#jnr

Like the Mashû-maru, the Hakkôda-maru is permanently moored where it would have docked when in service, out behind Aomori station, with the train tracks continuing only a few hundred metres before reaching the shore. Unfortunately, a big road bridge blocks the view of this layout from the station overpass, but at least we get a close-up of the linkspan, the ramp that was used to roll wagons on and off.

I was somewhat concerned that this ship would offer more of the same, but a lot of more work has been done to the Hakkôda-maru to allow visitors to get around. On this boat, the train deck was accessible, and they have a few wagons on display! The green floor has been added, and normally the rails would protrude, making it a risky place for the public; as mentioned before, passengers would not have been allowed here in service, they would have disembarked their train and boarded the passenger decks directly.

This is the kind of access I was hoping for on the Mashû-maru, and the Hakkôda-maru really scratched the Speyer itch, as the engine rooms and even the funnel can be explored! On the picture at the very top, you can just make out a few people standing on the funnel, now turned into a viewing platform. Going up there among the exhaust pipes was not what I expected, I thought the interior would have been gutted!

Of course, the passenger areas and the bridge are accessible on Hakkôda-maru, and the crew's quarters at the bow have also been preserved. Half of one deck is a local history museum, harking back to the Shôwa era and activities that happened around the Seikan ferry. So overall, the Hakkôda-maru is definitely the superior experience of the two memorial ferries, but if you're in Hakodate, show the Mashû-maru some love too - it's the only one with a horn!