Yakata-bune -Cruising Japanese Style

The Yakata-bune is a Japanese style boat featuring a roofed house-like cabin structure with tatami mats inside. Many such boats cruise around on rivers and along coasts, filled with passengers enjoying the view while dining or drinking. Yakata-bune come in a great variety of sizes and can accommodate 15 to 100 passengers. Some even have a two-storied cabin.
Yakata-bune operate day and night. Many passengers use them to view cherry blossoms in the spring or colorful leaves in autumn. In summer, a nighttime cruise helps passengers to cool down amidst pleasant river breezes. A summer night can sizzle when there is a fireworks festival along a riverbank, which becomes crowded with boats full of passengers eager to watch the display. And in the clear air of a winter evening, the illumination along rivers or the coast sparkles all the more gorgeously.
Usually, a yakata-bune is reserved by a group of passengers. However, some boats are shared by individuals. In Tokyo, you can catch yakata-bune at slipways located at Shinagawa, Hamamatsu-cho, and elsewhere. If interested, please contact Guest Relations for further information.