As a "different" holiday from the usual crowds and hassles, we decided to travel from Sydney (Australia) to Japan by cargo ship. We would then spend a short period there and fly back home.

A search of the internet quickly led us to Freighter Travel (NZ) Ltd, a travel agency in Napier, New Zealand that specialises in freighter travel. A look at their website, and some email correspondence, soon led to us making a reservation as passengers on the MV Arafura sailing from Sydney on 20 October and arriving in Osaka on 5 November. The Arafura is a container ship, operated by P&O Nedlloyd, that runs a regular 5-week circuit between eastern Australia, Japan and Korea. The Arafura serves Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane in Australia, Yokohama, Shimizu, Yokkaichi, Nagoya, Osaka and Hakata in Japan and Pusan in Korea. There are three double cabins for paying passengers. The cost of the trip (A$90/day/person) sounded reasonable to us so we paid our deposit and cancelled all other engagements between 20 October and 10 November.

 Although we already knew that Japan is a very expensive place to visit, we still wanted to have a brief look around while we were there. We also realised that the Arafura spent only short periods in port, so only short glimpses of the country could be seen then. We finally decided to spend four nights in Osaka and use this as a base for day-trips to Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Himeji. The reason that we chose Osaka was that this was the only place where we could find a reasonably priced hotel that was convenient to a railway station. Most conveniently located "budget" hotels in Kyoto or Nara cost at least 12,000 Yen (A$215) a night for a double room, but we managed to find (via the internet) Hotel Kinki (an interesting name) in downtown Osaka that cost only 6,500 Yen. [As it turned out, we had to changed our plans while in Japan, so we may never know if Hotel Kinki was a bargain or not.] Train travel is the cheapest and most convenient way to travel in Japan, so I think our idea of finding a hotel close to a railway station was correct.

Our return travel from Japan to Australia was the bargain of the trip - we had free Qantas "frequent flyer" tickets that we could use! We chose to fly Osaka to Sydney, the aircraft being operated by Japan Airlines in a code-share arrangement with Qantas. The new Kansai International Airport, located on a reclaimed "island" in Osaka Bay, has a good train connection with downtown Osaka.

 MV Arafura is a container ship owned by P&O Nedlloyd and built in 1991. It has a gross weight of 37,902 tonnes, is 240 metres long and has a service speed of 18.5 knots. It is staffed with 11 officers (Australians), 3 caterers (Hong Kong Chinese) and 9 crew (Filippinos). There are three double cabins for the use of paying passengers - these are located on A-deck, one level below the bridge.

On our trip we had another couple between Sydney and Brisbane (they were completing a 5-week round voyage), but after that we were the only passengers. Our cabin was comfortable but not luxurious, being similar to those of the ship's officers. There was a special (small) passenger's lounge and some private deck space beside the cabins, but otherwise we had to share facilities with the officers. We ate in the Officer's dining room and had the use of their book and video library and gymnasium. Once out of port, passengers were able to walk around the main decks - our favourite spot was the fo'c'sle (the deck area near the ship's bow). The ship's officers were friendly and helpful and the food was very good.

We sailed from Sydney (Port Botany) on Sunday 22 October and had a pleasant 28-hour voyage to Brisbane. The ship was never far from shore so we could see the lights of coastal towns such as Port Macquarie and Coffs Harbour at night. Cape Byron was passed at dawn and was most impressive. The Arafura spent 31 hours in Brisbane so this allowed us to spend a day in the city.

After Brisbane it was 9 days of non-stop sailing to Yokohama. The route was almost due north through the Coral Sea, around the southeastern tip of New Ireland (Papua New Guinea), through the Caroline Islands, past the Northern Mariana Islands and past the Nampo Shoto Islands (Japan). We missed seeing some islands at night, but it was good to see volcanic Lihir Island (Papua New Guinea), coral Ulul Island (Caroline islands), the impressive volcanic Northern Mariana islands of Pagan, Ascuncion and Farallon de Pajaros and volcanic Haha Jima, Chichi Jima and Muko Jima (Japan).

Life aboard ship was very quiet, and some would even think it very dull. Our days were spent reading, sunbathing, sleeping, ocean gazing or strolling around the decks; in a word, relaxing! We didn't see much of the crew except at meal-times, especially in the evenings when most of the officers dined together. Our voyage was almost due north and, at a steady speed of almost 20 knots, we covered a distance of almost 900 km or a latitude change of about 8 degrees in each day.

This meant (for example) that two days after leaving Brisbane we were in Papua New Guinean waters, so there was a daily change in the climate and weather conditions. The sea conditions were light for all the voyage and were especially smooth in the equatorial regions. Rough seas can be experienced off the Northern Mariana Islands or off the Queensland (Australia) coast if typhoons (tropical cyclones) are met, but October was not a high risk period for such storms. 

Travelling around the coast of Japan gave us a strong impression of the extent of industrialisation in Japan. The coastline is lined with an almost continuous succession of towns, factories, power stations and the air is correspondingly murky with industrial pollution. Behind the towns, and at headlands, the countryside is quite mountainous while the coastal waters are the domain of fishing boats, coastal ships and international freighters - never a dull minute for passengers on the Arafura. In port the loading and unloading of containers was always interesting to watch.

 The Arafura stopped at six ports in Japan but only for short periods to drop off and pick up containers. The ports and stay durations were: Yokohama (14 hours), Shimizu (5), Yokkaichi (4), Nagoya (5), Osaka (10) and Hakata (6). The arrival times in ports changed as we went along depending on availability of berths. This meant that the opportunities for shore sightseeing were limited. The location of many of the container terminals far away from the main towns also restricted shore opportunities due to the time and cost (especially if taxis were to be used!).

We didn't go ashore in Yokohama (due to darkness and rain), Shimizu (late afternoon arrival) or Nagoya (5000 Yen taxi to the nearest railway station). However, shore trips were made in Yokkaichi (on a ship's bike around the local town) and in Osaka (to a shopping centre and by subway to Osaka Castle).

I (Brian) managed to pull a back muscle near Yokohama and, as the pain persisted for several days, we decided to change our plans and stay on the Arafura until Hakata. In Hakata I visited a local hospital (with assistance from a local medical agency appointed by my travel insurance company) and was soon dosed with pain-killers and anti-inflammatory pills and able to move around again with care.

We spent two days in Hakata (also known as Fukuoka) and found it to be a delightful city - very clean, efficient and friendly. We skipped the tourist sights (there are a few) and concentrated on observing the street and shop scenes. Our hotel (Green Hotel 2) was in the "budget" category, costing a mere 8800 Yen a night for a double room (about A$160 or US$80). The room was tiny but it was clean and everything worked. Of importance to us was that the hotel was located downtown (near Hakata Station) - we even had a view of the shinkansen (bullet trains) from our window. Food is also very expensive in Japan, especially anything including meat or fish. But there were many resutoran-gai ("restaurant towns") located in shopping malls and in the Hakata Station complex where good noodle or dumpling dishes could be found for about 800 Yen a serve. The shops were filled with enticing items to take home with us, but the prices (about double that in Australia) resulted in much looking and few purchases.

From Hakata we returned to Osaka on the shinkansen (bullet train) and this was a great experience. We chose the Nozomi train, the "super express service", that cost about 7% more and has fewer stops than the other shinkansen trains. We travelled the 622 km from Hakata to Osaka in 2 hours 17 minutes. If you allow for the one minute (60 seconds!) stops at Kokura, Hiroshima and Okayama the average travel speed was 279 km/h. The cruising speed was 300 km/h. The ride was very smooth, the train was spotless and we saw an interesting cross-section of town and country life along the way. The cost was about the same as flying (15,360 Yen each, about A$275) but it was a great experience and we had to return to Osaka anyway to catch our flight back to Sydney.

The guidebooks warn that ATMs that handle foreign cards are rare in Japan so it is wise to take cash and travellers cheques. There were several CIRRUS ATMs in downtown Hakata, but we had already got Yen notes on the ship. Japan Railways took our VISA card to pay for the shinkansen train trip.

We have some regrets that did not manage to see the "sights" of Kyoto, Nara, Kobe and Himeji (the castle), although our time in Hakata was a welcome alternative. Maybe one day, if we ever win the lottery, we will visit these places!

The primary purpose of our trip was the sea trip on MV Arafura and this was a success to us. Our time around the  Japan coast and on-shore were extras but we still managed to have a quick experience of Japan.

Freighter travel is not for all people and especially not for those who like the organised entertainment and facilities available on cruise ships. Retired people who want to relax and enjoy their own company or people who have a particular activity to fill in their time (eg writing ones memoirs or counting waves)may fit in well. We think that our one-way voyage of 17 days was probably enough at one time, although many people enjoy the five-week round trip on the Arafura.

Japan is an interesting but very expensive place and our visit there was very brief. The industrialisation, efficiency, neatness and friendliness of the country were obvious during even a brief visit. On this visit we were content to avoid the normal "tourist" sites and wander or cycle around typical towns or cities. Our trip on the shinkansen (bullet train) was a memorable experience and is a "must" even on a short visit to Japan.

I have inserted a few of my photographs in the text as I think that these may be more interesting than my rather sterile words (I am an engineer by profession!). Below I have also added a few internet links that may be of use to any readers who have lasted to this point and may still wish to have a try at freighter travel or to visit Japan. As you will have gathered, I am a "20-day expert", but if you wish to contact me with any comments or questions you will find me at brigun2003@yahoo.com.au

Reservations for the "Arafura" can be made directly through P&O Swire Containers Limited (GPO Box 4323, Sydney, NSW 2001), although we made our bookings through Freighter Travel (NZ) in Napier, New Zealand.