Cruise Tokyo on a Traditional Yakatabune Party Boat

Update-Date: Jul 10, 2025

Author: Sydney Seekford

Categories: Japanese Cuisine Sashimi/ Seafood

Cruise Tokyo on a Traditional Yakatabune Party Boat

Feel like hitting the waters of Tokyo bay? How about cruising around Edogawa and beyond? Yakatabune are all-inclusive cruises offering premium food service, free-flowing drinks and engaging entertainment. Amikou offers yakatabune boat tours with karaoke and delicious course meals as you cruise around Tokyo. Enjoy views of the city from the water, whether it’s firework events in the summer, winter illuminations, or spring-time cherry blossoms.

Sydney Seekford

Gourmet Creator

American living in Japan since 2022. Food writer and gourmet content creator for Japan’s most well known food media. Founder of menu translation and language support service MENUWIZ. Work history includes copywriting for booking platforms, video and media production and appearances, and consulting in F&B for household brands. Passionate about regional revitalization and slow tourism with a focus on local food culture.

The Japanese Party Boat, Yakatabune

What comes to mind when you think of a party boat? Multi-story yachts searing the sky with LED lasers? Bikinis and champagne towers? Live music?

Although it might come as a surprise, Japan has its own concept of the spring-breaker’s party boat, and it’s got over 1000 years of history. It’s the canal-cruising yakatabune (yah-kahtah-boonae)! Yakatabune are long, low-ceiling boats outfitted with tatami matting, sound systems and tables or recessed tatami floor seating, and in the case of Amikou, proper kitchens for private banquets.

They were first used in the Heian period (794-1185), to operate pleasure cruises for nobility. Aristocrats would enjoy live music performances and poetry recitation onboard while enjoying the cool open water breeze.

In modern day, yakatabune boats welcome guests to parties as they cruise down local waterways. Complete with air conditioning, free-flowing alcohol, hot food, and karaoke, yakatabune offer the fun of a party boat with Japanese spirit. For additional fees, some boats can even offer dance and performances, just like ancient nobility used to enjoy.

Amikou is one of several yakatabune operators in Tokyo. The family-owned company operates a full-scale kitchen to create multi-course meals that compliment river-bound revelry. Amikou places its focus on premium cuisine, transforming a boat tour into a floating ryotei.

Each morning, Amikou’s trusted providers source the best quality seafood from Toyosu market. A typical course includes several varieties of sashimi, including fatty tuna chutoro.

Tuna, sweet shrimp, bonito, steamed octopus and more are shuttled from kitchen to table on their own impressive boat, heaping with fresh shreds of daikon, ginger, and wasabi. On top of being photogenic, the standout service displays each cut of sashimi at its best, fresh from the sea.

Other fish are delivered whole and prepared on site by Amikou’s team of chefs and servers. Tai, the nation’s celebratory fish, is served grilled and raw. In this season, summer fish are just starting to put on fat, offering a premium selection of tempura seafood. Aside from kisu (whiting), shrimp and squid, today’s menu features tempura iwashi (sardine) complimented by sweet pea pods and soft eggplant. The tempura course is fried right on the boat and served steaming hot.

A proper Japanese meal, the course includes seasonal rice, miso soup, and a rainbow of appetizers and sides. Slices of chilled roast beef are delicious with the sweet-earthy flavor of Japanese kinpira. The oshinko selection of rice bran pickles are made by the proprietress herself, using fresh vegetables and a family recipe. The pickles, called nukazuke, are a traditional part of Japanese meals that have been made for generations over hundreds of years.

Special Moments On the Water

Amikou creates a memorable experience in unexpected ways. Sure, the sparkly sashimi boat is a showstopper, but there are quieter moments, too. The miso soup is made especially flavorful by long-simmering fish bones and off-cuts. More than a waste-not-want-not practice, using ara (leftovers/cast-offs from butchering) to create a more complex broth reflects homestyle cooking techniques that often go overlooked in commercial settings. Along with the proprietress’s home-made pickles, Amikou’s miso soup is a symbol of its dedication to the authentic flavor of Japan.

Whether local or visiting from abroad, diners can feel at ease as they chat, dine, and enjoy the view. Dedicated English-speaking staff are close at hand and a souvenir-worthy menu is printed and translated dish-by-dish on charming stationery. The yakatabune comes complete with AC and pristine Japanese robo toilets you won’t need to duck into – much to our collective surprise and joy.

Amikou’s team creates individual courses for every group, meaning that even diners with specific needs are well taken care of. Despite their culinary focus on seafood, vegan and vegetarian guests are carefully attended to with customized meals. Gluten sensitivities are handled with gluten free fry batter and clean oil.

©Yakatabune Amikou

All of these small moments come together to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Compared to traditional boats, guests won’t feel the waves too much during a ride on a yakatabune. If not for the waterfront view, the smooth sailing and relaxing atmosphere is enough to make diners forget they’re on a boat.

The views of Tokyo’s skyline from a yakatabune are unlike anything that can be seen from the street. During spring, routes looping around the Asakusa-Skytree area offer views of canal-side Sakura and Tokyo’s old town from the water. Special fireworks viewing parties sell out fast. Hanabi dinner on a yakatabune provides front row seats to the summer’s most anticipated events, without the crowds or street-food lines. Even on an average night, a trip around Odaiba comes with views of stunning glass skyscrapers and the beautiful Rainbow Bridge. Each cruise offers breathtaking moments to take in the sheer scale of the city.

Although a cruise on Tokyo’s yakatabune might not fit the typical image of a party boat, these private spaces provide top notch service and meals while showing off a different view of the city. With the added fun of onboard karaoke and private events, even large groups can enjoy a Japanese course meal and cultural experience all in one. Beyond its excellent food, Amikou’s yakatabune service proves there is nothing quite like seeing Tokyo from the water.

*Depending on the state of concurrent bookings, parties may be grouped in a single boat or enjoy a private boat ride.

Yakatabune Amikou

Open: 8:00 am - 10:00 pm (L.O. 9:00 pm)
Closed: None
Average price: [Dinner] 12,000 JPY / [Lunch] 12,000 JPY
Access: Free shuttle buses are available from each station (for 25 people or more)
Address: 1-1, Imado, Taito-ku, Tokyo Map
More Details Reservation

Disclaimer: All information is accurate at time of publication.

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