In October 2023, I experienced a boat ride down the Hozugawa River in Kyoto.It’s not a family trip, but a sightseeing trip with long-time friends.This was my first trip to Kyoto in 15 years with friends I’ve known for 30 years.
What is Kyoto Hozu-gawa River Boat Ride?
Hozugawa Kudari is a thrilling two-hour boat ride down the 16km mountain stream from Tanba Kameoka to the scenic Arashiyama area of Kyoto.
Experienced boatmen use oars, rudders and paddles to steer the boat down the river, slipping between rocks. Usually, three boatmen are on board, but depending on the wind and the amount of water in the river, four or five may be needed. This shows how difficult it is to steer the boat. Nevertheless, this river boat ride is a wonderful experience because you can experience the sounds of birds echoing through the Hozu Valley throughout the four seasons, the sounds of the paddles steering the boat, and the beautiful scenery. This is the wonder of Hozu-gawa River Boat Ride.
View of the Hozu-gawa River Boat Ride
The Hozu-gawa River Boat Ride starts from Kameyama in Kyoto. We took the JR train from Kyoto Station to Kameyama Station.
At Kameyama Station, there is the Sanga Stadium by KYOCERA, the home stadium of the professional soccer team Kyoto Purple Sanga. If you walk a little past the stadium, you will find the boarding point.In addition to souvenirs, the boarding point also sells drinks and food, including alcohol. The boat trip of about two hours will make you thirsty and hungry. I bought two small bottles of sake, but now I think I should have bought one more.
Hozu-gawa River Boat Ride Boarding Point
Now, it’s time to board the boat.
The boat is large enough to accommodate about 20 people. At the time, there were 15 of me and my friends, as well as five tourists. The boat was made of wood but sturdy, and was equipped with a sheet to keep out water.I sat on the seat on the side of the boat, so I was right in the flow of the river. It was fast and exciting.The weather on this day was sunny. The previous day had been fine, so the water level and flow of the river were normal.
The weather was nice, so the view was amazing!
The iron bridge you can see in the photo belongs to the trolley train. The autumn leaves on the trees in the mountains are beautiful. You can feel the arrival of autumn.
I’m Japanese, but I don’t know much about Kyoto, so I didn’t expect to be able to enjoy such wild scenery in Kyoto. It was a very exciting experience.
This is the rocky surface along the Hozu River.
There are parts of the riverbed where rocks are exposed, and the boatman uses an oar to push the rocks away so the boat doesn’t hit them. It seems that you can also enjoy rafute on this part of the Hozu River, which must be a thrilling activity. I won’t try it, but if you want to enjoy an exciting river boat ride, go for it!
This is the confluence of the Hozugawa River and its tributaries. It’s a very ordinary sight, but for someone like me who was born and raised in the plains, it’s a rare and exciting part of the scenery.
The sky is so wide!
When you look at this photo, you can see that the Hozugawa River is a river full of rocks. The river has traveled 16km downstream, passing many rugged rocks like these.Nowadays it is a tourist activity, but when you think that it was an important transportation route until about 100 years ago, you really get a sense of how convenient it is today.
Also, although it’s not in the photo, a shop boat approached us towards the end of the riverboat trip. This boat sold us drinks and food. They were selling some very tasty looking oden, so I bought some konnyaku, deep-fried tofu, and muscle oden. I ate it on the boat and it was delicious!
The fun time ended in a flash!
This was our last stop, Arashiyama. After this, we went to a nearby art museum to look at some paintings, then took the Hankyu Railway to Kyoto city.
The pier in Arashiyama, Kyoto
Official website
External link: Kyoto Kameoka Kyoto Hozu-gawa River Boat Ride
