The standard route for traveling from Hakodate to Honshu is by ferry to either Oma or Aomori.
When traveling from Hakodate to Honshu, the Shinkansen offers only one route—from Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto to Shin-Aomori—whereas traveling by ferry offers two options:
- Hakodate to Oma
Hakodate to Aomori
The trip from Hakodate to Oma takes approximately 90 minutes one-way, with a standard adult fare of 2,980 yen. As fares vary by season, checking in advance is recommended.
The journey from Hakodate to Aomori takes 3 hours and 40 minutes one-way, with a standard adult fare of 3,720 yen. Fares for this route also fluctuate depending on the season.
The vehicle fee is added to this.
Kei-cars (light-sized automobiles) are slightly cheaper.
If you want to cover more distance, booking the ferry between Hakodate and Aomori is recommended; however, the ferry between Hakodate and Oma was easier to book.
Since I couldn’t get a good sailing time for the other route this time, I booked the ferry between Hakodate and Oma.
The standard timetable lists two trips per day.
函館～大間間のフェリー時刻表（津軽海峡フェリーHPより出典）
It seems there are three sailings a day during the summer season, and I believe we boarded the 3:00 PM service.
函館～大間間フェリー時刻表（夏季）津軽海峡フェリーHPより出典
Hakodate–Oma ferry fares
| 期間 | A期間 A Season | B期間 B Season | C期間 C Season |
| 2026年のものです
2026 version |
Oct 1st～Dec 26th | June 1st ～July 23rd August 18th ～September 30th Dec 27th ～Dec 31st |
July 24th～August 17th |
| 区分 | 等級 | A期間 A Season | B期間 B Season | C期間 C Season |
| 大人（12歳以上）
Adult (over 12) |
ファーストシート First | 3,190 | 3,820 | 4,290 |
| カジュアルシート Casual | 2,940 | 3,500 | 3,930 | |
| スタンダード Standard | 2,520 | 2,980 | 3,330 | |
| ドライバー差額
Additional Cost for Driver |
ファーストシート First | 670 | 840 | 960 |
| カジュアルシート Casual | 420 | 520 | 600 | |
| 学生割引 Student Disc. | スタンダード Standard | 2,270 | 2,690 | 3,000 |
The child’s fare is half the adult price.
The “Standard” class features a large open-plan room, while “Casual” and “First Seat” offer assigned seating.
Some vessels are also equipped with a “Dog Room” (840 yen) that provides cages for dogs.
Preparing to board
The ship I will be boarding this time is the Tsugaru Strait Ferry.
The Tsugaru Strait Ferry’s Hakodate Terminal is located about a 10-minute drive from Goryokaku.
After having lunch, I made my way here at a leisurely pace.
I parked my car outside and went to the ticket counter to handle the necessary procedures.
I had booked my tickets online in advance via the Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry website.
They were selling bento boxes, and there was also a souvenir section.
Since this was my last chance to buy Hokkaido souvenirs, I thoroughly browsed the souvenir section and picked some up.
They are almost entirely food items.
There are two docks outside, and this is the ferry bound for Oma that we will be boarding.
A ferry bound for Aomori was also docked alongside it.
After a while, the ferry arriving at Hakodate arrived at the port.
It’s a pretty big port.
After seeing off the ferry bound for Aomori, it is time for us to board.
We get into our car and drive onto the ship.
It is the *Ohakomaru*.
Some ferries have a rule allowing only the driver to remain in the vehicle, but nothing was said about this on the Tsugaru Strait Ferry this time.
Lock the car and head inside the ship.
There are also vending machines and a shop on board.
There is also a small cafeteria area where you can have a light meal.
Also, the ship’s interior was divided into different types of rooms based on the fare.
This is the standard class—essentially a large, open-plan room.
There were a lot of families on this side.
Also, there was no one there when I boarded, but it might be a women-only room.
As you can see on the website, the *Daikan-maru* features a dog room equipped with cages for six dogs.
There were also coin lockers available for storing large items of luggage.
I’ll step outside.
The deck wasn’t very spacious, but it felt nice to be exposed to the sea breeze, and I felt a little sad because once the ship left the port, our Hokkaido trip would be over.
The ship has set sail, and it’s time to say goodbye to Hokkaido.
I’m heading back to Honshu.
After strolling around the ship, I returned to my seat.
It was about a 90-minute voyage, but since there wasn’t much difference in price between the Comfort and First Class seats, I decided to book the more expensive one this time.
It was spacious and comfortable.
The seat was incredibly spacious.
Oma is famous for its tuna fishing, and there are posters of Oma tuna,
It was fun seeing things like Aomori Hiba pillows being sold.
And before we knew it, we arrived in Oma.
The sun was beginning to set.
My trip to Hokkaido felt long, yet it flew by in the blink of an eye.
I’d love to make time to come back to Hokkaido again!
津軽海峡フェリー Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry
津軽海峡フェリーHPより
Tsugaru Kaikyo Ferry Homepage：https://www.tsugarukaikyo.co.jp/
My Comment：プIt seems there are private dog-friendly cabins available, as well as service between Muroran and Aomori. Naturally, there was some swaying while on board; if you prefer a more leisurely trip, the Muroran route might be a good option.
