About Pukwan Ferries
Pukwan Ferries provide a cruise ferry service to and from Honshu (Shimonoseki), Japan and the Korean mainland port of Busan.
The Busan-Shimonoseki ferry is operated by Pukwan Ferry, and their offices are at the International Passenger Terminal in Busan and at '16 Uljiro 1-ga' in Seoul, right across from Seoul City Hall.
Pukwan Ferries ferry ships are conventional ferries with cabins, sailing overnight and departing daily at 18:00 arriving 08:30 next morning. The journey takes approximately 14 hours. On board, the ferries tend to accept the currency of their home country for shopping, vending machines, etc. as well as US dollar.
Although the required journey times can often be considerably longer, travel by ferry is generally much cheaper than the cost of flying, with direct connections available between several major Japanese port-cities and China, Korea and Russia.
Many of these international ferry services are very popular and advance reservations are recommended. Reservations can be made through major travel agencies within Japan, directly with the ferry company or at your port of departure.
Pukwan Ferry Schedules
Pukwan Ferry Schedules are subject to seasonal changes and may also vary according to the weather.
Honshu (Shimonoseki) to Busan
- Mon/Wed, depart 18:00, arrive 08:30 next day.
- Fri depart 18:00 arrive 08:40 next day.
Busan to Honshu (Shimonoseki)
- (From Mar to Oct)
Tues/Thurs/Sun, depart 18:00, arrive 08:40 next day
- (From Nov to Feb)
Tues/Thurs/Sun, depart 16:40, arrive 07:40 next day
Assuming that you have booked your ticket in advance you should arrive 90 minutes before departure.
It is also advised to confirm schedule details with the relevant ferry company or at local tourist information centres within Japan.
On Board Pukwan Ferries
Pukwan Ferries provide two seating areas with relaxing aeroplane seating on two floors for you to relax in and enjoy your journey. There is also a duty free shop on board so you can take advantage of cheap prices in international waters.
Pukwan Ferries Departure Procedure
Checking in
Departure processing starts no earlier than 2.5 hours before departure and ends 1 hour before departure. Therefore, travelers must be at the ferry check-in counter no later than two hours before departure to fill out a boarding pass form and a departure card for departure procedures.
Completing the Arrival/Departure Cards
While arrival cards required to enter Japan are available on the ferry, it is more convenient to fill it out at the same time as the Korean departure card before boarding.The departure card (from Korea) must be filled out in Korean, while the arrival card for entry into Japan must be written either in Chinese characters or English. For contact information on the arrival card, you can enter the name and telephone number of the place you will stay at on your first night.
Customs Declaration
Customs declaration areas are located on either side of the departure inspection counter. All travelers carrying expensive merchandise or valuables (cameras, watches, jewelry, fur products) are required to make a declaration.
When declaring, enter the name of the item, quantity, and price on the customs form and present both the item and customs form together. After the declaration is approved, hold on to the document for your return trip.
If you depart without a customs declaration, your valuables may be subject to taxation on return, as they will be considered as overseas purchases. Travelers with nothing to declare can go straight to the inspection counter.
Immigration Departure
Wait in line behind the yellow line of the departure inspection counter. When it is your turn, present your passport, boarding pass, and departure card.
As long as your visa is valid, the inspector will not ask questions and simply stamp your passport. The departure card will be stamped and retained by the inspector, and the arrival card will be stapled onto your passport. Keep the arrival card for when you return and go through the immigration arrival process.
Ferry Departure
Once you pass inspections, you can enter the duty free area to purchase alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, and camera film.
