Yanagawa River Cruise

Background

The cruises start around Shimohyaku-cho, Mitsuhashi-machi, Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture, and wind through the moat network of the Yanagawa castle town. Yanagawa's origins are believed to lie in a castle built by the Kamachi clan, who ruled the area from the Kamakura period, while Yanagawa Castle itself was not built in earnest until the Edo period; in the Edo period the town was the castle town of the Yanagawa Domain under the Tachibana clan, and its street and moat layout is still largely in use today. The city has about 470 kilometres of wide canals, or about 930 kilometres counting all waterways; in 1987 Studio Ghibli made a documentary about these canals and their restoration, The Story of Yanagawa's Canals. Yanagawa is also the birthplace of the Meiji poet Kitahara Hakushu, and its city flowers are wisteria and iris, its city tree the willow.

Local customs

• Board around Shimohyaku-cho and drift slowly along the moats, listening to the boatman's commentary and boat songs
• after the cruise, walk the castle-town streets and try Yanagawa's famous steamed eel rice (unagi seiro-mushi) at a long-established eel restaurant
• during the Hina Festival in March, see the hina dolls and sagemon hanging decorations displayed in homes and shops
• during the poetry festival in November, enjoy poetry readings, fireworks, music and evening boat rides.

Travel tips

• The cruises are run by several boat companies, whose hours and fares follow each company's published information, and whole boats can be hired
• the boarding point is about a 5-minute walk from Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station
• queues may form in peak season, so allow extra time. Take the Nishitetsu Tenjin-Omuta Line to Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station and walk from there, or drive from Fukuoka City
• check the officially published routes.
• You can ride the boats all year round
• the Hina Festival in March and the poetry festival in November are Yanagawa's liveliest times.