The Japan Maritime Education and Training System (JMETS) training ship “Nippon Maru” is open to the public at the “53rd Kawasaki Port Festival,” being held at Kawasaki Port from October 10 to 11. Prior to this, footage of the ship docking and its deck was released to the media. JMETS is an organization dedicated to training seafarers.
The Nippon Maru is a training ship that entered service in 1984 as the second vessel of its name. The first Nippon Maru has been retired and is now preserved and open to the public in the Minato Mirai district of Yokohama. Although classified as a sailing ship, it is reported that training has been conducted without setting sail in recent years. During this public viewing as well, the ship is on display with its sails unfurled. For this voyage, which began on October 1, the ship is carrying 78 student trainees from vocational schools in various regions, along with 39 staff members and crew. Among them are 17 female trainees.
On the open house day, visitors can actually go up on deck. I’ve heard that trainees will be stationed at key locations to ensure safety. If you have any questions, just ask them—they’ll answer to the best of their ability. I was able to tour the bridge (wheelhouse), but I was told that visitors aren’t allowed to go up there on open house days.
It is rare for the Nippon Maru to be open to the public in the Kanto region; this marks its first such appearance since it was open to the public at Oarai Port in November 2019. From there, it will call at ports in Tokyo, Kobe, and Uno, and is scheduled to be open to the public at the “Kitakyushu Port Opening Commemoration Event” in Moji Port in November.
© Source travel watch