The Portal Site for Ferries and Cruise Ships

'Sekai No Kansen(=SHIPS OF THE WORLD)' is a Japanese leading shipping magazine, which was first published by Kohji Ishiwata (1927-2014) in 1957. It covers ships at large, including ferries, and is a precious information source for ship lovers. The magazine is written in Japanese language, however, it is full of brilliant photos of ships with English subtitles for English speakers. Special issues on Japanese ferries are as follows:

Hayao Nogami, Prewar Japanese Passenger Ships in Pictures
Hisashi Noma, Introduction
Explanatory Note/Books for Reference
Ocean-going Passenger Ships
　North America Routes
　Europe Routes
　South America Routes
　Asia Routes
　Pacific Routes
　China Routes
　Korea Routes
　Taiwan Routes
　Primorsky Routes
　Sakhalin Routes
Domestic Passenger Ships
　Seto Naikai Routes
　Southwest Islands Routes
　Izu 7 Islands Routes
　Other Routes
　Train Ferry Routes
Michio Yamada, History of Japanese Passenger Ships in the Prewar Era
Index

The book is a separate volume of the 'SHIPS OF THE WORLD', and covers almost all Japanese passenger ships (ocean liners, train ferries, etc.) from 1868 to 1945. It is one of the most valuable documents to learn Japanese passenger ships. (T.I.)

Typical Modern Japanese Passenger Ships in Colour
Explanatory Note/Books for Reference
Ocean-going Ships
　Passenger Liners
　Car Ferries
　Fast Ferries
　Cruise Ships
Domestic Ships
　RoRo Passenger Ships
　Long Haul Ferries
　Medium & Short Haul Ferries
　Fast Ferries
　Train Ferries
　Cruise Ships
　Day Cruise Ships
Hisashi Noma, History of Japanese Passenger Ships in the Postwar Era
Michio Yamada, Postwar Japanese Passenger Ships in the eyes of subsidization systems
Condemned Foreign Passenger Ships during WW2
Corrections/Supplements
Michio Yamada, Afterword
Index

The book covers almost all Japanese passenger ships from 1946 to May 1, 1993. It is also one of the most valuable documents to learn Japanese passenger ships. (T.I.)

Typical Japanese Car Ferries in Color
Looking at Luxury Ferry Kiso
Pioneer of Luxury Ferry Sunflower Class
Kumamoto Ferry's High-Speed Catamaran Car Ferry Ocean Arrow
Introduction
Contents
Explanatory Note
Part 1 Long Course Services/International Services
Long Course Services
International Services
Car Ferries in the Cradle
Part 2 Medium & Short Course Services
Hokkaido/Tohoku
Kanto/Tokai
The Sea of Japan
East of Setonaikai
West of Setonaikai
Kyushu/Okinawa
Typical Ferries of Under 200 GT Types
Data
Yoshihisa Tateno, A Chronology of Japanese Car Ferres
Yoshihide Kobayashi, Japanese Car Ferry Route Map 1934-2009
Deck Plans of Typical Long Course Car Ferries
Index

This is the first book on almost all Japanese car ferries which entered services since 1954. It focuses on car ferries, Ro-Pax ferries, and freight ferries only. Therefore, it does not cover pure-passenger ferries, including jetfoils, etc. It's available at the publisher, Kaijinsha Co., Ltd. in Tokyo as of 2014. (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
Cassiopeia/Hamburg
All Types of Japanese Long Haul Passenger-Car Ferries
(Text Pages)
Michio Yamada, Long Haul Passenger-Car Ferries of Japan
Long Haul Car Ferry Guide
Hisashi Noma, Some Reasoning on Current Long Haul Passenger-Car Ferries
Ryohei Yanagihara, Something to say on the Recent Passenger-Car Ferry Services
Osuga, Taniguchi, Higuchi, Horai and Yanagihara, Outlook on Long Haul Car Ferries (round-table discussion)

This is the memorable first special issue on long haul car ferries. At that time, car ferries were in the middle of a fad in Japan. Thereafter, the SHIPS OF THE WORLD put together the feature story on car ferries at triennial intervals untill 1981. (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
A Car Ferry on Okinawan Route, Queen Coral/A Naval Escort, Yamagumo
Impressions of Newly-built Large Car Ferries (Orion, Sunflower 5, Alnasl and Albireo)
The Whole Picture of Passenger Ships on the Okinawan Routes
(Text Pages)
Michio Yamada, Passenger Liners of the Okinawa Sea-Route
Okinawan Route Guide
Deck Plans of Newly-built Passenger Ship on Okinawan Route, Golden Okinawa
Kohji Ishiwata, Voyages to and from Okinawa

This issue is not a special issue on ferries only. However it covers ferries in Okinawa. Okinawa was returned to Japan from the United States on May 15, 1972. And the Okinawa Ocean Expo was scheduled to host in 1975. Under the circumstances, a lot of ferry routes were opened and a lot of ships were built one after another. In fact, the Okinawa Ocean Expo did not create demand for tourism very much. Okinawa struggled with a depressed economy, called 'Kaiyohaku Shokku (=Ocean Expo Shock)' after the Expo. (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
Icebreaker Train Ferry Sakhalin-1 of the USSR
(Text Pages)
Katsuhiro Furukawa & Rinichi Murao, The Principles of Hydrofoil & Hovercraft
Toshio Akao, Hydrofoils in History
Seiichi Niwa, Hydrofoils for Military Use
Soichi Okada, World's Hovercraft Today
Takehisa Sakamoto, Is the Large Hovercraft Age nearing?
Hovercraft of the Mitsui
Takaji Oda, Are the Hydrofoil & Hovercraft "Ships" or not?

From the 1960s to the 1970s, there was a boom in Hovercrafts in the United Kingdom. Hovercrafts (air-cushion vehicles) came on to even a Bond movie, "Diamonds Are Forever" (1971) . But after that, hovercrafts were going to fall into disuse. (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
Mitsui Supermaran MV-CP20, "Blue Hawk"
All Types of Japan's Long Haul Passenger-Car Ferries
(Text Pages)
Long Haul Passenger-Car Ferries
Michio Yamada, Japan's Long Haul Passenger-Car Ferries standing at the Crossroads
Takaji Oda, Measures to make Car Ferries secure
Japanese Long Haul Ferry Guide
Yoshiho Ikeda, Foreign Large Passenger Car-Ferries Today
Takahiko Sena, A Phantasmagoria of Car Ferries

Car ferries were called as "creature of the age" in Japan. However, Japanese ferry industries faced a crunch already due to the oil crisis of 1973. This issue is the second special issue on long haul car ferries. (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
Long Haul Car Ferries in Colour (Sunflower 2, Takachiho Maru, Izu No.11 and Hankyu No.32)
All About Japan's Long Haul Car Ferries
Typical Passenger-Car Ferries of the World
Akebono Maru New Passenger-Car Ferry of the Oshima Unyu
(Text Pages)
Michio Yamada, A breif History of Japanese Car Ferries
All About Japanese Car Ferry Routes
10 years of Japanese Long Haul Car Ferries
Yoshiyuki Fujisawa, Present Problems of Japanese Passenger-Car Ferry Business
Yoshiho Ikeda, Some Comments on Japanese Car Ferry Business Today
Hisashi Noma, Foreign Passenger Car Ferry Services

The third special issue on long haul car ferries. Michio Yamada's "A breif History of Japanese Car Ferries" (written in Japanese) is a very interesting discussion. (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
Recollection of Famous Cross Channel Ferries of KAN-PU (Shimonoseki-Pusan) Route
Yoshiho Ikeda, North European Ferries (7) DSB
Pictorial: Japanese Railway Ferries 1884-1980
Cross Channel Ferry Service between Wakkanai and Odomari in Bygone Days
Accomodations of SS Kongo Maru & SS Koan Maru
(Text Pages)
Yoshiho Ikeda, The Course of Danish State Railway's Ferries
Eiichi Aoki, A History of Japanese Railway Ferry Services
Michio Yamada, Japanese Railway Ferries Yesterday
Takashi Ishiguro, Ferries of Japan National Railways Today
Train Ferries by Number
Drawings of Typical Railway Ferries of Prewar Japan

This issue covers Japanese train ferries from 1884 to 1980. You can learn an outline of Japanese train ferries with the issue. (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
Japanese Car Ferries in Colour
All Types of Japanese Large Car Ferries (Over 3,000GT)
(Text Pages)
Michio Yamada, The Trend of Japanese Car Ferries
Yoshiho Ikeda, On the Design Features of Japanese Large Car Ferries
Yoshiyuki Fujisawa, A Position of Long Haul Car Ferries in the Japanese Domestic Shipping
Gengo Furuya, The President Situation of Japanese Short Haul Car Ferries
All About Japanese Car Ferry Routes
Japanese Large Car Ferries Over 3,000 GT
Japanese Car Ferry Route Map
Diagrams of Typical Japanese Car Ferries Today
New Passenger Car Ferry New Katsura
The World's Largest Passenger-Car Ferry Finlandia

The fourth special issue on car ferries. The issue covers middle & short haul car ferries, as well as long haul car ferries. (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
New Passenger-Car Ferry Uwajima 2
New Passenger Hydrofoil Boat Hosho
Nagasaki/Kagoshima Cruise of Sun Flower 7
(Text Pages)
Japanese Medium and Short Haul Car Ferries
Gengo Furuya, Japanese Medium and Short Haul Car Ferry Services Today
Michio Yamada, A History of Japanese Medium and Short Haul Car Ferries
Route Maps of Japanese Medium and Short Haul Car Ferries
New Passenger Ship to be built by Mitsubishi for Ohsima Unyu
Michio Yamada, Soviet Passenger Ship Baikal withdrew from Nahotoka
Yoshiho Ikeda, News From Berlin

This issue is a special issue on Indian Navy. "Japanese Medium and Short Haul Car Ferries" is not a special topic. However, it's a valuable issue on middle & short haul car ferries in Japan. (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
All Types of Japan's Long Haul Car Ferries
Typical Passenger-Car Ferries of the World
A Complete Transfiguration of Taikan Maru No.2
(Text Pages)
Yoshiyuki Fujisawa, Problems of Car Ferry Services in Japan
All About Japanese Car Ferry Routes
Japanese Car Ferry Route Map
Yoshiho Ikeda, Possibilities of the Standardization of Car Ferries
Hiroto Miki, Energy Saving Technologies in Modern Car Ferries
Takaji Oda, Opening of New International Car Ferry Service: Osaka-Pusan route
Inaguration of the First Passenger-Car Ferry Service between Kobe and Shanghai
Michio Yamada, A Short History of Sun Flower Type Car Ferries
Taiki Takeda, Car Ferries in Europe
Yoshiho Ikeda, The World's busiest Ferry Route: Stockholm-Helsinki

The fifth special issue on long haul car ferries. Japan took advantage of an economic boom after the Plaza Accord in September 1985. The issue records all Japanese long haul car ferries right before the so-called "Bubble Boom". (T.I.)

(Photo Pages)
Oosado Maru & Kosado Maru of Sado Kisen
MS Scandinavian Saga Makes her Debut in Miami
All Types of Japan's Long Haul Car Ferries 1968-88
(Text Pages)
Yoshiyuki Fujisawa, 20 Years of Japanese Long Haul Car Ferries
Yoshiho Ikeda, A Design History of Japanese Long Haul Car Ferries
Taiki Takeda, Japanese Long Haul Car Ferries 1968-88
Long Haul Car Ferry Routes of Japan
Japanese Long Haul Car Ferry Route Map
Michio Yamada, Pioneer of Japanese Long Haul Car Ferry Service: "SHK" Group
Hiroto Miki, New Faces of Japanese Long Haul Car Ferries
Zenjiro Doi, Contending Situation of Long Haul Car Ferry and Freight Train in Japan
Koichi Nakagawa, A Geographical Study of Japanese Long Haul Car Ferry Services
Michio Yamada, An Eventful Life of Former Sei-Kan Railway Ferry Taisetsu Maru

The sixth special issue on long haul car ferries. You can feel a cheerful atmosphere of the then booming economy through the issue. In my opinion, this issue is the most fulfilling special issue on car ferries. (T.I.)

(Colour Photo Pages)
Kansaikisen's New Passenger-Car Ferry Sun Flower Kogane
Getting Aboard Sun Flower Tosa, 13-14 Aug.
All Japanese Large Passenger-Car Ferries Built Since 1989
(Black-and-White Photo Pages)
All Types of Japanese Large Passenger-Car Ferries
(Text Pages)
Japanese Large Passenger-Car Ferries
Zenjiro Doi, Japanese Large Passenger-Car Ferries: Present and Future
Michio Yamada, Profiles of Japanese New Large Passenger-Car Ferries
Shoji Onikura, The Fastest Large Passenger-Car Ferry in Japan: Pacific Express
Japanese Long Haul Car Ferry Routes
Yoshiho Ikeda, International Ferry Routes Around Japanese Waters

The seventh special issue on car ferries. In around November 1992, "economic bubble burst" was begun to murmur in Japan. However, luxury large car ferries, which were planned in the booming period, entered services one after another. (T.I.)

(Colour Photo Pages)
Typical Japanese Passenger-Car Ferries in the Long Haul Routes Since 1968
(Text Pages)
Naomichi Korenori, 30 Years of Japanese Long Haul Car Ferries
Hiroto Miki, Design of Japanese Car Ferries in the Long Haul Services
Chronology of Japanese Long Haul Car Ferries 1968-98
Yoshihide Kobayashi, Operators and Routes of Japanese Long Haul Car Ferries
Yoshiho Ikeda, Japanese New High-Speed Car Ferries Today

The eighth special issue on long haul car ferries. It records the 30 year history of Japanese long haul car ferries. And it is the last special issue on car ferries as of 2014. (T.I.)

(Colour Photo Pages)
New Sunflower Satsuma Makes Debut in Osaka-Shibushi Service
New Ship Types of the Long Haul Ro-Pax Services Built Since 2011
(Black-and-White Photo Pages)
Selection of Ro-Pax Ferries in the Japanese Long Haul Routes Since 1968
(Text Pages)
Yoshihisa Tateno, 50th Anniversary of Japanese Long Haul Ro-Pax Ferry Services
Yoshiho Ikeda, Characteristics of New Japanese Long Haul Ro-Pax Ferries
Transition of Japanese Long Haul Ro-Pax Ferry Routes

The latest special issue on long haul car ferries. (T.I.)

The SHIPS OF THE WORLD magazine also put together the feature story on foreign car ferries, commercial ships, ocean liners or cruise ships at intervals, as well as regular military ships.