Hozugawa River Boat Ride Experience in Kyoto
Last updated: September 13, 2026
The Hozugawa River Boat Ride is a two-hour, 16-kilometre descent from Kameoka to Arashiyama in a traditional flat-bottomed boat, steered through the gorge by boatmen with oar and bamboo pole — a river tradition four centuries old. Rising in the Tamba Highlands, the Hozu curls around Kyoto's western mountains, and the ride alternates glassy green pools with quick bursts of rapids beneath cliffs that change costume by season: cherry blossom, summer green, autumn fire, quiet snow. The boats slide ashore just upstream of Togetsukyo Bridge, right at the heart of Arashiyama.
Itinerary
Departure
- Start point: Hozugawa Kudari Boat Boarding Point
- Stop at: Hozugawa Boat Landing (Arashiyama)
Frequently Asked Questions
Boats leave from the Hozugawa Kudari boarding point in Kameoka, about ten minutes on foot from JR Kameoka Station — roughly twenty minutes from Kyoto Station on the JR Sagano Line. The classic pairing is the Sagano Romantic Train up the gorge and the boat back down, ending in Arashiyama.
It's a descent, not white-water rafting — long stretches of calm green water punctuated by short, splashy rapids that earn a laugh rather than a scream. You sit low in an open wooden boat while the boatmen work the oars and bamboo poles, and the two hours pass to their commentary and the gorge scenery.
Yes — each season redraws the gorge, from spring blossom to autumn maples, and in winter the boats run with covered, heated cabins. Sailings pause when heavy rain raises the river, so a stormy day is the one thing that can change plans.