“Why would people go out of their way to have a meal on a boat?”

The same cuisine can radically change flavors
when you change the environment.

Yakatabune boats may be the greatest expression of that truth.
Imagine floating on a swaying bundle of wood,
watching the city lights…

It makes for a peculiar time, doesn’t it?

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These boats were first seen in the Heian Period.

Nobles used them to drink, sing, and enjoy the seasons while drifting along on rivers and lakes.

They had no destination–
They were simply for spending time adrift.

Yakatabune were made with a simple purpose:

To be an entertainment hall on the water.

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As time drifted into the Edo Period…

This once-exclusive activity
changed with the ages, spreading to the masses.

Back then, Edo boasted many more waterways than today.

Along with the Sumida,
many other rivers and canals flowed through the city.

Waterways were part of daily life,
ferrying people and goods across town.

At the same time, they were perfect for merrymaking, too.

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The Sumida River would see plenty of boats during the summer.
Boats full of people drinking and enjoying the breeze,
chatting the night away.

Lamps twinkled over the water,
their light swayed by the currents…

One could say it was as if
there was a whole other city within the city.

Fireworks flashing above,
while the waters flowed below.

Floating gently all the while.

That’s what the yakatabune boat experience is all about.

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Yakatabune are charming
because of how they move as you spend time on them.

Even if you’re just sitting down, the scenery changes.

When you pass under a bridge,
the face of the city gradually changes.

The breeze dies down, sounds fade into the distance,
and the lights drift on.

You are immobile,
yet the world around you slowly moves.

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Time itself seems to flow differently
when you’re on a boat.

There’s no rush.
No need to care about your next move.

You merely give yourself to the current.

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We humans tend to
use our time purposefully.

We spend time going places.
We spend time doing things.

But on a yakatabune,
time itself is the point.

Watching the scenery drift by on a slow night…
That’s what it’s all about.

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So the next time you board a yakatabune,

Bring your attention to “time” itself.
Not just to the food or the scenery.
Pay attention to the flow.

Because yakatabune are the
best place to taste the flow of time.