Kochi｜Bicycle rental + Shimanto River Yakatabune (houseboat) Cruising Experience

The content of this product is provided by machine translation and may not reflect the actual information, please take this into consideration before booking.

Riding a bicycle and riding the wind at your own pace, you can explore the charm of Shimanto City at your own pace. At the same time, you can take a Yakatabune (Japanese Old-fasioned House boat) on the Shimanto River to enjoy the magnificent mountain scenery along the way. A different experience to satisfy the curious mind! The Shimanto River, with a total length of 196 kilometers, has the reputation of "the most clear stream in Japan". The river surface is as clear as a mirror. The Shimanto River contains as many as 48 sinking bridges. The biggest feature of the "sinking bridge" is that there are no guardrails on the bridge at all, and the width is about the width of a car passing through. Perhaps because there are no guardrails, when you stand on the bridge, you can directly feel the shock of being surrounded by the beautiful mountain scenery of Shimanto City. Don't hesitate, let's go with the cute and stylish bike!

Yakatabune (Japanese Old-fasioned House boat)
Major magazines and TV station report the Yakatabune in Shimanto River. The boat journey is about 50 minutes. There are hardly any country houses or roads along the way. What you can see is the endless stretch of distance. In the mountains, the ears can hear the crisp insects and birds and the gurgling sound of the river. Close your eyes and feel the temporary sense of tranquility. It is definitely a great enjoyment in life. The feeling and scenery seen from the boat are completely different from those seen from the road or bridge, but no matter which way or angle, you can enjoy the beauty of Shimanto River.


－ Itinerary introduction－

①Registration at the Bicycle store:
Venue: Shimanto City Tourism Association
Rental service hours: 8:30～14:30

②Introduction of bicycles, explanation of precautions, reservation of Yakatabune:
The on-site staff will explain the precautions related to bicycles and reservation plans, and help with reservations for sightseeing boat houses.
If you have reserved a Yakatabune by yourself, please inform the staff on site.

③The start of the experience:
Begin to explore the surroundings by bicycle, and then slowly make your way to the Yakatabune.
The distance between the Shimanto City Tourism Association where you rend a bicycle and the each Yakatabune house are vary. After you start riding, please pay attention to the reservation time of the boat.
The Yakatabune slowly travels around the Shimanto River. On the way, you will pass through Chinka Bashi (meaning Sinking Bridge), and then return to the original boating place.

④The end of the experience
When the experience is over, please return the bike to the store.
※Please return the bicycle during the store's service hours

－ Yakatabune (Japanese Old-fasioned House boat) House information－

• Yakatabune Sakoya (in Japanese only)
  One-way distance from Shimanto Tourism Association: Approx. 8 km
  Time required for a single trip: about 50 minutes
  
  
• Shimanto no Ao (in Japanese only)
  One-way distance from Shimanto City Tourism Association: Approx. 11.6 km
  Time required for a single trip: about 60 minutes
  Regular boat (depart every 1 hour): 9:00～
  
  
• Nattoku
  One-way distance from Shimanto City Tourism Association: Approx. 16.4 km
  Time required for a single trip: about 1 hour and 40 minutes
  Regular boats (depart every 1 hour): 【April-September】8:00～, 【October-March】9:00～
  
  
• River Station Canoe Kan (Canoe House) (in Japanese only)
  One-way distance from Shimanto Tourism Association: Approx. 42 km
  Time required for a single trip: about 4 hours