This article is based on a visit made on 13 November 2016.
Edit 2 October 2019: Updated prices to reflect the increase in Japan's national sales tax.
The city of Tokyo is situated on the coast of a bay, and is divided by numerous rivers, particularly in its eastern suburbs. So, in addition to its many train lines and roads, there are several companies providing boat services for travel across these waterways. One such company is Tokyo Cruise, a.k.a. Water Bus (水上バス,
Suijō Basu), and their flagships are the Himiko and the Hotaluna.
The Hotaluna (ホタルナ, pictured above) and its sister ship, the Himiko (ヒミコ), were designed by the famous animator
Leiji Matsumoto (松本 零士,
Matsumoto Reiji, b. 1938). His works include
Space Battleship Yamato,
Space Pirate Captain Harlock,
Galaxy Express 999, and even some music videos for the EDM band Daft Punk.
The two ships are very similar in form, nearly covered in wide, curving, green-tinted glass. Among their differences, the two ships have different seating arrangements. The Hotaluna is larger has more seating, but the Himiko, despite its size, feels a bit more open by contrast. The Hotaluna also features an open-air deck on top, where the Himiko does not. I chose the Hotaluna for this reason, but the deck was closed on the first segment of my ride.
Before we leave, the pier at Asakusa has a brilliant view of Tokyo Skytree and the Asahi headquarters,
both of which I have written about before.
There's honestly not too much to see during the first leg of the trip. Besides, the tinting of the ship's windows leaves your pictures with a greenish hue. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing -- it's like an Instagram filter without the Instagram!
The Hotaluna and Himiko are by no means the only ships operated by Tokyo Water Bus. While not sharing the same space-age design, the other boats are more frequent, serve other locations, and are even a bit cheaper.
Mid-way through its journey, the Hotaluna makes a detour to Hinode Pier, which is just past the mouth of the Sumida River. (The Himiko skips this stop and heads directly to Odaiba.) It was around this point that we were let onto the open-air deck, affording us a better view of the surroundings. And just in time, too -- the clouds parted in just the right way to give a heavenly illumination to this business district.
We could even see Tokyo Tower from the port! In fact, it stands only a mile (1.61 km) northwest of Hinode Pier.
After leaving port, the ship then proceeds to cruise under the Rainbow Bridge on its way to the next port, on Odaiba island.
The Odaiba Marine Park covers the northern coast of the island. Swimming in the bay is prohibited due to pollution, but the beach itself remains popular, even in this mild November weather. Behind it we can see
the Decks mall, where I had gone to before, and would go to again soon after this.
Finally, we reach the Odaiba pier and prepare to disembark. Here's the Himiko, which arrived a few minutes ahead of us. As you can see, its design is much the same as the Hotaluna, except it lacks a deck on top.
And after having disembarked, I had my best opportunity to take a picture of the Hotaluna itself. It may not be the cheapest or fastest way to get to Odaiba (from Asakusa, taking the Ginza or Asakusa subway, followed by the Yurikamome line, takes 40 minutes and costs just over ¥500), but it's certainly one of the most stylish!
The pier at Odaiba Seaside Park stands right in front of another mall, Aqua City. Behind it is the iconic Fuji TV building, seen in this picture, which we will get to see up close and personal, next time on Sekai Ichi!
Hours: Both the Hotaluna and Himiko depart four times a day in each direction. The full journey between Asakusa and Odaiba takes about 60 minutes on the Hotaluna (stopping at Hinode), or 50 minutes on the Himiko (direct). Multiple services on other ships are available between Hotaluna and Himiko departures.
Cost: Fares are ¥860 between Asakusa and Hinode (Hotaluna only), ¥520 between Hinode and Odaiba (Hotaluna only), and ¥1,380 between Asakusa and Odaiba (Hotaluna and Himiko).
Website:
(English) (Japanese)
Asakusa Pier
Address: 1-1-1 Hanakawa-do, Taito-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒111-0032
Access: The pier is 1 minute on foot from Asakusa Station (Tokyo Metro Ginza
(G) and Tobu Skytree
(TS) lines), or 3 minutes from Asakusa Station on the Toei Asakusa
(A) line, depending on the line and exit used. The closest exits are Ginza exits 4 and 5, and Asakusa exit A5.
From Tokyo Station, take the Yamanote
(JY) or Keihin-Tohoku
(JK) lines to Ueno (JY05/JK30, 7 minutes, ¥160, JR Pass OK), and then take the Ginza line to Asakusa (G-19 4 min, ¥170).
Hinode Pier
Address: 2-7-104 Kaigan, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒105-0022
Access: The pier is 3 minutes on foot from Hinode Station (Yurikamome
(U) line).
From Tokyo Station, take the Yamanote or Keihin-Tohoku lines to Shimbashi (JY29/JK24, 3 minutes, ¥140, JR Pass OK), and then take the Yurikamome to Hinode (U04, 5 minutes, ¥250).
Odaiba Seaside Park Pier
Address: 1-4-1 Daiba, Minato-ku, Tōkyō-to 〒135-0091
Access: The pier is 8 minutes on foot from Daiba and Odaiba-Kaihin-koen stations (Yurikamome line), or 10 minutes on foot from Tokyo Teleport Station (Rinkai
(R) line).
From Tokyo Station, take the Yamanote or Keihin-Tohoku lines to Shimbashi (3 minutes, ¥140), and then take the Yurikamome to Daiba (U07, 14 minutes, ¥320).
