Tokyo Water Bus – Fun and Easy Transport

Try traveling on the Tokyo Water Bus (水上バス, Suijō Basu) for a fun and relaxing method of Tokyo travel. If you are traveling to Odaiba, locations on the Bay in Minato-ku, or up the Sumida River to Asakusa, I recommend you try a Tokyo Water Bus especially between April – November when the temperatures are lovely on the boats. A bonus is that you can pay a small fee to take your bicycle on the boats. On a recent trip to Odaiba, we took our bikes over the Rainbow Bridge and then returned via the Tokyo Water Buses to Hinode Pier, near Hamamatsucho station. Take the Water Bus over and enjoy the entire Day in Obaida with the kids. Some of our favorite spots are the Miraikan, Sony ExploreScience , Legoland and Shiokaze Park. Info on the water bus and time tables can be found here. Tokyo Cruise English website.

Tokyo Water Bus – Fun and Easy Transport

Tips to Taking the Tokyo Water Bus

1. Get to the dock 15-20 mins before departure so you have time for a bathroom break and pick up some beverages.

2. If in summer and leaving from Odaiba, buy a shaved ice from the cafe next to the ticket sales (great to eat on the roof of the boat). Also a good idea to pick up beverages or a nice coffee to enjoy the ride.

3. If wearing a hat and sitting on top of the boat, secure it since the wind can blow items away quickly.

4. Try to sit on top of the boat for the best views, but if with little ones hold carefully.

5. If traveling with a bike, you need to buy a ticket for each bike which is separate from one’s boat ticket.

Tokyo Water Bus – Fun and Easy Transport

The Tokyo Water Buses are run by the Tokyo Cruise Ship Company. The Company has a very nicely designed English website where you can check info by departure and arrival locations. The water buses run to six main locations – Hamarikyu Gardens and Hinode Pier near Hamamatsucho Station, Odaiba, Pallet Town, Tokyo Big Sight and Toyosu across the bay and to Asakusa up the Sumida River.

Tokyo water bus The boat between Hinode Pier (10 min walk from near Hamamatsucho station) and Odaiba takes about 20 minutes and costs 480 JPY per adult, and 240 JPY for kids under 12. There are approximately ten boats a day. See the timetable here. Address: Hinode Pier, 2-7-104 Kaigan, Minato, Tokyo (日の出桟橋水上バス乗り場, 海岸、港区). If you are heading to Odaiba for the day, take the boat one way and try walking back with your bike over the Rainbow Bridge. A fun day outing I recommend.

To get to Asakusa Pier (a 8 min walk from Sensoji), I recommend you take the Sumida route boarding either at the Hamarikyu Gardens (if walking and have time to see the garden) or from Hinode Pier ( if with a bike or shorter on time). The boat runs ten times a day from Hamarikyu Garden (also near Hamamatsucho station) to Asakusa with a few stops along the way (Hinode Pier, Toyosu). From Hamarikyu the route takes 35 minutes and costs 980 JPY per adult, and 370 JPY for children under 12. From Hinode Pier, the cost is 780 JPY per adult and 390 JPY per children under 12 (don’t know why kids are more expensive than Tokyo water bus adults, but that is the official price on their website right now).

Note on the Hamarikyu Garden boat dock. It is located inside the Hamarikyu Garden, so you need to pay the Garden’s entry fee of 300 JPY. The garden is beautiful so give yourself an hour to wonder around. Note if you disembark here you also need to pay the 300 garden entry fee. Hamarikyu Garden 1-1 Hamarikyu-teien, Chuo-ku, Tokyo

P.S. Visit our Tokyo One Day Itinerary: Odaiba with Kids post.

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Tokyo Water Bus – Fun and Easy Transport

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