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== History of Uraga Ferry Boat
The ferry, nicknamed "Pom Pom Sen" and a symbol of Uraga, has a long history dating back to around 1725, soon after the magistrate's office was established in Uraga.
In the Edo period, there were two boatmen for each boat. The employment of these boatmen and the upkeep of the boat were essential to the daily life of the area, with the cooperation of people from the Kamoi and Kurihama districts, which are a little further away, in addition to people from the East and West Uraga areas.
From August 1878, a community of 17 neighborhood associations in East and West Uraga began to maintain and manage it. The fare at that time was 3 rin per person. (3 rin = 3/1000th of a yen） The hours of operation were set from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., with double fare at night. This marked the birth of the ferry as a form of transportation operated by the community.
The town of Uraga did not become involved with the ferry until 40 years later, in 1917. At that time, the town received a transfer of business rights from the community for 5,000 yen. This was the heyday of the ferry and the average number of passengers per day reached 1,000. Therefore, another route was in operation in an area about 300 meters from the current location in the direction of Uraga Station.
In April 1943, the town of Uraga merged with Yokosuka City, and the ferry became operated by Yokosuka City, but later, in October 1949, the city changed to a system of leasing city facilities to private operators for operation.
The 9.5-meter-long, vermilion-toned vessel makes daily round-trips along the "Uraga Kaido" (Uraga sea route). The name "Atagomaru" comes from Mt. Atago in Nishi-uraga Town. The boat was replaced by a mechanical boat in 1962, and was previously an oar-powered boat called a "Tenma-Sen". The current Atago Maru is the second generation, and was put into service in 1998 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of the Uraga ferry.
The boat's design was inspired by the boats that once carried the portable shrines during the Higashikano Shrine festival, called "gozabune" (literally, "goza boat").
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The Uraga Ferry dates back to the Edo period (1600s-1868), and it was said that the shishi samurai during the Late Edo Shogunate (mid-19th century), Sakuma Shozan and Yoshida Shoin, visited the Japanese inn, Tadoya, that existed on the east side of Uraga. The ferry route is named Uraga Kaido, or “Uraga Sea Route,” and it is unique within Japan as a municipal road on the sea. Passengers being transported across this road will have the opportunity to see a special view of Uraga from the waters.
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