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Hikawa Maru Tickets: ¥300, Cash Only, Closed Mondays

Updated 2026-11-11

Bring coins. The NYK Hikawa Maru (氷川丸), the black-hulled 1930 ocean liner tied up at Yamashita Park in Yokohama, sells its tickets at the ship and takes cash only: ¥300 per adult, ¥200 for visitors aged 65 and over and ¥100 for elementary, junior high and high school students. There is nothing to book and nothing to buy online. The ship is open 10:00–17:00 with last entry at 16:30, and it is closed on Mondays. It sits 3 minutes on foot from exit 4 of Motomachi-Chukagai Station. The prices, hours and closed days below come from the ship's own pages (checked 2026-11-11).

Cut-away plan of the NYK Hikawa Maru museum ship in Yokohama with the ticket prices. N1 to N3 decks: bridge, steering gear control, captain's office. A deck: first-class lounge, deluxe cabin used by Charlie Chaplin in 1932, first-class smoking room. B deck, where visitors board: entrance lobby, first-class dining saloon, first-class nursery. C and D decks: engine room with two eight-cylinder diesel engines, third-class cabin, exhibition room. Tickets, cash only: adult 300 yen, 65 and over 200 yen, elementary to high school students 100 yen. The set ticket with the NYK Maritime Museum is crossed out because that museum has been closed since 1 April 2023.
What is on each deck, and what the ticket costs. Deck list from the ship's official guide map.

Ticket prices

Visitor Price What to show
Adult (college students included) ¥300 nothing
65 and over ¥200 proof of age, such as a passport
Junior high and high school student ¥100 student ID
Elementary school student ¥100 nothing listed

What a group pays

Group Total
1 adult ¥300
2 adults ¥600
2 adults + 2 schoolchildren ¥800 (2 × ¥300 + 2 × ¥100)
2 visitors aged 65 and over ¥400

Among the Yokohama harbour sights priced on this site, nothing with a ticket costs less. The observation deck of the Marine Tower, beside the same park, starts at ¥1,000 per adult on a weekday. A family of four walks the whole ship for less than one adult pays to go up the tower.

The set ticket you may have read about

Older guides mention a combined ticket for the ship and the NYK Maritime Museum. The ship's information page no longer lists one, and the reason is simple: the museum has been closed since 1 April 2023 while it moves. Its own site says the reopening is expected in spring 2027 and will be announced there. Until then the Hikawa Maru is the only NYK museum you can visit in Yokohama, and the single ticket above is the only ticket.

Opening hours and closed days

The ship publishes its closed days ahead. These are the dates on the official page for the next months:

Month Closed on
November 2026 16 (Mon), 24 (Tue), 30 (Mon)
December 2026 7, 14, 21, 28 (all Mondays)
January 2027 4 (Mon), 12 (Tue), 18 (Mon), 25 (Mon)
February 2027 1, 8, 15, 22 (all Mondays)
March 2027 1, 8, 15 (Mon), 23 (Tue), 29 (Mon)

Two things stand out. The list shows no extra New Year closure: between 28 December and 4 January, no other date is marked. And the three Tuesdays (24 November, 12 January, 23 March) each follow a Monday holiday, when the ship stays open.

The ship can also shut at short notice. It closed on 15 September 2026 for hull survey work and on 21 September 2026 for a typhoon. The survey work was announced on 14 July 2026 and brings covers, air ducts and some noise on board. Look at the notice box on the official top page on the morning you go.

How late can you arrive? Kanagawa's official tourism site suggests one hour for the visit. Last entry at 16:30 leaves only 30 minutes before closing, so treat 16:00 as your real deadline.

What you see, deck by deck

The ship's guide map lists these rooms. You board on B deck.

Deck Rooms
B deck (entrance) Entrance lobby with a large screen and photos on the ship's history; first-class dining saloon, as wide as the hull; first-class nursery
A deck First-class lounge, where passengers danced at night; the deluxe cabin; first-class smoking room
N1–N3 decks Bridge, steering gear control, captain's office
C and D decks Engine room with two eight-cylinder diesel engines; third-class cabin; exhibition room

The deluxe cabin is the room to look for. Charlie Chaplin sailed in it from Yokohama to Seattle in June 1932, and Prince and Princess Chichibu used it in October 1937. Then go down to the third-class cabin on the lower decks. Third-class passengers were kept apart from the other classes, and seeing both rooms on one visit shows what a ticket bought in 1930 better than any caption.

The ship in numbers
Completed 25 April 1930, Yokohama Dock Company
Route Japan to Seattle, 1930–1941 and 1951–1960
Length / width 163.30 m / 20.12 m
Gross tonnage 11,622 tons
Passengers 286
Pacific crossings 254, with more than 25,000 passengers in all
War service Navy hospital ship from November 1941: 24 voyages, over 30,000 wounded and sick
At Yamashita Park Since 1961
Important Cultural Property 2016

NYK calls her the only Japanese cargo-passenger ship built before World War II that still exists.

Rules on board

How to get there

From How Time and fare
Yokohama Station Minatomirai Line to Motomachi-Chukagai, the last stop; exit 4 ¥230 by ticket, ¥224 by IC card; then 3 minutes on foot
JR Negishi Line Ishikawacho Station 15 minutes on foot
City bus Route 26 to Yamashita Koen-mae, or the Chukagai-iriguchi stop 3 minutes on foot from Chukagai-iriguchi
Sea Bass water bus Get off at the Yamashita Park pier ¥1,500 from Yokohama Station East Exit, ¥1,300 from Pier Red Brick (child ¥750 / ¥650)

The train is the cheap way and the boat is the scenic way. Arriving by Sea Bass costs five times the ship's own ticket, so take it once, in one direction, and use the Minatomirai Line for the other. From Tokyo, the Tokyo to Yokohama train guide compares the lines, and the Yokohama day trip cost calculator adds up your own day.

Where it fits in a day: the ship, the Marine Tower and Chinatown are all around Motomachi-Chukagai Station. Do the ship before 16:00, the tower at dusk and dinner in Chinatown. The Yokohama day trip itinerary puts the whole harbour in order.

Yokohama tickets and tours

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Frequently asked questions

How much are Hikawa Maru tickets?

¥300 for adults, ¥200 for visitors aged 65 and over, and ¥100 for elementary, junior high and high school students. You pay at the ship, in cash.

Can I pay by credit card or buy Hikawa Maru tickets online?

No. The official page says admission is cash only, and it lists no online ticket.

Is the Hikawa Maru open on Mondays?

Only when Monday is a national holiday. On those weeks it closes on the next working day instead. The closed days from November 2026 to March 2027 are in the table above.

Is the Hikawa Maru open over New Year?

The official list of closed days shows 28 December 2026 and 4 January 2027, both Mondays, and no other date between them. The ship can still close at short notice, so check its top page before you go.

How long does a visit take?

Kanagawa's tourism site suggests one hour. Because last entry is 16:30 and the ship closes at 17:00, arrive by 16:00.

Is the NYK Maritime Museum open?

No. It has been closed since 1 April 2023 for relocation, and its website expects it to reopen in spring 2027.

Official sources (checked 2026-11-11)

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