5 Amazing Photos From Aboard a Tokyo Water Taxi (Reservation Page Open April 2023!)

Part transportation and part sightseeing, the compact boats for hire from Tokyo Water Taxi are probably the most scenic way to get halfway across Tokyo! Japan's trains are all about utilitarian practicality, and once you've seen one subway car so full of people that station staff are physically forcing the doors closed, you've seen them all. A Tokyo Water Taxi, on the other hand, traverses some of Tokyo tiniest canals and its biggest rivers, and then goes all the way out onto the open water of Tokyo Bay. The boats can take you from point A to point B, including convenient docks around sightseeing spots like Tokyo Skytree and Odaiba, and on the way, you'll see Tokyo from a brand new angle! The view from the water is one of the city's best-kept secrets, and exploring all the little canals reveals a hidden Tokyo that most visitors never get to see. With comfortable seating inside the cabin (plus heating and cooling), and an outdoor area to enjoy the sun and the views on deck, a Tokyo Water Taxi is probably the most relaxing way to go sightseeing in Tokyo, and a unique way to take some fantastic pictures of the city. (Some passengers even bring food and drinks onboard to turn the trip into a custom leisure cruise, or bring their dogs along for a day out with the pup!) With a brand new easy-to-use reservation system going online in April 2023, there's never been a better time to add a ride to your Tokyo travel itinerary. Check out just a handful of the many photos the Japankuru took from our trip aboard a Tokyo Water Taxi, and see what you've been missing!

Tokyo Water Taxi really does work like a taxi service, and you can hire one of their boats to take you to any of dozens of different stops scattered across a huge stretch of eastern, central, and southern Tokyo. The water taxis dart through narrow canals and under low bridges, using little docks that are inaccessible to bigger boats. These are Tokyo's true "back roads"!

With no set routes, you choose where your Tokyo Water Taxi goes - for example, we recommend a leisurely loop past Tokyo Skytree to take some pictures from the water, before getting off the boat in Asakusa to see Sensoji Temple!

Tokyo Water Taxi is probably the easiest way to arrange your own cruise across Tokyo Bay. Head out at whatever time you want, from a starting point of your own choosing! Passengers who book a ride during the colder months of the year might even get to see migrating black-headed gulls flying over the water. Tokyo Water Taxi actually collects information on the passing gulls by calling them over with bits of bread, and shares that data with a wildlife research organization. For passengers, the chance to relax and feed the birds might be an unexpected encounter with the great outdoors, while still being squarely located within the Tokyo metropolis!

Cutting across Tokyo Bay gives you a great view of a number of Odaiba's best-known attractions (Rainbow Bridge, the Fuji TV building, and the Tokyo Statue of Liberty), but it also gives you a chance to see some unexpectedly cool sights, too. Have you ever gotten this close to an enormous container ship?

The little water taxis give you access to some pretty cool spots, with views of spots like Tokyo Tower! And after dark, the glittering lights add a little romance to each trip on the water.

Convenient, practical, and entertaining - what else could you want when choosing transportation in Tokyo? Make a reservation by phone or through e-mail today, or starting in April 2023, use their easy new online reservation system. You'll be out on the water in no time!


For more info and updates from Japan, check Japankuru for new articles, and don't forget to follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!