Kinkasan Getting there & around

Getting there & away

From Ishinomaki, seven buses run daily to Ayukawa.

During summer ferries leave from Ayukawa pier – opposite the bus station – for Kinkasan almost hourly between 8.30am and 3.45pm (one way ¥900, 25 minutes); the last return ferry is at 4pm. Service is greatly reduced the rest of the year. Reservations (53-3121) are required at peak times.

There are three high-speed catamarans daily between Kinkasan and Onagawa, the eastern gateway to the peninsula, from April to early November (one way ¥1600, 25 minutes). The last departure from Onagawa is at 12.10pm. Some of the boats have open-air fantail decks, which make for a pleasant ride. Onagawa is also the terminus for the JR Ishinomaki line, 30 minutes from JR Ishinomaki station (¥320). From Onagawa station walk straight to the waterfront, turn right and walk about 200m to the pier. The ferry ticket office is down a side street opposite the pier, little more than a hole in the wall on the right-hand side.