When planning a day trip to Arashiyama, Kyoto, besides taking the romantic train, there is a unique and less-crowded experience that I highly recommend: the Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride. The smoothest way to enjoy this is to take the Sagano Scenic Railway from Arashiyama to Kameoka, and then take the Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride from Kameoka all the way back to Arashiyama. The route is perfectly seamless.
In this guide, I will introduce everything you need to know about the Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride, including ticket booking, transportation, and my personal experience, so you can have a different kind of adventure on your next trip to Arashiyama.
Booking Tickets for the Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride
Although you can purchase tickets for the Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride on-site, the boats depart according to a fixed schedule. During peak seasons (such as cherry blossom or autumn foliage seasons), you might have to wait for several hours. To minimize waiting time, it is highly recommended to book in advance via KKday or Klook. You can select your preferred time slot during booking. While you might still need to wait a little bit depending on the on-site situation, it is usually much faster than buying tickets at the counter!
💡 Quick Tip: Even with an online booking, you still need to queue up to exchange your physical ticket at the counter, so make sure to arrive a bit early!
👉 Booking Links: KKday | Klook (In addition to the standalone Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride, these platforms also offer combo packages with other activities, which you can choose according to your needs.)
Transportation to the Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride
The image above shows the various ways to get to the boarding point of the Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride from Kyoto, Saga, and Osaka. My top recommendation is the middle option: taking the Sagano Scenic Railway. This allows you to experience the best of Arashiyama in one go. After taking the train from Saga to Kameoka Station, you will see clear signs outside the station directing you to the paid shuttle bus. This bus will take you directly to the boarding point in about 15 minutes.
Experiencing the Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride
The waiting area at the boarding point is quite spacious. After exchanging your ticket, keep an eye on the monitor for your number. Once called, you can proceed to the boat. There is also a small snack bar selling food like udon and hot dogs if you get hungry while waiting.
A unique feature of the Hozugawa Kudari river boat ride is that the entire 16-kilometer journey is manually rowed by two boatmen. The trip takes about 2 hours, though this varies slightly based on the water level; after heavy rain, it might only take 1.5 hours. Seating is arranged by the staff. I was lucky enough to sit in the front row, providing an unobstructed view of the scenery. However, there is a chance of getting splashed in the front, but don’t worry—the boatmen provide transparent plastic sheets for protection.
The boatmen are incredibly entertaining. Besides rowing, they share historical stories and even perform some comedy routines. While most of the commentary is in Japanese, they usually check how many passengers understand the language at the start. If many don’t, they will occasionally switch to English to communicate. Naturally, knowing some Japanese makes the experience even more immersive!
I visited during noon in the summer. With the overhead cover, it wasn’t too hot. The river was mostly calm, but there were a few rapid sections that felt like mini white-water rafting, which was very exciting! Since it was summer, the valley was lush and green, offering a serene landscape. However, I’ve heard that during cherry blossom and autumn foliage seasons, the banks turn pink and red, which must be even more breathtaking.
In the final 30 minutes of the boat trip, floating vendor boats will approach—it feels a bit like a Thai floating market! These vendors sell various snacks, beer, oden, and grilled squid. You can buy these treats to enjoy for the remainder of the journey. I bought a cold beer, and drinking it while taking in the views was incredibly relaxing.
Check some hot tours in Kyoto:
📌 [Kyoto & Nara Day Tour] Sagano Romantic Train & Nara Park: KKday ｜ Klook
📌 Kyoto Hozugawa Kudari River Boat Experience: KKday ｜ Klook
📌 Kyoto Aquarium Admission Ticket: KKday ｜ Klook
📌 Kyoto Amanohashidate One-Day Tour: KKday
📌 Japan Kansai Airport KIX HARUKA Express Ticket: KKday ｜ Klook
📌 Kansai Airport Nankai Rapi:t Ticket: Klook
📌 Japan SIM Card | Daily Unlimited Data/500MB/1GB eSIM: KKday ｜ Holafly
