For a fun outdoorsy adventure in Kyoto, check out the Hozugawa River Cruise. Departing from Kameoka, this two hour, 16km journey follows the Hozu River over gentle rapids and past beautiful flora and fauna, finally arriving in the popular town of Arashiyama. It’s a relaxing (and occasionally thrilling) experience that harkens back to an earlier time in Kyoto’s history, when these boats were used to transport supplies downstream.
First stop: Kameoka
The Hozugawa River Cruise departs from the town of Kameoka, less than 30 minutes from Kyoto Station. As you make your way there, you’ll pass over a series of bridges, catching a glimpse of the river valley you’ll soon be exploring.
At the boat departure building, you can relax, grab a bite, or do some souvenir shopping until your number is called — then it’s down to the riverbank!
Each boat fits around 24 people, sitting 4 to a row. Once the life vests are on, the staff pass around a laminated sheet of instructions in English. Note: this experience is conducted in Japanese with minimal English. You’ll miss some of the explanations but you don’t need language to enjoy nature.
Setting sail on the Hozu River
As the wooden boats are fairly large, they require three operators. One uses a bamboo stick to pierce the riverbed and drag the boat forward, another rows with one oar, and the third operator steers from the back. It’s vigorous work so they switch roles throughout the journey, joking around and pretending to lose footing on the side as they make their way past.
After leaving the shallow waters of Kameoka, you’ll soon encounter some gentle rapids and deep basins as you wind your way through the mountainous valley.
Nature along the Hozugawa
Japan’s four seasons are very distinct so you can expect nature to put on a show no matter when you visit. In spring, the valley is dotted with soft pink and white cherry trees; in autumn, it’s a glorious patchwork of greens, yellow, oranges, and reds with pampas grass swaying in the sunshine. Summer is lush with colourful pops of azaleas, while winter is a magical snowy scene viewed from inside a heated tatami boat.
On the journey, the operators point out the resident birds, rocks, mountains and bridges along the route. It’s fascinating to see the large boulders in the water with holes bored into them from hundreds of years of bamboo poles poking the same spot. In fact, there is one point when the operator with the bamboo pole manages to accurately hit three well-worn holes in a row to propel us further along.
River cruise and trains
The Hozu River passes below many bridges and you’ll hopefully see some JR trains zipping overhead. Another train line runs alongside the river, the Sagano “Romantic Train”. This sightseeing train actually departs from Saga Torokko Station in Arashiyama and heads upstream to Kameoka—the reverse of this aquatic journey. At Saga Torokko Station, you can actually buy a combined train ticket and Hozugawa River Cruise ticket so that you can enjoy the valley first by train, then by boat, returning to Arashiyama.
Snacks on arrival
Another highlight of the Hozugawa River Cruise is the snack boat. As you approach Arashiyama, a motorised food boat appears to the left and ties up to the wooden boat, giving the passengers a chance to buy snacks.
There’s a selection of goodies from chips to grilled squid, dango, and even oden. We followed the direction of the other passengers and ordered some warm sake to heat us up, then enjoyed it on the approach to Arashiyama.
Arriving in Arashiyama
Pulling into Arashiyama, rosy-cheeked from the excitement—or the sake—you’ll no doubt catch a few envious looks from passers-by. As you disembark from your quiet commune with nature, you can choose to join the tourist crowds or perhaps explore some of the quieter pockets of Arashiyama like Nison-in, Daihikaku Senkoji or Otagi Nenbutsuji. Read more about the area here.
Hozugawa River Cruise timetable
The Hozugawa River Cruise website says that boats depart every hour, however we noticed they were departing much more frequently and at random intervals to meet demand. This worked in our favour as we were held up in a very slow coffee house and running late for our 12pm reservation. We called ahead and they said to “come whenever.” When we arrived over 30 minutes late, it was a non-issue; they scanned the reservation QR code, gave us tickets and our number was called within 10 minutes.
How to get there
From Kyoto Station, take the JR San-In Line 10 stops (27 minutes) to Kameoka Station then walk around 10 minutes to the departure building.
Name: Hozugawa River Cruise
Address: Shimonakajima−２, Hozucho, Kameoka, Kyoto, 621-0005 (map)
Open: 9:00 to 15:00, boats departing hourly (or more often).
Admission: Adults ¥4,500, Children ¥3,000 – reservations can be made online here.
Website: https://www.hozugawakudari.jp/
Post by Japan Journeys.
