Why don’t you enjoy the beautiful landscape river or sea while riding a water bus or ferry? Japanese unique maritime transportation is attracting a lot of attention from both locals and tourists alike. Let’s see where you can find waterbus & ferry experiences around Japan!
Water Bus Experience
Where to go
Tokyo Area
Did you know that Tokyo actually called a city of water? The southeastern part of the Japanese capital faces Tokyo Bay, while the Sumida River has acted as Tokyo’s gateway to the sea since ancient times. This access to the ocean has always attracted many travelers, you can spot many a ship sailing on the rivers and Tokyo Bay.
Among those ships are the so-called water buses, or suijo bus in Japanese. These unique boat taxis have gained popularity especially among tourists in recent years. These water buses do not only take you from one place to the other, however; they offer amazing views on the city of Tokyo, and in some cases even unique gourmet experiences. Herewith some recommendation for you!
Tokyo Cruise
Today, Tokyo Cruise offers several different lines. The Sumida River Line connects Asakusa to Hinode Pier at the mouth of the river, the Odaiba Line connects Hinode Pier to Odaiba Kaihin Park, and the Tokyo Big Sight & Palette Town Line runs between Hinode Pier and two of Odaiba’s two popular spots: Tokyo Big Sight and Palette Town. The water buses of these lines can be boarded without prior reservation and as the boats depart very frequently, water buses are the perfect way to enjoy unique and relaxed Tokyo sightseeing between Asakusa and Odaiba.
Official website: https://www.suijobus.co.jp/en/
Tokyo Mizube Line
Next to Tokyo Cruise’s water bus service, another line is immensely popular among both locals and tourists alike: the Tokyo Mizube Line. The best feature of this water bus line is its large number of boarding places. Eighteen different such boarding places are along the Sumida River, reaching far upstream from Asakusa, to Azusawa, Itabashi, and right up to the prefectural border of Saitama. Parallel to Sumida River flows Arakawa River, and the boats of the Tokyo Mizube Line sail to the eastern end of Tokyo, up to the Kasai Rinkai Park of Edogawa.
Official website: https://www.tokyo-park.or.jp/waterbus/
Osaka Area
Osaka Suijo Bus
Kyu-Yodo River flows in the central Osaka city. A water bus cruising the river is operated. There is a long island called as Nakanoshima in the river, and the water bus runs around the island.
One of the ports is Osaka Castle. The width of the river is about 70 meters. They are operated from around 10:00 to around 17:00, once an hour.
Go to official website: https://suijo-bus.osaka/english/
Hiroshima
Miyajima Ferry
Miyajima (Itsukushima) Island is located about 20km southwest of central Hiroshima city.
The nearest port is Miyajima-guchi, and two companies operate the ferry to Miyajima Island.
The distance is only about 1.7 km. Both companies operates the ferry every 15 minutes, and it takes only 10 minutes.
Go to official website: http://jr-miyajimaferry.co.jp/en/
