Sado Island Ferry: Fares, Crossing Times and Jetfoil Timetable

Last checked against official sources on 2026-10-23

Sado Kisen’s fares changed for the quarter that began on 1 October 2026. The fuel surcharge built into every ticket went up, so the Niigata–Ryotsu jetfoil is now ¥8,310 one way for an adult (it was ¥8,250) and a 2nd-class car-ferry seat is ¥3,630 (it was ¥3,570). The jetfoil takes 1 h 07 min and the car ferry 2 h 30 min. The Naoetsu–Ogi ferry has no sailings from 24 November 2026.

What changed on 1 October 2026

Sado Kisen, the ferry operator, publishes fares one quarter at a time. The table for 1 October to 31 December 2026 replaced the one for 1 July to 30 September 2026. The difference comes from the fuel-oil price adjustment, a surcharge that is already included in the printed fares and is reviewed every three months. The surcharge per adult, one way, rose from ¥280 to ¥340 (child: ¥140 to ¥170).

Prices for January 2027 onward will be posted once the next surcharge is decided, so treat the fares on this page as valid to 31 December 2026.

Two more points older English guides may get wrong:

• The Naoetsu–Ogi ferry is seasonal. The 2026 timetable shows no sailings between 24 November and 31 December (see the timetable section below).
• The cheaper “island-origin” round-trip jetfoil ticket ended on 30 September 2025. For a jetfoil round trip that starts in Niigata, the discount that exists now is the Sado Long Stay ticket (see the fares section).

Which route to choose

Most visitors use the Niigata–Ryotsu route, which has two kinds of ship. The Naoetsu–Ogi route lands at a different island port and does not run in winter.

Jetfoil. A fast passenger-only boat. The operator says it rides above the water on foils and can run at 80 km/h even in waves of 3.5 m. The fare already includes the express charge and a reserved seat. The front windows were replaced with aluminium panels, so there is no view ahead. Only small pets in a carrier are allowed, and cars cannot be taken.

Car ferry. Slower but cheaper, and the only way to take a car, motorbike or an unpacked bicycle. Seats range from 2nd class up to 1st class, special cabins and, on the Niigata route, a suite.

Fares from 1 October 2026

All fares below are one way, in yen, and include the fuel surcharge. “Child” means elementary-school age; a pre-school child who uses a seat of their own also pays the child fare.

Cars. On the Niigata–Ryotsu car ferry a car of 3 m to under 4 m is ¥17,250 one way and one of 4 m to under 5 m is ¥20,470. The driver’s 2nd-class passenger fare is included; passengers pay separately.

Sado Long Stay ticket. If you stay on Sado for at least 4 and at most 9 nights, you can buy a discounted jetfoil round trip from Niigata. For boardings from 1 October to 31 December 2026 it costs ¥11,590 for an adult (normal return: ¥16,620) and ¥6,290 for a child (normal return: ¥8,320), and it comes with a ¥1,000 coupon for designated facilities on the island.

• Both legs must be jetfoil on the Niigata route, starting in Niigata, and you must reserve in advance.
• You pay by credit card and collect the ticket at the boarding-port window, so no digital ticket is issued.
• If the outbound jetfoil from Niigata is cancelled, the discount does not apply.
• Sales run from 1 June 2026 to 28 February 2027 (outbound travel by 24 February 2027) and can stop earlier if the subsidy budget is used up.

Timetable and seasons

From 13 October to 31 December 2026 the published Niigata–Ryotsu timetable has five car-ferry and five jetfoil departures from each port, with no day-of-week exceptions.

• The last jetfoil leaves Niigata at 15:30 and arrives at 16:37. After that, the 16:05 car ferry arrives at 18:35 and the 19:30 arrives at 22:00.
• From Ryotsu the first car ferry leaves at 05:30 and arrives at 08:00. The last jetfoil leaves at 15:30 and arrives at 16:37; the last car ferry leaves at 19:30 and arrives at 22:00.
• The 2026 timetable marks extra jetfoil trips on busy weekends and holidays earlier in the year, and extra overnight car-ferry sailings in holiday periods. None are listed for the rest of October to December.

Naoetsu–Ogi. One ship, the car ferry Kogane Maru, makes two round trips a day in season:

The 2026 timetable shows sailings from 20 March to 23 November and none from 24 November to 31 December. It also shows no sailings from 1 January to 19 March 2026, so check the operator’s timetable before planning a late-autumn or winter trip on this route.

Getting to the ports

Niigata Port (for Ryotsu). The terminal is at 9-1 Bandaijima, Chuo-ku, Niigata. From Niigata Station, the Niigata Kotsu “Sado Kisen line” bus takes about 15 minutes and costs ¥260. A taxi takes about 10 minutes and costs about ¥1,500 for a small car. The station’s bus stops have moved since March 2024 because of rebuilding work, so check the bus company’s page for the current stop.

From Niigata Airport there is no ordinary route bus to the port. A taxi takes about 30 minutes and costs about ¥3,000 for a small car. Sado Kisen also lists a direct “Mini Liner” service that takes about 25 minutes.

The Sado Tourism Exchange Organization estimates that Tokyo to Niigata Port by rail takes about 2 h 30 min to 3 h, including connection time, using the Joetsu Shinkansen.

Naoetsu Port (for Ogi). From Joetsumyoko Station, a bus (Kubiki Jidosha) takes about 30 minutes and costs ¥730; a standard taxi costs ¥4,500. The Tokyo-to-Naoetsu-Port journey by rail is estimated at about 3 h 20 min to 4 h.

After the evening ferry from Ogi arrives at 20:05, Sado Kisen runs a shared van to the stations until 23 November 2026:

The van has 9 seats, must be booked by 17:00 the day before on 025-543-3791, takes cash only and runs one way from the port.

Ryotsu and Ogi. Niigata Kotsu Sado route buses and Sado Kisen rental cars serve both island ports.

Booking, boarding and luggage

Buying at the port. Tickets are sold at port windows and machines. If you buy there, arrive about 30 to 40 minutes before departure; with a digital ticket already on your phone, 10 to 20 minutes before. Gates open 15 to 20 minutes before departure.

Booking online. Free membership is required. You pay by credit card or at a convenience store (unpaid bookings are cancelled automatically), and the QR-code ticket is scanned at the gate. Bookings open at 00:00 on the same date two months before sailing. Foot passengers can book until 30 minutes before departure; a vehicle booking closes at 21:00 the day before. Online booking is the way to choose a reserved seat on the jetfoil or in car-ferry 1st class.

Suite rooms and groups of 10 or more are booked by phone, up to two months ahead, through an automated voice line (025-245-7001, 10:00–13:00 and 14:00–17:00, closed on Sundays, holidays and over the New Year).

Luggage. Each passenger may carry up to 2 pieces to the cabin, each with the three sides adding up to 2 m or less and weighing up to 30 kg. A larger piece needs a baggage ticket, ¥600 per piece on the Niigata route (¥640 on Naoetsu–Ogi), bought on the day at a machine or window. On the jetfoil there is a luggage area near the right-hand entrance on the 1st floor. The car ferry Okesa Maru has a luggage area on the 3rd floor and paid coin lockers.

Bicycles. A bicycle packed in a carry bag, with every wheel inside, counts as one piece of baggage (¥600 on the Niigata route), whatever its size. An unpacked bicycle can go on the car ferry only, at the bicycle fare of ¥2,700 (¥2,840 on Naoetsu–Ogi) plus your own passenger fare.

Weather and cancellations

Sado Kisen decides whether to sail from wave height, swell, wind strength and direction, and visibility. A storm or wave warning for Niigata suggests cancellations are possible, but the company says a warning is only a guide.

• Car-ferry sailings and the first jetfoil of the day are published on the operator’s status page at 00:00 on the day. The other jetfoil sailings are published after about 06:00.
• A decision can come as late as one hour before departure, and sometimes it is made the day before.
• A one-week outlook is updated around noon on Monday and Thursday. It is a forecast only.
• If a sailing is cancelled, Sado Kisen contacts online bookers by email; cancelling a booking yourself before the company has decided incurs the normal fee. A ticket for a cancelled sailing is refunded with no fee.
• Port phone numbers: Niigata 025-245-5111, Ryotsu 0259-27-5111, Naoetsu 025-543-3791, Ogi 0259-86-3110.

What we could not confirm

• Whether a pre-school child who does not use a seat travels free: the fare pages only say that a child using a seat pays the child fare.
• Fares and timetables of the island buses from Ryotsu and Ogi: these are on the bus company’s own site, which we did not check.
• The current bus stop at Niigata Station for the Sado Kisen line after the station rebuild.
• Naoetsu–Ogi dates for 2027 and any timetable for Niigata–Ryotsu after 31 December 2026.
• Fares and the Long Stay ticket price from January 2027, which depend on the next surcharge decision.
• Whether the English version of the operator’s site offers the full booking flow, and whether cards issued outside Japan are accepted.
• Whether the Long Stay ticket has any residence or nationality conditions beyond those listed on the discount page.

Sources

1. Sado Kisen: fare table, Niigata–Ryotsu jetfoil, 1 Oct–31 Dec 2026 (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
2. Sado Kisen: fare table, Niigata–Ryotsu car ferry, 1 Oct–31 Dec 2026 (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
3. Sado Kisen: fare table, Naoetsu–Ogi car ferry, 1 Oct–31 Dec 2026 (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
4. Sado Kisen: fare table, Niigata–Ryotsu car ferry, 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026 (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
5. Sado Kisen: fare table, Niigata–Ryotsu jetfoil, 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026 (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
6. Sado Kisen: fare table, Naoetsu–Ogi car ferry, 1 Jul–30 Sep 2026 (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
7. Sado Kisen: discount fares and Sado Long Stay ticket (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
8. Sado Kisen: 2026 timetable (PDF, Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
9. Sado Kisen: timetable data behind the online timetable page (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
10. Sado Kisen: jetfoil ship information (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
11. Sado Kisen: Niigata Port terminal guide (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
12. Sado Kisen: Ryotsu Port terminal guide (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
13. Sado Kisen: notice on crowding near Niigata Port, 24–25 October (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
14. Sado Tourism Exchange Organization: getting to the ports from Tokyo (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
15. Sado Kisen: Naoetsu Port terminal guide (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
16. Sado Kisen: Ogi Port terminal guide (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
17. Sado Kisen: how to board without a car (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
18. Sado Kisen: how to book (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
19. Sado Kisen: cancellation fees (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
20. Sado Kisen: baggage guide (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
21. Sado Kisen: sailing and cancellation decisions (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23
22. Sado Kisen: one-week sailing forecast (Japanese) — checked 2026-10-23