Taking a car on a ferry from an Ehime port: check-in deadlines and rules for the vehicle deck

Each port has its own ferry companies for cars

This page covers 6 ports in Ehime Prefecture where cars can be loaded on ferries and where we checked the car check-in times or vehicle deck rules on official pages. Listed from northeast to southwest along the Seto Inland Sea, they are as follows.

• Niihama-higashi Port (新居浜東港) (Niihama) - Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry (Orange Ferry), Kansai route, Niihama-Kobe
• Toyo Port (東予港) (Saijo) - Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry, Kansai route, Toyo-Osaka. The address on the official page is “愛媛県西条市今在家1500番地2” (1500-2 Imazaike, Saijo, Ehime)
• Matsuyama Kanko Port (松山観光港) (Matsuyama) - Cruise ferries of Setonaikai Kisen and Ishizaki Kisen, Matsuyama Kanko Port - Kure - Hiroshima. The address on the official page of Matsuyama Kanko Port Terminal Co., Ltd. (松山観光港ターミナル株式会社) is “〒791-8081 松山市高浜町5 丁目2259 番地1” (791-8081, 5-chome 2259-1 Takahama-cho, Matsuyama)
• Mitsuhama Port (三津浜港) (Matsuyama) - Boyo Ferry’s Yanai and Ihota routes, and Nakajima Kisen’s routes to the Kutsuna Islands
• Yawatahama Port (八幡浜港) (Yawatahama) - Kyushi Orange Ferry (Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry) Yawatahama-Usuki, and Uwajima Unyu Ferry’s Beppu and Usuki routes. The address on the official page is “愛媛県八幡浜市出島1581番地26” (1581-26 Dejima, Yawatahama, Ehime)
• Misaki Port (三崎港) (Ikata) - Kokudo Kyushi Ferry (国道九四フェリー)

Source: Official pages of each company (list of sources at the end of the article)

Some ports have more than one company. Yawatahama Port has Kyushi Orange Ferry and Uwajima Unyu Ferry, Mitsuhama Port has Boyo Ferry and Nakajima Kisen, and Matsuyama Kanko Port has Setonaikai Kisen and Ishizaki Kisen. You need to read the guide of the company you will take because, as the sections below show, each company words its deadlines differently.

The counter deadline differs between the Toyo-Osaka and Niihama-Kobe pages, even for the same Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry

Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry’s Kansai route leaves from 2 ports, Toyo Port and Niihama-higashi Port. The company is the same, but the deadline for finishing procedures at the counter is worded differently on each route’s page.

The “How to use” page (ご利用の流れ) for Toyo-Osaka says this.

乗船のお客さまは、遅くても出港の30分前には各窓口にてお手続きをお済ませ下さい。

Translation: “Passengers, please finish your procedures at the counters by 30 minutes before departure at the latest.”

The same section of the “How to use” page for Niihama-Kobe says this.

乗船のお客さまは、遅くても出港の15分前には各窓口にてお手続きをお済ませ下さい。

Translation: “Passengers, please finish your procedures at the counters by 15 minutes before departure at the latest.”

Source: ご利用の流れ｜関西航路（東予-大阪）｜オレンジフェリー｜四国開発フェリー株式会社、Goriyou（ご利用の流れ・関西航路 新居浜-神戸）

In the table on the Niihama-Kobe page, boarding procedures for people who have bought an advance ticket are “not needed. Please board as you are” (必要ありません。そのままご乗船ください), and for cars it also says “Customers boarding by car, too, please board as you are” (お車でご乗船のお客様についてもそのままご乗船ください。).

The page name shown on the browser tab for the Niihama-Kobe page is “Goriyou”, and it includes neither the company name nor the route name. The heading of the page is “ご利用の流れ” (How to use), and the breadcrumb is Kansai route (Niihama-Kobe).

The boarding start times are also worded differently on the 2 pages. The Toyo-Osaka page has the following 3 lines in its section for the day of boarding.

東予発便、大阪発便は20時から乗船開始となります。 ※乗船開始時刻は当日の状況によって遅くなる場合がございます。 ※車両甲板をご利用のお客様の乗船可能時刻は、荷役作業終了後（20：30頃）からになります。

Translation: “For departures from Toyo and from Osaka, boarding starts at 20:00. *The boarding start time may be later depending on the situation on the day. *For customers using the vehicle deck, the time they can board is after cargo work ends (around 20:30).”

新居浜東港、神戸六甲港は出港30分前より乗船開始となります。

Translation: “At Niihama-higashi Port and Kobe Rokko Port, boarding starts 30 minutes before departure.”

If you board with a car at Toyo Port, boarding starts at 20:00, but the page says you can enter the vehicle deck from around 20:30, after cargo work ends. For procedures at the counter, a table on the same page gives the “time to arrive at the port” and the “boarding procedure” for each type of ticket.

前売り券購入済みの方 出港約30分前まで 乗船名簿にご記入の上、窓口にて乗船券を購入下さい。 （WEB予約の方は乗船名簿のご記入は不要です。） クーポン券購入の方 出港約１時間前までに乗船手続きをされて下さい。 （連絡バスご利用の場合はこの限りではありません） 乗船名簿にご記入の上、窓口にて乗船券を購入ください お車でご乗船のお客様は、窓口にて車検証をご提示下さい。

Translation: “People who have already bought an advance ticket: By about 30 minutes before departure. Please fill in the boarding list and buy your boarding ticket at the counter. (People who booked on the web do not need to fill in the boarding list.) People who bought a coupon ticket: Please complete boarding procedures by about 1 hour before departure. (This does not apply if you use the shuttle bus.) Please fill in the boarding list and buy your boarding ticket at the counter. Customers boarding by car, please show your vehicle inspection certificate at the counter.”

Source: ご利用の流れ｜関西航路（東予-大阪）｜オレンジフェリー｜四国開発フェリー株式会社

At Yawatahama Port and Misaki Port, each company words the arrival time differently

Kyushi Orange Ferry (Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry) and Uwajima Unyu Ferry leave from Yawatahama Port.

Kyushi Orange Ferry’s “How to use” page says this in its section for the day of boarding.

乗船日当日は購入したフェリークーポン券、ご予約済みの場合は予約番号を控えていただき、 出港約30分前までに(乗船開始は出港20分前を予定しております)各港ターミナルにお越し下さい。

Translation: “On the day of boarding, please bring your ferry coupon ticket, or if you have a reservation, a note of your reservation number, and come to the terminal of each port by about 30 minutes before departure (boarding is planned to start 20 minutes before departure).”

Source: ご利用の流れ｜九四航路（八幡浜-臼杵）｜オレンジフェリー｜四国開発フェリー株式会社

On Uwajima Unyu Ferry’s official site, we did not find a statement that gives a meeting time or check-in deadline in minutes. What there is, is articles of the terms of carriage and the following notes on the timetable page.

※歩いてのお客様に加えて、乗用車のお客様も船内にお車をそのまま置いて、船内休憩ができます。電話予約時にお申し付けください。 ※乗用車は、休憩途中での下船はできません。

Translation: “*In addition to customers on foot, customers with passenger cars can also leave their car as it is on the ship and rest inside the ship. Please tell us when you reserve by phone. *Passenger cars cannot disembark during the rest.”

Source: 航路・時刻 | 宇和島運輸フェリー

Kokudo Kyushi Ferry at Misaki Port sets a time for people with reservations to arrive at the port, and even writes what happens if they are late. First is the procedure on arriving at the boarding port, from the “Guide” (ご利用ガイド).

STEP 01 乗船港に到着 出航時間の30分前までに乗船手続きが完了するよう、余裕を持ってお越しください。係員が停車位置をご案内します。※誘導員がいない場合は、各車種別のレーンに停車してください。

Translation: “STEP 01 Arrive at the boarding port. Please come with time to spare so that boarding procedures are finished 30 minutes before the departure time. Staff will guide you to where to stop. *If there is no guide, please stop in the lane for your type of vehicle.”

Source: ご利用ガイド｜国道九四フェリー

The FAQ (よくあるご質問) entry “When should I arrive at the boarding area?” (のりばにはいつ到着すればいいですか？) has a rule for people with reservations.

乗船開始は、出航時刻の15分前を予定しておりますが、乗船手続きを行う必要もありますので、時間に余裕をもってお越しください。 ただし、乗船便を予約されている場合は、出航時刻の30分前までに必ずお越しください。 ご予約いただいた方でも出航時間の30分前までにお越しになられない場合は、予約が無効になりますのでご注意ください。

Translation: “Boarding is planned to start 15 minutes before the departure time, but boarding procedures are also needed, so please come with time to spare. However, if you have reserved a sailing, please be sure to come by 30 minutes before the departure time. Even if you have a reservation, if you do not come by 30 minutes before the departure time, your reservation becomes void, so please be careful.”

The same page also gives the boarding order.

まず、二輪車の方から順にご乗船いただきます。次に、徒歩でご乗船の方の順番となります。最後に、お車でご乗船の方が続きます。お車での乗船順は、当該出港便の予約車両からご案内いたします。ただし、当日の混雑状況によっては、順番が前後する場合がございますので、あらかじめご了承ください。

Translation: “First, people on two-wheeled vehicles board in order. Next is the turn of people boarding on foot. Last come people boarding by car. For cars, we guide the vehicles reserved for that sailing first. However, depending on how crowded it is on the day, the order may change, so please understand in advance.”

Source: よくあるご質問｜国道九四フェリー

At Matsuyama Kanko Port and Mitsuhama Port, the check-in time and the arrival time are set separately

For the cruise ferries at Matsuyama Kanko Port, Setonaikai Kisen writes separate check-in start times for passengers and vehicles.

■松山観光港 旅客は出港30分前から受付開始、車両は60分前から受付開始です。出港10分前から乗船開始ですので、出港20分前までを目安に手続きをお済ませください。 ※車両は始発便のみ出港30分前から受付開始となります。

Translation: “Matsuyama Kanko Port: Check-in for passengers starts 30 minutes before departure, and for vehicles 60 minutes before. Boarding starts 10 minutes before departure, so please finish your procedures by about 20 minutes before departure. *For vehicles, check-in starts 30 minutes before departure for the first departure only.”

The procedures section of the same page has a note for boarding by car.

事前に購入されたクーポン券や復路券をお持ちのお客様も乗船手続きが必要です。 また、各港ともに桟橋(乗り場)まで距離がありますので、お早目の手続きをお願いします。 出港時刻までに乗船をされない場合はご乗船いただけませんので、ご注意ください。特に車・バイク・自転車でご乗船の場合は乗船開始までに手続きを終えないとご乗船できない場合があります。

Translation: “Customers who hold a coupon ticket or a return ticket bought in advance also need to do boarding procedures. Also, at every port there is some distance to the pier (boarding place), so please do your procedures early. If you do not board by the departure time, you cannot board, so please be careful. In particular, if you board by car, motorbike, or bicycle, you may not be able to board unless you finish procedures before boarding starts.”

Ishizaki Kisen’s price list page, in the section “Boarding procedures” (■ご乗船手続き), says this about the same route.

出航時刻の10分前までに（車両は20分前までに）港窓口での乗船券のご購入・乗船手続きをお願いいたします。

Translation: “Please buy your boarding ticket and do boarding procedures at the port counter by 10 minutes before the departure time (by 20 minutes before for vehicles).”

Source: クルーズフェリー時刻表・料金表｜広島・呉～松山航路｜瀬戸内海汽船、料金表｜石崎汽船

For Mitsuhama Port, Boyo Ferry lists 5 rules under [common notes] on its “Boarding steps” page.

出港１５分前にはお車へお戻り下さい 乗船時、携帯電話の利用はご遠慮下さい（車両待機場所から船内までの移動中） 夜間はライトを消してご乗船下さい 同乗者もお車に乗ってご乗船下さい 乗船後は事故防止のため、サイドブレーキを確実に引いて下さい

Translation: “Please return to your car 15 minutes before departure. Please do not use a mobile phone while boarding (while moving from the vehicle waiting area to inside the ship). At night, please turn off your lights when boarding. Passengers in the same car should also board in the car. After boarding, please be sure to pull the parking brake to prevent accidents.”

The arrival time for a reserved car is in the FAQ (よくある質問（Q＆A）).

ご予約のお客様は、出港時刻の２０分前までのご到着をお願いしております。 ※２０分前までにご到着いただいていないとご予約のお取扱いができない可能性があります。

Translation: “We ask customers with reservations to arrive by 20 minutes before the departure time. *If you have not arrived by 20 minutes before, we may not be able to handle your reservation.”

The same page also tells how the boarding order is decided.

※乗船順は車両を並べた順番になります。乗船券の購入順ではありませんのでご注意ください。

Translation: “*The boarding order is the order in which vehicles are lined up. It is not the order in which boarding tickets were bought, so please be careful.”

Source: 乗船手順 | ご予約と乗船手順 | 防予フェリー、よくある質問（Q＆A） | 防予フェリー

Nakajima Kisen’s ferries also leave from Mitsuhama Port. In the vehicle section of the fare table page, there is a rule about the port on the Matsuyama side where cars can get on and off.

・松山での車両及び自動二輪車・原付自転車・自転車・それらに準ずるものの乗降は三津浜港のみ可能です。

Translation: “- In Matsuyama, getting on and off with vehicles, motorcycles, motorized bicycles, bicycles, and things equivalent to them is possible only at Mitsuhama Port.”

Source: 船の運賃表　～　中島汽船株式会社

About the vehicle deck during the voyage, only Kokudo Kyushi Ferry cites a law

After the car is loaded, how the companies write about whether you can go back to your car during the voyage differs.

The company that cites a law clearly is Kokudo Kyushi Ferry. The answer in the FAQ (よくあるご質問) to “Can I stay in the car with my pet with the engine running?” (ペットと一緒にエンジンをかけたまま車内に残ってもよいですか？) is this one sentence.

航海中、車両甲板に残ることは法令で禁止されていますので、客室内でお過ごし下さい。

Translation: “Staying on the vehicle deck during the voyage is prohibited by law, so please spend the time in the passenger cabin.”

Source: よくあるご質問｜国道九四フェリー

The other companies had a combination of a prohibited act in the terms of carriage and wording on guide pages. Article 18 of Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry’s terms of carriage, “Passenger Transport” part (旅客運送の部), has this item.

(2) みだりに船舶内の立入りを禁止された場所に立ち入ること｡

Translation: “(2) Entering, without good reason, a place in the ship where entry is prohibited.”

This article is from the standard terms of carriage (Ministry of Transport Notice No. 252 of Showa 61 (1986)), and the terms of Uwajima Unyu Ferry and Ishizaki Kisen have the same article.

On the guide pages, Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry writes this in parentheses in the “Customers with cars” section for Toyo Port, Niihama-higashi Port, and Yawatahama Port.

（船が出港すると車にはもどれないので、船内で必要なものは必ずお持ちください。）

Translation: “(Once the ship leaves port you cannot return to your car, so please be sure to take what you need with you inside the ship.)”

The “How to use” page for Yawatahama-Usuki also says when you can return.

各港入港前には入港前より、船内放送にてご案内いたします。 車両甲板（車載デッキ）へお戻りになれるのは、着岸時の安全確認後係員がご案内いたします。 入港後は船内係員の指示に従い、下船ください。 お車の方は、必ず誘導員の指示に従って下船ください。慎重なご運転をお願いいたします。

Translation: “Before arriving at each port, we will make an announcement over the ship’s speakers. Staff will guide you when you can return to the vehicle deck (car deck), after a safety check at docking. After arrival, please follow the instructions of the ship’s staff and disembark. If you have a car, be sure to follow the instructions of the guide and disembark. Please drive carefully.”

Source: 運送約款｜オレンジフェリー｜四国開発フェリー株式会社、ご利用の流れ｜九四航路（八幡浜-臼杵）｜オレンジフェリー｜四国開発フェリー株式会社

For the companies at Matsuyama Kanko Port and Mitsuhama Port, we did not find, on the official pages we saw this time, a statement that directly writes about entering the vehicle deck during the voyage. Ishizaki Kisen’s terms have an article on “places where entry is prohibited” (立入りを禁止された場所). We did not look at the terms of Setonaikai Kisen, Boyo Ferry, or Nakajima Kisen this time.

For loading and unloading cars, follow the instructions of staff and guides

The guides of Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry and Kokudo Kyushi Ferry say to follow the instructions of staff or guides when moving the car. Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry puts the same text in the “Customers with cars” section for Toyo Port, Niihama-higashi Port, and Yawatahama Port.

お車の場合は、誘導員の指示に従って、車両甲板（車載デッキ）に入り、誘導員の指示する場所に車を停めてください。 サイドブレーキを忘れずに、また車内に貴重品などを残さないようにして客室におあがりください。

Translation: “If you have a car, follow the instructions of the guide, enter the vehicle deck (car deck), and park your car where the guide tells you. Do not forget the parking brake, and do not leave valuables in the car, then go up to the passenger cabin.”

Kokudo Kyushi Ferry’s “Guide” (ご利用ガイド) also says the same thing for both boarding and disembarking.

係員の指示に従い、お車を船内に移動してください。

Translation: “Follow the instructions of the staff and move your car into the ship.”

下船の案内がありましたら、お客様のお車までお戻りください。 船員の指示に従い、下船をお願いします。

Translation: “When the announcement to disembark is made, please return to your car. Please follow the instructions of the crew and disembark.”

The terms of carriage also have articles. In Chapter 4 of Uwajima Unyu Ferry’s “Automobile Transport” part (自動車航送の部), these articles are listed.

第18条 自動車の積込み及び陸揚げは、船長又は当社の係員の指示に従い、自動車の運転者が行うものとします。

Translation: “Article 18. Loading and unloading of an automobile is done by the driver of the automobile, following the instructions of the captain or our staff.”

第20条 自動車の運転者は、自動車を運転して乗船し、又は下船する際に船舶内又は乗降施設若しくは誘導路において徐行をせず、又は乗降中の他の自動車の前方に割り込んではいけません。 ２ 自動車の運転者は、自動車の積込み及び陸揚げに関し、船長又は当社の係員が輸送の安全確保のために行う職務上の指示に従わなければなりません。 ３ 船長は、前項の指示に従わない自動車の運転者に対し、下船を命じることがあります。

Translation: “Article 20. When driving a car to board or disembark, the driver of the automobile must not fail to slow down inside the ship, at the boarding and disembarking facilities, or on the guide road, and must not cut in front of another automobile that is boarding or disembarking. 2. The driver of the automobile must follow the instructions that the captain or our staff give in their duties to ensure the safety of transport regarding the loading and unloading of automobiles. 3. The captain may order a driver who does not follow the instructions in the previous paragraph to disembark.”

The same “Automobile Transport” part also has a rule about leaving the car.

第19条 自動車の運転者は、自動車から離れる場合は必ず施錠するものとし、下船前に自動車及びその積載貨物について点検しなければなりません。この場合において、これらについて異常を発見したときは、直ちに船長又は当社の係員に報告しなければなりません。

Translation: “Article 19. When the driver of an automobile leaves the automobile, the driver shall always lock it, and before disembarking must check the automobile and the cargo loaded on it. If the driver finds anything wrong, the driver must report it to the captain or our staff immediately.”

Source: ご利用の流れ｜関西航路（東予-大阪）｜オレンジフェリー｜四国開発フェリー株式会社、ご利用ガイド｜国道九四フェリー、自動車航送の部（PDF、宇和島運輸）

What comes next for this page

• We have not boarded yet: This page was written by reading each company’s official pages on October 11, 2026. We do not yet have a record of boarding with a car. After we ride, we will add how vehicles line up at the waiting area in the port, and where the counters are.
• Fares and times: This page does not give prices or sailing times. Please check each company’s official page for each route.
• Position of the points: We took the latitude and longitude of the 6 ports from OpenStreetMap (Overpass API) (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL). The companies’ official pages did not give the latitude and longitude numbers themselves.
• Point for Yawatahama Port: OpenStreetMap has several ferry terminals at Yawatahama Port, and this page uses node/4072844948 as the representative point.
• Address of Niihama-higashi Port: We could not open the Niihama-higashi Port boarding guide page on Shikoku Kaihatsu Ferry’s official site, so we have not confirmed the address. We confirmed the addresses of Toyo Port, Yawatahama Port, and Matsuyama Kanko Port on official pages.
• Point numbers: Point numbers will be the same as the chapter numbers of the driving video. When the video is ready, we will make it possible to jump from a point to that scene.