Yanagawa River Boat, also known as Donkobune (どんこ船) or Kawakudari (川下り), is a must-do in Fukuoka‘s Yanagawa City. Sitting on the traditional boat, you can spend a relaxing time gazing at the weeping willows, seasonal flowers, and beautiful white-walled townscape from the river. Depending on the season, you may also be able to see ducks and turtles. Because only a long pole is used to move the traditional boat, the experience isn’t polluted by the exhaust gas and noise from engines. Instead, the water sound calms you down.
Table of Contents
- Taking the Yanagawa River Cruise
- Where to Take Yanagawa River Boat
- The Two Courses of Yanagawa River Boat
- Namikura Red Brick Warehouse (並倉)
- Tono no kura Warehouse (殿の倉)
- The Best Seasons to Take the Yanagawa River Boat
Taking the Yanagawa River Cruise
If you understand Japanese, the experience is even more interesting with the witty guidance of the boatman. Even if you don’t speak Japanese, the Yanagawa River Cruise is still fun. The boat will pass through a couple of bridges where you have to bend down to avoid being hit by the bridge deck. The highlight is the boatman. Instead of bending down, he would jump onto the bridge from one side and jump back down to the boat once it passes through the bridge!
What’s more, during the river cruise filled with the early 19th century (Taisho era), you can purchase drinks from the floating shops while still aboard the boat. If you are lucky, you might even run into the Hanayome-bune (花嫁舟). It is the boat that carries the newlywed to the reception venue!
Ponchos will be provided on a rainy day.
Tips:
☛ You are allowed to bring food and drinks so that you can make the boat trip like a picnic on the water.
☛ You will have a bigger chance of seeing a Bridal Boat/Hanayome-bune on weekends.
☛ Free shuttle bus services back to Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station are available. Please check with the staff for the schedule upon arrival.
Where to Take Yanagawa River Boat
Here is the map that indicates the docks where you can board the Yanagawa River Boat.
Most people would take the cruise from the docks close to Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station. But if you have limited time or are on a budget, boarding the boat from the docks in the Okinohata area is a good idea.
Note that the cruise route differs depending on which area you board the cruise.
The Two Courses of Yanagawa River Boat
There are seven companies that offer the Yanagawa River Cruise. You can refer to HERE for more information about each company’s business hours and boat fare.
- Yanagawa River Boat usually operates between 9 am to sunset, with extended hours in summer.
- Reservation isn’t required unless it is a special boat that you plan to take (like the Akari-bune, which operates at night in summer). Simply approach any cruise provider when you are ready.
The Normal Yanagawa River Cruise Course (通常川下りコース)
Most people take the Yanagawa River Boat from one of the four docks near Nishitetsu-Yanagawa Station (西鉄柳川駅) because this course takes them straight to Yanagawa’s main tourist area in Okihata (沖端).
- The Normal Yanagawa River Cruise Course takes around 60 to 70 minutes.
- The cost of the Normal Yanagawa River Cruise Course is
- 1,800 yen to 2,000 yen for adults
- 900 yen to 1,000 yen for children
Yanagawa River Cruise Short Sightseeing Course (周遊ショートコース)
This is a short tour course that only takes you around the Okinohata area. There are five docks in the area where you can take the boat.
- Yanagawa River Cruise Short Sightseeing Course takes around 30 to 40 minutes.
- The cost of the Normal Yanagawa River Cruise Course is
- 1,000 yen to 2,000 yen for adults
- 500 yen to 1,000 yen for children
Namikura Red Brick Warehouse (並倉)
Towards the end of the Yanagawa River Cruise from Yanagawa Station, three red brick warehouses will enter your sight. These warehouses completed in the early 20th century are still in use to store miso paste!
Namikura Red Brick Warehouse is owned by Tsuru Miso (鶴味噌), a miso making founded in 1891. Previously, a water pump was attached to the warehouses to draw water from the canal. The business was so prosperous in the 1900s that the brewery was so busy that it operated around the clock. The miso paste made was then loaded onto ships in front of the warehouses, traveled through the canals, and eventually transferred to steam trains and steamships for distribution all over Japan.
Today, the interior of Namikura Red Brick Warehouse has been renovated and is used for refrigeration and storage while preserving the brick exterior. In 2000, it was designated a National Registered Cultural Property.
The sight of the warehouses reflected in the canal and the contrast between the blue sky and the red of the warehouses are among the defining views of Yanagawa. When the warehouses turn a deeper red at dusk, they are loved by many for their beauty and nostalgia.
Tono no kura Warehouse (殿の倉)
Contrasting the red Namikura Brick Warehouse, the white Tono no Kura is a long and narrow white-walled storehouse that surrounds the Yanagawa Tachibana-tei Ohana. As the residence belonged to the Tachibana clan that ruled the Yanagawa Domain, the warehouse’s walls were elegantly and refinedly built.
The Best Seasons to Take the Yanagawa River Boat
- From December to February, the kotatsu (heated table) is installed on the traditional boats used for the Yanagawa River Cruise.
- The Hina Doll Water Parade (おひな様水上パレード) usually takes place in mid-March and is one of the highlights of the Yanagawa Doll Festival and Sagemon Meguri (柳川雛祭り さげもんめぐり).
- Refer to HERE for the 2025 event schedule.
- The Cherry Blossom Season is between late March and early April. The flowers bloom at parts of the cruise route.
- The Akari-bune (灯り舟) operates between mid-July and early October. It is when the route of the river cruise is illuminated to create a fantastic experience.
- A booking is required to take the Akari-bune. Please check with the staff at Yanagawa City Tourist Information Center upon arrival.
- The 1st to the 3rd of November is when Hakushū-sai Water Parade (白秋祭水上パレード) takes place.
- Stages at various points along the moat are set up for local performing arts, drum performances, choral singing and more! Fireworks are usually launched at night too!
Discover What Else to Do in Yanagawa
Among the destinations good for a day trip from Fukuoka‘s city center, Yanagawa is one of our favorites. The city, which flourished as a castle town during the Edo period, retains the atmosphere of old Japan. It is crisscrossed with a network of canals and is known as the Town of Water. Apart from taking a traditional boat and travelling down the 930-km canal, the city has several more charms awaiting you to discover.
For more information, refer to our article on Yanagawa!
