Yanagawa City flourished as a castle town under the Tachibana clan and is also famous as the home town of renowned tanka poet Kitahara Hakushu. Take the famous river boat ride that runs various places in the city by a gondola-like Donko boat, and enjoy the scenic view of riverside town.

Leisurely glide along the surface of the canal while watching the beautiful scenery pass-by. Taking in this breathtaking sight as a boatman uses a pole to guide the gondola down the Yanagawa River.

This boatman is Mr.Katsuyuki Tanaka, a 30 year veteran. ”The scenery from the gondola has not changed over time. But throughout the 4 seasons, customers will be deeply moved by the scenery”, says Mr.Tanaka. From families to children on school trips, there are many groups that have experienced this river boat ride. It is also not that uncommon to see Chinese, Korean and other foreign travelers enjoying this river cruise as well! When taking foreign guests on a cruise, the boatmen do not use Japanese! According to Mr. Daiki Kaida, ”We get a big reaction when we use a mixture of English while explaining the sights to our customers”, as this young boatman laughs.

The sound of the water and the scene of the willow trees swaying in the wind are very popular
for foreign guests too!