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Old 29-08-2014, 17:14   #1
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Korea, Japan, china, etc

So I have read on anyone sailing to and around the general area of the land of the rising sun.

Do folks do it much at all?
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Old 29-08-2014, 17:50   #2
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

That should say "haven't"
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Old 29-08-2014, 18:06   #3
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

I lived in Tokyo for almost 6 years. I dindn't find any active sailing but wasn't looking real hard. There was a Japanese guy who posted here a few years ago planning a trip to Korea from Japan. Don't know how that turned out.

My experience is the leisure activities in Japan happened far from Tokyo and were pretty inconvenient.

There is an "experienced" sailor here that sailed in Tokyo in like the 70's. He's told a few stories at the bar and I think the sailing club was around Ginza somewhere.

Parts of China have active sailing. But it's a big place and you'd need to be a bit more specific. I visited Shanghai and sailed at the "Shanghai Yacht Club and Resort" - LOL.

Lake sailing in dinghy's... But a good weekend diversion from work.
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Old 29-08-2014, 18:28   #4
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

China is not worth it. Not many marinas, extreme check in hassles, huge fees, can't really cruise etc. One port makes you pay $500 for a pilot and then you can't move. I would avoid it.

Check out Noonsites China page.
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Old 29-08-2014, 23:22   #5
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

I live in Japan (Chiba prefecture, near Tokyo) and sail a well-worn 21-foot "plastic fantastic" Yamaha fin keeler with an inch-thick hull (the good old days) and a cabin with full sitting headroom.

I've been messing around in small boats for quite a long time but am fairly new to sailing, and have never sailed into, or out of Japan, so I can't offer any advice there (but I've heard of overseas cruisers visiting, and in general liking Japan as a cruising destination). My longest cruise so far was about 10 days, to some islands of the Izu island group.

My boat is moored in a small fishing harbor on the Uraga strait near the entrance to Tokyo Bay. It's well protected there (but before a typhoon I usually have to double up the lines), no facilities to speak of but I pay only a quite reaonable yearly fee. Marinas exist as well, and their prices have come down considerably since the bubble days, but they are still probably more expensive than in the U.S. for example.

Japan isn't exactly boating heaven, but there are a number of quite active sailing clubs, especially in the Tokyo/Yokohama area and near other population centers, with weekend racing being quite popular (not my cup of green tea, though). Coastal cruising is fairly rare but not unheard of, with people usually doing day hops from harbor to harbor, rather than to keep going overnight (partly because of the many nets and fishery related hazards that are not always properly lit and are not on any charts). But the coastline of Japan offers a lot of interesting nooks and crannies. A friend of mine who has a 31-foot ketch sailed it single-handed to Hokkaido and back, and I know retirees who have sailed all around the archipelago.

My own cruising grounds are somewhat more limited, but in spite of the relative proximity to Tokyo (where the dominant water color is brownish gray), the water towards the Southern end of the Boso peninsula at times is amazingly clear and there is a lot of fishy action. I even encountered a sea turtle one lucky day. (BTW, most of the pleasure boating done in Japan is fishing related, which people do with a vengeance, but again, not my cup of tea.)

Here are a few pics to give you an idea:

https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A3GWZuqDJ8iTBa
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Old 30-08-2014, 00:37   #6
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

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Originally Posted by Yowieboy View Post

Here are a few pics to give you an idea:

https://www.icloud.com/photostream/#A3GWZuqDJ8iTBa
Excellent update. Thanks for that. I still get to Japan a few times a year and your photos sort of make me regret spending 5+ years wasting my weekends in Roppongi
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Old 30-08-2014, 01:08   #7
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

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your photos sort of make me regret spending 5+ years wasting my weekends in Roppongi
Well, navigating the water(ing holes) of Roppongi requires a fair bit of skill and stamina too...
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Old 01-09-2014, 05:38   #8
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

I live in Seoul, Korea. There are a number of marinas to visit and mostly people are warm hearted to vistors. You could check Busan (Suyoung marina), Mokpo, Tongyoung, Jungok, and newly opening Wangsan marina (300 berth). Berthing fee is cheap and pay less than $400.00 per month for mid 40' sloop. Electricity and water available for free.

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Old 01-09-2014, 08:01   #9
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

We are on our way to Japan now. We will be transiting the Philippines in the next few months expecting to cross to Taiwan in March of next year. We were originally headed there in 2011 however the Tsunami convinced us to hang out in SE Asia for an extra couple of years to allow Japan to heal.

I have been in contact with a few cruisers who are currently sailing Japan as well as the Japan Long Distance Voyagers Association. Japan has a lot of cruising opportunities for the adventuresome sailors and there appears to be a lot more facilities than we first envisaged.

I will be updating our website and providing as much cruising information as possible. The main issue is there are virtually no anchorages. Berthing is in the hundreds of fishing harbours.This initially concerned us; however it is not that big a deal. The inland sea has quite a few marinas dotted across it.


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Old 02-09-2014, 21:07   #10
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

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The main issue is there are virtually no anchorages. Berthing is in the hundreds of fishing harbours.
This is largely true, but there are exceptions. I occasionally stay overnight at anchor in various locations in the Kanto area (Miura peninsula, Boso coast). My draft is only about 3 ft, so I can usually tuck into the more protected spots but sometimes larger yachts also anchor nearby. However, there are indeed no completely protected all-weather anchorages that I know of that would be suitable for a prolonged stay at anchor. The places I use are only possible in certain wind directions so I have to pick and choose, and watch the forecast (the prevailing winds in Kanto are north-easterlies in winter and south-westerlies in summer).

Here's a site that lists a lot of information about ports, marinas, and some anchorages. Unfortunately it's mostly in Japanese, but there's some English as well:

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Old 03-09-2014, 13:15   #11
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

Did a cruise of southern Japan from Tokoyo to Busan and back on one of those little Princess Cruise Dinghies. Saw only one sailboat in the 10 day cruise and they didn't have their sails up. The only marinas we saw were filled with smallish commercial fishing boats.

The Southern part of Honshu, Shikoku, and Kyushu looked like a cruiser's paradise. Protected waters with tons of uninhabited or sparsely inhabited coastline and islands interspersed with high density urban areas. Possibly not great sailing as conditions seemed quite flat when we cruised in and out of the ports very early in the morning and late in the evening.

Have heard accounts of cruisers who have done Japan and they said the people treated them very well and the cruising great.
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Old 03-09-2014, 15:33   #12
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

I did a family trip from Cheju isldand Korea to Fukuoka and back to Budan two weeks ago. I saw only a couple of small crusing sail boat during the trip but small fishing power boats. Sailing was good and people in both Mariona marina were kind. I felt sailing is not that much attractive activity to Japanese while Koreans just started to open eye on sailing. I may be wrong.
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Old 03-09-2014, 18:52   #13
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

We went to Japan in 2012.

At the time North Japan was still having power issues and having rolling black outs. From what I understand it has been a huge issue with there economy. With the rolling blackouts we mostly eat grains and fresh vegetables.

Southern Japan was doing great. No power issues, better economy, and the people were happier.

I'm thinking the north uses 100 volt 50 hertz and the south uses 100 volt 60 hertz.
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Old 04-09-2014, 01:33   #14
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

We are currently in Fukuoka. Had great stops in Okinawa, Amami, Yakushima, Nagasaki, Hirado etc. only problem is too many places to see too little time. We head towards Hiroshima on Wednesday to take part in the Setouchi Rally for long distance sailors. Rather short sails for a long distance rally. I think the longest passage is 40 nm. But a great way to see another area with too much to see. The only problem with cruising Japan is the time required and the occasional typhoon. The people are great and the costs aren't as bad as doing land travel. And Dan how did you miss the boating in Japan! There is a sailboat in almost every cove! The marinas are pretty big as well. Of course the beer is not as expensive as it is at Changi or Raffles. But that just means one has money left over for the trains which are not as cheap as the MRT!

You might check a blog out called boating Japan. It is useful for cruisers entering. It is run by a guy here in Fukuoka for foreign boats.

PS there is one down side of cruising here. The paperwork for open and closed ports. The majority of ports here are closed. That doesn't mean you can't go you just have to get permission first from the depart of transport. You want to get this as and when you make progress through Japan.
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Old 04-09-2014, 04:26   #15
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Re: Korea, Japan, china, etc

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And Dan how did you miss the boating in Japan! There is a sailboat in almost every cove! The marinas are pretty big as well. Of course the beer is not as expensive as it is at Changi or Raffles. But that just means one has money left over for the trains which are not as cheap as the MRT!

You might check a blog out called boating Japan. It is useful for cruisers entering. It is run by a guy here in Fukuoka for foreign boats.
Young(er) and wilder times - Worked 70 hour weeks and when not working hung out with banker and traders in Roppongi.

The boom-boom 90's! We'd play $100 poker on Friday's - the traders are staring at blackberries waiting for London to open. I never lost to these guys I'd win on pair 8s. $500 pots were nothing, I mean not even a distraction, to these guys...

I think we all forget how fun the Clinton days were - LOL...

BTW - How do you find getting around by boat in terms of language barriers? Is a working knowledge of Japanese required?
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