Benten-jima from the waterfrontPhoto: 663highland / CC BY 2.5
Benten-jima is the small island between Tomo and Sensui-jima, with a red pagoda on its crest. From the tatami of Taichoro it sits in the middle of the frame, with Sensui-jima behind.
Checked · Researched, not yet visited · times from official timetables and our estimates · Takumi Yamada
The small rock island with a red pagoda that sits between Tomo and Sensui-jima. It is the centre of the view from Taichoro, and it lies on the short crossing to Sensui-jima, so the waterfront by the ferry pier and the ferry itself both give a close look.
- Short enough to be certain of: 15 min door to door, so even a tender day works.
- Reachable on foot from the berth, so no timetable can strand you.
- It is a view, so it is weather. Check the morning sky before you commit the hours.
Where the 15 min goes
The hour before all-aboard is not in this bar; it is already set aside. The minutes are our estimates from timetables and maps, not timed on the ground.
If your ship is late, cut the 15 min in the middle. Never cut the hour at the end.
Routes that already include it
Finished days timed from official timetables and our estimates, with this stop in them.
The lantern, the Ota Residence and TaichoroNeeds a 4-hour call · ~2h door to doorAny call. On a Tuesday the Ota Residence is closed: walk up to Io-ji instead. Times run from the moment you step off the tenderThe old town and Sensui-jima by ferryNeeds a 6.5-hour call · ~4.5h door to doorA call of 6.5 hours or more, such as 11:30–18:00, in fair weather. Times run from the landingWhat to put beside it
Each of these still lands you back aboard with the hour to spare.
35 min for bothHomeishu
Tomo’s own liqueur: glutinous rice, shochu and 16 herbs, sweet with no sugar added.
See the detail
45 min for bothJoyato lantern and the gangi steps
The stone harbour lantern at the tip of the great gangi, given by the people of Nishimachi in 1859: 12.1 m with its base, the largest harbour lantern in Japan by the tourism association’s account.
See the detail
45 min for bothThe gangi and the old harbour
Tomo was a tide-waiting harbour: ships sat here until the current through the Inland Sea turned.
See the detail