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The Hozu River gorge seen from a river boat

When the ride is the trip

Boats & river cruises

A small boat down a river gorge, a punt around a castle moat, a pirate ship on a lake, an icebreaker through drift ice. The same places look different from the water.

Travel tips

  • River boats and cruises are cancelled when the water is high after rain or the wind is strong. Check the operator's site on the day.
  • In winter some places run boats with heated kotatsu tables (Matsue and Yanagawa, for example).

9 places to go

Tap a pin to jump to that place's description.

Hokkaido

  1. 1

    Abashiri

    Station

    Abashiri's sightseeing icebreaker pushes through the drift ice of the Sea of Okhotsk in winter. Whether the ice has arrived varies from day to day.

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Tohoku

  1. 2

    Matsushima-Kaigan

    Station

    Sightseeing boats around Matsushima Bay weave among small pine-covered islands in about 50 minutes.

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Kanto

  1. 3

    Asakusa

    Station

    Water buses on the Sumida River run from Asakusa down toward Hamarikyu Gardens and Odaiba, passing under one bridge after another.

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  2. 4

    Lake Ashi & Hakone Shrine

    Attraction

    The Hakone Sightseeing Cruise “pirate ships” on Lake Ashi; on clear days Mt. Fuji appears beyond the lake. Covered by the Hakone Freepass.

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Kansai

  1. 5

    Arashiyama (Togetsukyo Bridge / Bamboo Grove)

    Attraction

    The Hozugawa River boat ride takes about two hours through a gorge from Kameoka down to Arashiyama. In Arashiyama you can also ride a roofed pleasure boat. Reach Kameoka by the Sagano Line or the Sagano Scenic Railway.

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  2. 6

    Dotonbori

    Attraction

    A short cruise on the Dotonbori canal shows the neon-lined street from the water in about 20 minutes.

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Chugoku

  1. 7

    Miyajimaguchi

    Station

    The ferry to Miyajima takes about 10 minutes, and some sailings pass close to the great torii standing in the sea.

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  2. 8

    Matsue

    Station

    Matsue's Horikawa boat tour circles the castle moat in about 50 minutes. The roof is lowered to pass under the low bridges.

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Kyushu

  1. 9

    Nishitetsu Yanagawa

    Station

    Yanagawa's river punting: a boatman poles a flat “donko” boat through the canals of the old castle town. About 50 minutes from Tenjin in Fukuoka by Nishitetsu train.

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From people who went

Tips about the places in this theme, most helpful first.

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Event dates, operating days, reservation rules and opening hours can change. Please check the official information before you go.

Photo and data credits

The Hozu River gorge seen from a river boat Sjaak Kempe from Groningen, The Netherlands (CC BY 2.0) / Godaido Hall on a small island in Matsushima Bay 掬茶 (CC BY-SA 4.0) / The torii of Hakone Shrine standing in Lake Ashi Guilhem Vellut (CC BY 2.0) / Togetsukyo Bridge with the spring hills of Arashiyama behind Tomomarusan (CC BY 2.5) / Dotonbori canal at night, lined with illuminated signs Kristoffer Trolle (CC BY 2.0) / Lake Shinji and Yomegashima Island in the sunset glow MaedaAkihiko (CC BY-SA 4.0). Cropped and resized.