 Port, both in Kagoshima prefecture.
It is administered by Kagoshima City Ship Department.

Overview

In 1914, the eruption of Mt. Sakurajima

Sakurajima

, also romanized as Sakurashima or Sakura-jima, is an active composite volcano and a former island of the same name in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyūshū, Japan...

 affected the islands inhabitants. They demanded a regular ferry service between Sakurajima and Kagoshima City for emergency restoration and commuting as part of educational development. Thus, a ferry line was established by Sakurajima village office on November 19, 1934. The number of ferries increased, and nowadays there is one ferry every 10 minutes during the daytime and every hour during the night. It takes about 13 minutes to go the 3.5 km across the bay. In 2004, the ferries carried 5.5 million people and 1.64 million vehicles. The reason for there being such a large number of passengers way beyond the number of inhabitants in Sakurajima is the great reduction in the time required compared with the land route.

In the event of Sakurajima erupting, there are special places to anchor the ferry for evacuation of the inhabitants. When heavy rains caused floods in August 1993, Sakurajima ferries helped to rescue residents cut off in the Ryūgamizu area. At the time, the Ryūgamizu area had no place for ferries to anchor, so local fishing boats helped take people from the shore to the ferries.
During summer, one ferry is operated as excursion ship (to enjoy sights, drinking and in some instances fireworks

Fireworks

Fireworks are a class of explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. The most common use of a firework is as part of a fireworks display. A fireworks event is a display of the effects produced by firework devices...

). Ferries can also be chartered for weddings, etc.

There is a udon

Udon

is a type of thick wheat-flour noodle of Japanese cuisine.Udon is usually served hot as noodle soup in its simplest form as kake udon, in a mildly flavoured broth called kakejiru which is made of dashi, soy sauce , and mirin. It is usually topped with thinly chopped scallions...

 restaurant called Yabukin on each ferry. In spite of that people have to eat the udon in a mere 15 minutes, it is extremely popular.

Chronology

• August 1930: Shōwa-maru launched (with 70 seats)
• November 19, 1934: Service started
• October 1939: Started to connect with bases of Sakurajima
• 1941: Sakurajima-maru launched (can carry three freight cars)
• July 1, 1944: Quay maintenance finished and started to carry cars
• October 1951: Two ferries were damaged by Typhoon Ruth
• December 1962 - March 1970: Hydrofoil
  Hydrofoil
  A hydrofoil is a foil which operates in water. They are similar in appearance and purpose to airfoils.Hydrofoils can be artificial, such as the rudder or keel on a boat, the diving planes on a submarine, a surfboard fin, or occur naturally, as with fish fins, the flippers of aquatic mammals, the...
  
   service started
• 1974: Service every 10 minutes started
• 1978: Summer excursion ships started
• April 1984: 24-hours service started
• August 6, 1993: Involved in rescue operations in Ryūgamizu
• November 1, 2004: With the merger of Sakurajima town
  Sakurajima, Kagoshima
  was a town located in Kagoshima District, Kagoshima, Japan.On November 1, 2004 Sakurajima, along with the towns of Kōriyama and Matsumoto, both from Hioki District, the town of Kiire, from Ibusuki District, and the town of Yoshida, also from Kagoshima District, was merged into the expanded city of...
  
  into Kagoshima city, the administering authority changed from Sakurajima town to Kagoshima city

Ferries in service

• Sakurajima-maru – Completed in November, 1987, 502 tonnes, 53-mater-long
• Sakurajima-maru No. 15 – Completed in January 1995 1,134 tonnes, 56.1m long, nicknamed Cherry Queen
• Sakurajima-maru No. 16 – Completed in January 1999, 997 tonnes, 54.2m long, nicknamed Dolphin Liner
• Sakurajima-maru No. 18 – Completed in February 2003, 1,279 tonnes, 56.1m long, nicknamed Princess Marine, the ferry is barrier-free

External links

• Sakurajima Ferry