Are you ready to go on the scariest cruise of your life?

Escape rooms in Japan know no bounds, with people being encouraged to escape from hotels, trains, and haunted manors. Now, the boat is being taken out even further, quite literally, with the opening of a zombie ship from which there’s said to be “no escape”, and it’s been created by a company called Obaken.

A play on the word “obake”, which means ghost, monster, or apparition, the Obaken Zombie Ship is said to be the “ultimate realistic horror experience aboard a vessel out at sea“. Described as a 120-minute entertainment horror cruise where you never know what’s going to happen, this is reportedly the first-ever horror event to take place on a boat in Japan, and it’s a one-day only affair, limited to two departures from Suruga Bay in Shizuoka Prefecture on Sunday, 8 March.

▼ Truly no escape from this zombie ship until you get back to the bay.

Obaken has created immersive horror experiences in a variety of settings, and for this event, they’ll be zombifying the Fujisan Suruga Bay Ferry, or “Fuji” to use its shortened name.

▼ Fuji, looking less terrifying in the light of day, in front of Mt Fuji.

The Zombie Ship is limited to two afternoon departures, at 4 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., with a capacity of 90 people per departure. Boarding procedures take place 20 minutes beforehand, and once you’re on the ship, the horror story begins, with no escape until your return to the bay two hours later.

While the cruise itself is limited to two departures, there are three “courses” to choose from when purchasing tickets.

  • Course 1. “Zombie Ship Cruise with Shinkansen” (departing from Tokyo, Shinagawa, or Shin-Yokohama Station) 29,300 yen (US$191.62)

Course contents:
・Boarding the “Obaken Zombie Ship Cruise” (valid only for the 4 p.m. departure)
・Round-trip Shinkansen and limited express train tickets from Tokyo, Shinagawa, or Shin-Yokohama Station to JR Shimizu Station
・All-you-can-eat nigiri sushi dinner (50-minute limit) at S-Pulse Dream Plaza Tairyo Market; shuttle bus to dock available

*Price is the same for adults and children and only junior high school students and older can participate (children under 15 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)

  • Course 2: “Zombie Ship Cruise with Shinkansen” (Tokyo, Shinagawa, Shin-Yokohama Station) 29,300 yen

Course contents:
・Boarding the “Obaken Zombie Ship Cruise” (valid only for the 6:30 p.m. departure)
・Round-trip Shinkansen and limited express train tickets from Tokyo, Shinagawa, or Shin-Yokohama Station to JR Shimizu Station
・All-you-can-eat nigiri sushi dinner (50-minute limit) at S-Pulse Dream Plaza Tairyo Market; shuttle bus to dock available

*Price is the same for adults and children and only junior high school students and older can participate (children under 15 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)

  • Course 3: “Zombie Ship Cruise” (Meet at the venue) 21,300 yen

Course contents:
・Boarding the “Obaken Zombie Ship Cruise” (valid only for the 4 p.m. departure)
・All-you-can-eat nigiri sushi dinner (50-minute limit) at S-Pulse Dream Plaza Tairyo Market; shuttle bus to dock available

*Price is the same for adults and children and only junior high school students and older can participate (children under 15 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian)

With courses including return Shinkansen tickets from major hubs in and near Tokyo, this is a great way to add a daytrip to the sea, and the world of the undead, to your itinerary while in Japan. Although it looks like there won’t be any English support available, you can always bring along a friend or translator who speaks Japanese to enjoy the ride, although judging by the levels of realism that escape games manage to recreate in Japan, you’ll want to be sure they have a high tolerance for horror.

Event information
Obaken Zombie Ship
Port address: Shizuoka-ken, Shizuoka-shi, Shimizu-ku, Shimazakicho 149, Shimizu Port Pier,  Suruga Bay Ferry
駿河湾フェリー 清水港乗り場 静岡県静岡市清水区島崎町149番地
Website (Tickets can be purchased at this link from 12 February)

Source, images: Press release
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!