Why book this evening
Why book this evening
A real Edo-period boat design, not a theme night
The yakatabune is not a re-enactment prop — it is a working boat type that has carried people around Tokyo's waterways for centuries — the roofed pleasure boat has roots in the Heian court, and it was in the Edo period that daimyo and wealthy merchants used lavishly decorated versions to entertain guests. The roofed cabin, low tables and lanterns strung along the hull are original to the design, not added for visitors.
Ten courses, not one set plate
Dinner is a ten-course Japanese meal cooked fresh that day — appetisers, a sashimi boat, tempura fried to order, a seasonal rice dish, pickled vegetables, salad, finishing noodles and dessert — with unlimited beer, sake, shochu, umeshu and soft drinks poured through the evening.
The skyline changes course by course
The boat leaves Shinagawa, passes under the Rainbow Bridge, runs along the Sumida River with the Tokyo Skytree in view, and loops past Odaiba before heading back — so the view from the window, or the open sky deck upstairs, keeps changing as the courses arrive.
English booking for a Japanese-only reservation system
Most yakatabune operators, Funasei included, take direct bookings in Japanese by phone or web form. GetYourGuide is the practical way to reserve this specific evening in English, with the price, inclusions and cancellation terms shown upfront before you pay.
The course card on the bay
Five lanterns, one evening
The ten courses arrive in roughly this order as the boat works its way around the bay. Exact timing shifts with the tides and the season — what stays constant is the shape of the loop.
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Shinagawa Pier · 17:00–18:30
Boarding, and the first small dishes
Check-in is about 30 minutes before departure at the Funasei pier, a short walk from Shinagawa Station. Once the boat pushes off, the shikidashi appetisers and kobachi small dishes are usually the first things on the table — order plates while the boat is still finding open water.
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Rainbow Bridge
The sashimi boat comes out
As the yakatabune clears Shinagawa and heads for the Rainbow Bridge, a sashimi moriawase — a boat-shaped platter of the day's fish — arrives. The bridge's lit cables are usually the first big landmark of the night, best seen from the open sky deck if the weather allows.
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Sumida River · Skytree in view
Tempura, fried to order
The boat turns up toward the Sumida River, with the Tokyo Skytree visible over the rooftops. This is the tempura course — fried in the boat's own kitchen rather than plated in advance, so it arrives hot.
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Odaiba
Rice, pickles, noodles
Past Odaiba's waterfront lights, the meal moves into its later courses: a seasonal rice dish, konomono pickled vegetables, a small salad and shime no men — the noodles that traditionally close out a Japanese set meal.
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Back to Shinagawa · 20:00–21:00
Dessert, and the last of the drinks
On the run back to the pier, dessert and a final round from the open bar arrive as the skyline that opened the evening comes back into view. The boat is typically back at Shinagawa somewhere around 8 to 9pm.
Shinagawa, and how the evening is arranged
Funasei Pier, Shinagawa — and how the evening is arranged
This cruise departs from a working boat pier in Shinagawa-ku, not a tour-bus car park — here is what to expect on the day.
Where it is
The Funasei boarding pier sits in Shinagawa-ku, a short taxi ride from Shinagawa Station — one of Tokyo's major rail hubs, on the JR Yamanote and Keihin-Tōhoku lines and the Keikyu line toward Haneda Airport.
Check-in and boarding
Arrive at the pier about 30 minutes before your departure time, which typically falls somewhere between 5pm and 6:30pm depending on the date and season. Staff check you in at the pier itself, so keep your booking confirmation to hand rather than relying on an app.
Table and chairs, or sunken floor
The dining room is fully air-conditioned. Depending on the boat, guests sit either at a Western-style table with chairs or at a low table over a sunken floor well (horigotatsu-style), shoes off — some boats have no chairs at all. Larger private groups can usually be seated together; solo travellers and couples may share a table with other guests.
No hotel transfer on this booking
Transport isn't included as standard — you make your own way to the Shinagawa pier and back. A one-way hotel pickup can be added as an option for hotels with a front desk inside Tokyo's 23 wards. Shinagawa Station's size means most central Tokyo hotels are a single train ride away.
The evening, in pictures
The evening, in pictures
A lantern-lit dinner boat on the Sumida, the Rainbow Bridge at night, and the kind of Japanese dinner service this cruise runs — representative photographs of Tokyo Bay evenings and Japanese dining, not photographs of this specific boat or booking.
Booking options & what's included
Booking options & what's included
| Option | What it includes | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| The Funasei dinner cruise (this listing) | Ten-course Japanese dinner, unlimited drinks, and the full Shinagawa – Rainbow Bridge – Sumida – Odaiba loop | This is the cruise the site covers — roughly 2.5 to 3 hours on the water, and you'll need to arrange your own transfer |
| A shorter or set-course cruise | Some yakatabune operators run shorter evenings or a fixed set menu instead of the full ten courses | Check the course count and duration on the specific listing before booking |
| A private group charter | The whole boat booked for one party rather than a shared sailing | Priced and arranged separately — worth asking about for a larger group |
| Pair it with another Tokyo evening | Booked as a separate GetYourGuide experience | A sumo tournament morning, a Kabukiza evening or a Noh-style dinner theatre in Nihonbashi all run on different nights |
Ways to book the evening
Find a sailing for your dates
Each option below checks out through GetYourGuide, and the date you pick and the price you'll pay are both locked in before you hand over a card.
Planning your evening
Planning your evening
Book the date, not just the evening
This runs as one seating a night on a set route: the boat leaves on its own schedule, with or without you. Reserve the date rather than hoping for a same-week spot — the cancellation window on this listing is an unusually long 11 days, so an early booking costs little.
Get yourself to Shinagawa
There is no hotel transfer on this listing. Build in time to reach the Funasei pier near Shinagawa Station and check in about 30 minutes before your departure slot — treat it like catching a train, not a tour-bus pickup.
Pace yourself through ten courses
Course ten still has to land, and the sitting runs two and a half to three hours to get there, so don't treat the sashimi and tempura at the start as the main event. Hold back through the first three plates and the closing noodles and dessert will actually get eaten instead of skipped.
Go up to the sky deck for the landmarks
The dining room windows show the skyline, but the open-air deck on top of the boat is the better vantage point for the Rainbow Bridge and the Skytree if the evening is dry and not too cold — worth stepping outside for a few minutes rather than staying seated the whole way.
Planning a Yakatabune evening in Tokyo
Planning a Yakatabune evening in Tokyo
A yakatabune dinner cruise, start to finish: what actually happens
From checking in at the Shinagawa pier to a roofed boat leaving the dock at dusk to ten courses arriving as the skyline shifts past the window — this walks through the evening step by step.
Read more →The route, explainedThe Yakatabune route: Rainbow Bridge, the Sumida, Odaiba and the Skytree
This cruise is as much about the moving view as the meal. Here is roughly where the boat goes, what you are likely to see from each stretch, and why the loop is shaped the way it is.
Read more →The menu, explainedTen courses on the water: the Yakatabune menu, drink by drink and dish by dish
Sashimi, tempura fried to order, a seasonal rice course and an open bar — what is actually on the table across a ten-course Funasei dinner, and what to do if you have dietary needs.
Read more →Getting thereThe Shinagawa pier: meeting point, check-in and timing
There's no hotel transfer on this booking, so getting yourself to the Funasei pier on time is the one logistical piece worth planning properly. Here is what that actually involves.
Read more →When to goBest season for a Yakatabune cruise: cherry blossom, fireworks and the rest of the year
Yakatabune cruises have real seasonal peaks in Tokyo — spring blossom and summer fireworks chief among them. Here is what that means for this specific Shinagawa–Tokyo Bay route, and when it makes sense to book any time of year.
Read more →Around the cityTokyo evenings beyond the boat: sumo, kabuki and a Nihonbashi stage
One night on the water doesn't have to be the only evening you plan. Here's how a Yakatabune dinner cruise sits alongside a few of Tokyo's other distinctive evenings out.
Read more →FAQ
Yakatabune dinner cruise questions
What is the Yakatabune Tokyo Bay dinner cruise?
It is an evening aboard a traditional roofed yakatabune boat, run by the Funasei operator from a pier in Shinagawa. The cruise loops out past the Rainbow Bridge, along the Sumida River within sight of the Tokyo Skytree, and past Odaiba, while a ten-course Japanese dinner and unlimited drinks are served on board.
What time does it leave, and how long does it run?
Departure sits somewhere between about 5pm and 6:30pm, shifting with the date and season, and check-in opens roughly 30 minutes ahead of that. Count on two and a half to three hours afloat once you're aboard, which has most sailings docking again between 8 and 9pm.
Where does it depart from?
From the Funasei boarding pier in Shinagawa-ku, a short taxi ride from Shinagawa Station. Transport isn't included, so most guests make their own way to the pier and back; a one-way hotel pickup can be added as an option within Tokyo's 23 wards.
What's included in the ten-course dinner?
A set Japanese menu cooked fresh that day: shikidashi appetisers and small dishes, a sashimi platter, tempura fried on board, a seasonal rice dish, pickled vegetables, salad, finishing noodles and dessert, plus unlimited beer, sake, shochu, umeshu and soft drinks.
Do I sit at a table or on the floor?
It depends on the boat. Some seat guests at a Western-style table with chairs; others use only low tables over a sunken floor well (horigotatsu), shoes off, with no chairs available. Larger groups can usually be seated together; solo travellers and couples may share a table with up to six guests.
Can I cancel if my plans change?
The listing offers free cancellation up to 11 days before departure for a full refund. The exact cancellation terms, and any weather-related rescheduling policy, are confirmed on GetYourGuide before you pay.
Is English spoken on board?
Staff on board speak some English, though most yakatabune operators — including Funasei — take direct reservations in Japanese only. Booking through GetYourGuide is the practical way to reserve this specific evening in English.