Sumida River
Sumida River
4
About
During the Edo period, lords and ladies took a boat along the Sumida River to Asakusa and the Sensoji Temple. Today, a sightseeing boat takes a similar route departing from the traditional Hama Rikya Garden.
Duration: < 1 hour
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4.0
394 reviews
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125
Very good
187
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76
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5
Terrible
1
Raintree_Thailand
Bangkok, Thailand4,287 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
A nice relief to escape the crowds at Sensoji temple and walk along the riverfront. Good views of the Asahi Headquarters and the "golden poop." If you have the time, go to the Asahi Sky Room, where you can really enjoy great views of the river.
Written 12 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RS R
Victoria, Canada89 contributions
Dec 2010 • Solo
After spending a couple of hours in Asakusa I decided to take a water bus to Hinode Pier in the late afternoon of a clear and sunny Tokyo afternoon for 720 Yen ($9 Cdn). Every bit of information regarding routes, fares, directions linking subway and JR lines to each water bus terminal and other general FAQ's can be found at:
http://www.suijobus.co.jp/english/index.html
My route took about 40 minutes and passed under numerous bridges (12 I think) along the Sumida River. After a brief stop at Hamarikyu Pier, where many people got off to visit the gardens, we arrived soon after at the second and final destination of Hinode Pier. From the pier there were a multitude of street signs that take you in the direction of the nearest JR Station (Hamamatsucho) which is about a 10-15 minute walk.
I ended up walking to Minato from Hinode Pier and checked out the Tokyo Tower and Zojo-ji Temple/Shiba Park, but this was only done on the spur of the moment and wasn't really planned out at all.
My suggestion: I think if I had actually planned my day I would have done the water bus route in reverse by starting out in the morning in Minato/Tokyo Tower area, then hopped on the water bus, got off at Hamarikyu and checked out the gardens (doing it this way will cost you an extra 160 yen and you will have to buy seperate tickets of 200 and 720 yen for each leg of the journey), and then got back on later and headed to Asakusa for the afternoon and early evening.
Whichever route or direction you choose you'll enjoy it as the price is reasonable, the views are great, and it's a nice way to break up the day and sit down for a bit and relax.
http://www.suijobus.co.jp/english/index.html
My route took about 40 minutes and passed under numerous bridges (12 I think) along the Sumida River. After a brief stop at Hamarikyu Pier, where many people got off to visit the gardens, we arrived soon after at the second and final destination of Hinode Pier. From the pier there were a multitude of street signs that take you in the direction of the nearest JR Station (Hamamatsucho) which is about a 10-15 minute walk.
I ended up walking to Minato from Hinode Pier and checked out the Tokyo Tower and Zojo-ji Temple/Shiba Park, but this was only done on the spur of the moment and wasn't really planned out at all.
My suggestion: I think if I had actually planned my day I would have done the water bus route in reverse by starting out in the morning in Minato/Tokyo Tower area, then hopped on the water bus, got off at Hamarikyu and checked out the gardens (doing it this way will cost you an extra 160 yen and you will have to buy seperate tickets of 200 and 720 yen for each leg of the journey), and then got back on later and headed to Asakusa for the afternoon and early evening.
Whichever route or direction you choose you'll enjoy it as the price is reasonable, the views are great, and it's a nice way to break up the day and sit down for a bit and relax.
Written 25 June 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DavidTokyo
Tokyo, Japan100 contributions
Jan 2014 • Friends
If you are staying in the Asakusa area, go down to Sumida River for a run. There are parks and sidewalks on both sides. The river is especially beautiful during cherry blossom season with many sakura trees planted along the river.
Written 24 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
K_Chan40
Petaluma, CA427 contributions
Nov 2013 • Solo
I enjoyed many morning and evening walks along the Sumida River near Asakusa and Sumida. There is a long park that runs along it which is very enjoyable. You can take in nice views of Tokyo from either side of the River. The most popular area from a tourist perpective is in Asakusa near Senso-ji and Azumabashi (Azuma Bridge). You can enjoy great views of the Tokyo Sky Tree and the Asahi Beer Hall from that area.
There are a lot of bridges that cross the Sumida River each is very distinctive in design and color and a great fun to cross,
A really popular thing to do is to take a water bus from Asakusa to Odaiba. There are various ones that you can take and it is a really enjoyable ride. I suggest taking it at night if possible as you can enjoy beautiful views of the city and it's bridges.
There are a lot of bridges that cross the Sumida River each is very distinctive in design and color and a great fun to cross,
A really popular thing to do is to take a water bus from Asakusa to Odaiba. There are various ones that you can take and it is a really enjoyable ride. I suggest taking it at night if possible as you can enjoy beautiful views of the city and it's bridges.
Written 13 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HelenaGuerra
Washington DC, DC13,817 contributions
June 2013 • Couples
We took a very pleasant boat ride on the sumida, from Hama rikyo gardens (check my review) to asakusa. The boat takes a southward journey first before turning north. There are tons of good photo opportunities and the lady in the speaker explains what you are seeing although most of it is in Japanese.
Written 21 February 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cooljade555
Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan89 contributions
Jan 2014 • Family
There is a sidewalk on the side of Sumidagawa river called "Sumidagawa Terace" which is great for walking, jogging, and taking good pictures of old fashioned bridges over the river.
It is also cleaner on Chuo district side and safe to do those activities at night time since a lot of people including female is jogging at night as well.
If you have spare time while visiting japan, it is nice to spend your time by the side of Sumidagawa river.
There is also the biggest fireworks on July 31st every year.
*date may vary to adjust it to Saturday around 31st
Good luck. :)
It is also cleaner on Chuo district side and safe to do those activities at night time since a lot of people including female is jogging at night as well.
If you have spare time while visiting japan, it is nice to spend your time by the side of Sumidagawa river.
There is also the biggest fireworks on July 31st every year.
*date may vary to adjust it to Saturday around 31st
Good luck. :)
Written 10 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
voyager52
Newport Beach, CA586 contributions
May 2013
The Tokyo river cruise is a great way to spend part of a day. The cruise itself is approximately 1- 1.5 hours depending on where you get off. We traveled all the way from Asakusa to Odaiba and had a great lunch at the Deck on arrival. Other passengers got off at the garden and pier stops. We paid extra 300 yen for the english explanation of bridges but it's not worth the price. Just listen to the bridge descriptions and announcements on the cruise. It is a sightseeing cruise not a lecture on history. Tip: this sells out so if you want to do a weekend or high season, go early to get a ticket, then visit the temple while you wait for cruise to begin.
Written 24 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fearless34083
30 contributions
You would take this as a boat ride from Asakusa back into the port area of the city. It's a nice way to see the Tokyo skyline from a unique perspective. Highly recommended. Stand on the outside of the boat if you can, you get better views.
Written 20 June 2005
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
kewl_samurai
Nagoya, Japan36 contributions
Aug 2015
Not sure about the river, but river cruise are great attraction. We have taken it from Asakusa to odaiba and it passed through city attractions. This was wonderful site, to cruise and look for tokyo city.
Written 6 November 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fransis Chen
Jakarta, Indonesia5 contributions
Aug 2014 • Solo
For first timer traveling to Japan like me, it's so nice to walk alone alongside the Sumida River on the way to Tokyo Sky Tree.
I spent around an hour to walk by the river while eating my Onigiris. I wished that I had my bike that day. I watched a couple of grandpa & grandma walking along - so romantic, and a high schooler read a book. The breeze was blowing slowly - It's a very nice day to be walking around the river.
I spent around an hour to walk by the river while eating my Onigiris. I wished that I had my bike that day. I watched a couple of grandpa & grandma walking along - so romantic, and a high schooler read a book. The breeze was blowing slowly - It's a very nice day to be walking around the river.
Written 2 January 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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