A real, fairly priced river service with the most memorable boats in Tokyo. It loses points for rest days that change by boat and month, a Hama-rikyu run you cannot book, and stops that are suspended.
Good fortune
- Asakusa to Odaiba for ¥2,000, one child under 6 free per adult
- The Himiko, Emeraldas and Hotaluna are a sight in themselves
- Book direct up to 5 minutes before; booked guests board first
- Pier one minute from the Ginza Line
Tie it to the rack
- Each showpiece boat has its own monthly rest days
- Hama-rikyu tickets only from the Asakusa machines
- Some bay stops suspended; Himiko does not call at Toyosu
- Cancellation fees start 6 days out
At Senso-ji you tie a bad fortune to the rack and leave it behind. We use the same scale for our verdicts.
Tokyo Cruise Ship Co. (東京都観光汽船, Tokyo Cruise for short) runs the water buses on the Sumida River and Tokyo Bay, and it is the company whose boats you see leaving the pier by Azumabashi in Asakusa. If you want to go from Asakusa to Odaiba by water, it is the only regular option right now: the rival Tokyo Mizube Line is suspended. Here is how it works, what it costs, and where it trips people up.
Who runs it
Tokyo Cruise is an old company by any standard. It began in April 1885 and was incorporated in September 1898. It is private, with no corporate link to the Yurikamome monorail or the other Odaiba transit companies, and it runs a fleet of eight vessels on the river and the bay. The three boats most visitors come for, Himiko, Hotaluna and Emeraldas, were designed by the manga artist Leiji Matsumoto: sleek and glass-walled, like spaceships moored among the barges. The rest of the fleet are conventional river boats, and they do the Hinode and Hama-rikyu runs for less.
Where to board in Asakusa
The Asakusa pier is at 1-1-1 Hanakawado, Taito City, on the river right beside Azumabashi, the red bridge facing the Asahi building. It is a minute on foot from the Ginza Line and Tobu Asakusa stations, and three minutes from the Toei Asakusa Line. From Kaminarimon, walk toward the river and you will see it. There are ticket machines at the pier, and they are the only place to buy the Hama-rikyu route.
Fares and routes from Asakusa
| To | Boat | Adult (12+) | Child (6–11) | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odaiba Seaside Park | Himiko | ¥2,000 | ¥1,000 | about 50 min |
| Odaiba Seaside Park | Emeraldas | ¥2,000 | ¥1,000 | about 55 min |
| Odaiba Seaside Park | Hotaluna | ¥2,000 | ¥1,000 | about 65 min |
| Hinode Pier | Hotaluna | ¥1,400 | ¥700 | about 40 min |
| Hinode Pier | Regular boat | ¥1,000 | ¥500 | about 40 min |
| Hama-rikyu (drop-off only) | Regular boat | ¥1,180 | ¥470 | about 35 min, garden entry included |
One child aged 1–5 rides free with each paying adult; a second small child pays the child fare. Evening sailings on Hotaluna and Emeraldas on August Saturdays and during Obon cost ¥3,000 / ¥1,500. Toyosu is served from Asakusa by small "Urban Launch" boats rather than the Himiko, which currently does not call there.
The short Asakusa loops, a 50-minute bridges cruise and a 30-minute Skytree cruise on the small boats, run on selected dates only. Their prices were not on the timetable page when we checked, so ask at the pier.
Is ¥2,000 good value? For an hour on the water, under a sequence of bridges, ending at Odaiba's beach with Rainbow Bridge in front of you, yes. If you only want the river and not the spaceship, the ¥1,000 regular boat to Hinode sees the same bridges for half the Odaiba fare, and Hinode is a short walk from the Yurikamome line.
Timetable and rest days: the fiddly part
This is where Tokyo Cruise loses its top mark. Each showpiece boat takes its own monthly break:
- Himiko: the second Tuesday of the month and the day after.
- Hotaluna: the third Tuesday and the day after.
- Emeraldas: the fourth Tuesday and the day after (not in August).
On top of those, each month has extra non-sailing days, and the Hama-rikyu boats are sometimes suspended for a week at a time. On the autumn timetable we checked, Asakusa–Odaiba departures were spread from late morning to late afternoon across the three boats, with an extra early Hotaluna at weekends. That means you usually have two or three chances a day to go by water, but not the one you assumed. Look at the official timetable for your exact date before building a day around a particular boat.
Also note: the Palette Town and Tokyo Big Sight stops are suspended for the time being. Older guides and maps still show them.
Booking: direct, or through a platform?
Direct on the official site is what we recommend. You can book every route except Hama-rikyu, up to five minutes before departure, and pay by credit card or WeChat Pay. Booked passengers board before walk-ups, which is the main reason to book on a busy weekend. Round trips are bought at the pier machine on the day.
Cancellation for individual bookings is fair: free up to 7 days before, 10% from 6 to 2 days before, 30% from the day before until departure, and 100% once the boat has left. Groups of 15 or more and special event cruises have stricter terms.
Through GetYourGuide, a water-bus ticket is resold by a third-party travel agency. It does not guarantee which boat you get (Himiko, Emeraldas, Hotaluna or another), and it sends your boarding link the day before. It works, and it can be convenient if you already manage the rest of your trip in one app, but you give up the one thing most people are paying ¥2,000 for: choosing the boat.
Prices are the lowest option the platform shows, in US dollars, and move with dates and exchange rates. The booking page is final. Prices checked: September 28, 2026.
For an evening on the river rather than a crossing, Tokyo Cruise is not the company to look at. Its boats are transport; the dinner experience on the Sumida is a yakatabune houseboat, run by separate operators. We cover both on our Sumida Park and the river page.
Tips from riding it
- Arrive with time to spare on weekends, even with a booking; boarding order is by booking first, then the queue.
- Look back as you leave. Skytree and the Asahi flame are behind the boat as it heads downriver, so take your photos from the pier or in the first minutes.
- Go one way by water. Take the boat to Odaiba in the afternoon and come back by train, or go the other way and end your day in Asakusa, where the temple grounds stay lit until about 23:00 (Asakusa at night).
- With small children, one under-6 rides free per adult, and the enclosed cabins are fine in rain. More on our with kids page.
- Fireworks and special cruises are separate products with their own rules; read them carefully.
For the rest of the transport picture, including the four Asakusa stations, see getting to Asakusa, and for what else is across the river, see Near Asakusa. Our full list of operator reviews is on the operators page.
Verdict
Tokyo Cruise is a straightforward, honestly priced river service that happens to own the most photogenic boats in Tokyo. The ride from Asakusa to Odaiba is one of the best ¥2,000 you can spend in the city. It stops short of top marks because the rest days change by boat and by month, the Hama-rikyu run cannot be booked, and several bay stops are suspended. Book direct, check your date on the timetable, and it rarely disappoints.
Prefer dinner on the river? See the yakatabune cruise from US$101.75 · GetYourGuide