4 Boat Trips in Japan to Build an Evening Around

1.From Tokyo: Mount Fuji, Cruise and Sake Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 36 reviews · from $120Our pick

Leave Shinjuku for Yamanashi with an English- or Chinese-speaking guide. Cruise Lake Yamanaka on a Swan boat, reach Fuji’s 5th Station at 2,300 meters, photograph Oishi Park, and taste sake at Ide Brewery. Lunch is not included, and Fuji views depend on weather.

“Awesome time on this trip and easiest to smash it was the highlight of our time in Japan. The caves are Small, but enjoyable, lunch was a heaping bowl of soup, and picture time up on the mountain was perfect for us, no wait to get up and down on the cable car. We had time to sit on the crest of the lake after the cable car and after lunch to relax and take In the fresh air and country side. Finally, the Sake tasting was more of a Sale making tour, which was great! Host and driver were pleasant and fun to be with. Highly recommend this tour.”

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2.Kyoto: Fushimi Sake District Tour with Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 10 reviews · 3h 30m · from $54Best value

Spend 210 minutes in Fushimi with an English-speaking guide, visiting a quiet temple, cruising historic canals on a Jikkoku-bune boat, tasting sake at Gekkeikan, and taking coffee in a restored Meiji-era building. Guide Katsuhiko has been praised for explaining both Kyoto and sake.

“Very good guide , who was very good at giving an overall history of Kyoto not just the sake industry.”

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3.Cruise Shore Excursion: Kobe Sake Tasting with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 7 reviews · 6 hours · from $141Top rated

Spend six hours with an English-speaking guide such as Alyssa, traveling from Kobe’s cruise terminals to Nada’s sake district, Chinatown, historic shopping streets, shrines and Meriken Park. Sake tasting, admissions and public transport are included, while lunch and other food are your choice.

“Allysa was an excellent guide. Great pre-trip communication. She met us at the port as we debarked our cruise and we visited the Sake Museum, Japanese Garden, temples and she picked a fabulous place to stop for lunch - and even chose a lovely street vendor for us to have some Kōbe steak. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend her to you if you want a local tour with a guide with brilliant English.”

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4.Fushimi Kyoto Walking Tour with Sake Tasting and Canal Boat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 5 reviews · from $58

Spend 3.5 hours in Fushimi with an English-speaking guide such as Marcelo. Visit Choken-ji Temple, ride a Jikkoku-bune boat past willow-lined canals, tour the Gekkeikan Sake Museum, taste several sakes, and finish at a former merchant house café.

“Marcelo was an excellent guide. I enjoyed the variety of this tour; a temple with explanations about Shintoism and Buddhism, then a lovely canal boat ride, learning about the locks and importance of waterways in Kyoto’s history, followed by tour of sake brewing and a few tastes. Perfect combination. Highly recommend.”

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