A water bus run by Tokyo Kanko Kisen, linking Asakusa and Hinode Pier. The trip from Asakusa to Hinode takes about 40 minutes and passes under the 12 bridges that span the Sumida. The Asakusa pier is down in Sumida Park, at the foot of Azuma Bridge. During cherry blossom season it runs on a special blossom-viewing schedule.
Sources: tabi-mag.jp
This moment in the journey
Up the Sumida by water bus
For the way back, I walked from Tsukiji to Hinode Pier and took a water bus to Asakusa. Japan's oldest subway to Tsukiji, then the waterway home. Asakusa turns out to have surprisingly easy access to central Tokyo.
Beyond the windows spread the bay and its waterfront towers; the remnants of Edo, when water transport was the mainstream, are still reflected in Tokyo's growth and its transport network. Kachidoki Bridge, which even gave its name to a Kochikame movie, is a symbol of the Sumida River. Past Tsukishima, which I visited on an earlier trip, the towers of Tsukudajima come into full view. I love this view.
Hello there, yellow Sobu Line train. After Ryogoku, it's Asakusa already. Beyond the red Azuma Bridge, a building topped with a golden sculpture came into sight, and the boat docked. I'm home.
Watch this scene on YouTube5:16
More notes from this journey
Taito, Tokyo
Tsukiji Outer Market
A market district of about 460 shops.
From: Loach hot pot and Tokyo ramen: more of Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Kachidoki Bridge
Opened in 1940, it is a steel tied-arch bridge whose center is a Chicago-type double-leaf bascule span; it kept opening and closing after the war, up to a trial…
From: Loach hot pot and Tokyo ramen: more of Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Asakusa Station, Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
The Ginza Line opened between Asakusa and Ueno in 1927 as the first subway in the East, and was completed all the way to Shibuya in 1939.
From: Loach hot pot and Tokyo ramen: more of Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Denki Bran
A drink created in 1893 by the founder of Kamiya Bar, blending brandy with gin, wine, curaçao and herbs in secret proportions.
From: Loach hot pot and Tokyo ramen: more of Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Asakusa Hanayashiki
Japan's oldest amusement park, opened in 1853 near the end of the Edo period.
From: Loach hot pot and Tokyo ramen: more of Asakusa
Taito, Tokyo
Komagata Dozeu (main restaurant)
A loach restaurant founded in 1801.
From: Loach hot pot and Tokyo ramen: more of Asakusa
More notes from Kanto
Kamogawa, Chiba
Namero on rice
Namero is a Chiba specialty handed down along the coast of the Boso Peninsula.
From: Zero minutes to the sea: summer vacation in Kamogawa
Kamogawa, Chiba
Sauce yakisoba
A staple of summer festival stalls.
From: Zero minutes to the sea: summer vacation in Kamogawa
Kamogawa, Chiba
Grilled seafood skewers
The taste of the festival stall, on a small charcoal grill on the veranda.
From: Zero minutes to the sea: summer vacation in Kamogawa
Kamakura, Kanagawa
A little Kamakura drinking set
At the farmers' market near Kamakura Station, growers from around Kamakura sell "Kamakura vegetables," many varieties in small quantities, grown with as little…
From: A hundred-year-old house in the town of the Enoden
Kamakura, Kanagawa
Kenchin-jiru
A soup of root vegetables and tofu, sautéed in oil before simmering.
From: A Kamakura-vegetable breakfast and a walk on Enoshima
Kamakura, Kanagawa
Kamakura morning set with grilled dried fish
Kenchin-jiru made with Kamakura vegetables, with dried fish from the market shop grilled alongside.
From: A Kamakura-vegetable breakfast and a walk on Enoshima