For our 11th "Book of the Day" feature, we're presenting "People of the Seikan Ferry," a photo collection published by Tsugaru Shobo.
I stumbled upon this book while visiting the Hakkoda Maru during a trip to Aomori, and it truly felt like a serendipitous encounter.
The Hakkoda Maru: A Globally Rare Ship
The Hakkoda Maru is a ship currently docked near Aomori Station, serving as a museum.
Until 1988 (Showa 63), the Seikan Ferry connected Aomori Port and Hakodate Port, transporting over 160 million passengers and 250 million tons of cargo. The total distance traveled by the ferries amounted to 80 million kilometers, which is equivalent to circling the Earth 2,019 times.
Visitors to the Seikan Ferry can witness its magnificent scale and learn about the ship's original role. Particularly noteworthy is the "vehicle deck," where cargo trains were loaded. It is globally rare for railway vehicles to cross the sea via a ship.
The Seikan Ferry has made its mark on Japan's railway history and contributed significantly to the nation's economic development. The Hakkoda Maru, a symbol of the Seikan Ferry with the longest active service among the 55 generations of ferries and featuring the Hakkoda mountain range and Suiren-numa marsh as its emblem, is preserved in nearly its original condition as a valuable historical facility, moored in Aomori.
Inside the ship, you can watch an NHK documentary about the men who designed this ship from the green seats. Although I was the only one earnestly and seriously watching the footage, it was very interesting.
These men of the Showa era tackled challenging problems in the immediate post-war period.
As a biting cold wind blew through Aomori, I wondered what they would think, ponder, and create if they were born in today's generation.
In the old days, it took three and a half hours by ship from Aomori to Hakodate.
Currently, the Hokkaido Shinkansen line runs from Tokyo Station, reaching Shin-Hakodate-Hokuto Station in about 4 hours.
From Shin-Aomori Station, it's only 57 minutes. However, during the era of the Seikan Ferry, it apparently took a surprising three and a half hours by boat. This fact is written at the beginning of the photo book "People of the Seikan Ferry" and was one of the inspirations for publishing it. With such a wonderful opening, I finished reading the entire book on the Shinkansen ride home from my trip.
For every person crossing, there is a drama
Looking through this photo book, everyone from the Showa era has such wonderful expressions.
You just have to quietly admire this while listening to "Tsugaru Kaikyo Fuyu Geshiki."
WAITER-U SHOP is an e-commerce media focusing on outdoor goods, as well as music, movies, and books. We also create playlists on Spotify.
Please feel free to listen to them on your way to camping.
