Full eveningSumida River dinner
2.5 hours, Asakusa
- Includes
- Dinner and drinks
- Cancel
- 10 days before
- Price
- from $102
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Yakatabune dinner cruise price: what an evening on the water costs
A yakatabune dinner cruise price covers more than a boat ride: dinner, drinks and two or three hours on the water. Here are the starting prices of the listings we compare and what each one includes.
Check availabilityfrom $102 · free cancellation possible
Editorial team, yakatabunedinnercruise.comUpdated October 22, 20266-minute read5 sources
Quick answer
- 01Our cruise
- From $102, with dinner and free-flow drinks.
- 02Longest dinner
- The 3-hour bay cruise from $119.
- 03Short cruises
- Sukiyaki or tea cruises start from $63.
- 04No meal
- A 1-hour sunset boat from $51.
- 05Just the ride
- The water bus ride starts from $21.
What the price pays for
Before comparing numbers, compare what they buy. On the cruise this site sells, the fare covers a full-course Japanese dinner of about 14 dishes, free-flow drinks with and without alcohol, and the boat for 2.5 hours; hotel pickup and an English-speaking guide are not included. Its starting price is from $102 per person.
That makes a yakatabune dinner closer to a restaurant meal with unlimited drinks than to a sightseeing ticket. Amitatsu, the operator of that cruise, says on its own site that its fee covers the boarding fee, meals, all-you-can-drink, the service charge and tax.1 There is no bill at the end of the evening for the drinks.
So when you ask how much is a dinner cruise in Tokyo, the honest answer is that it depends on what is in the fare. A cheaper listing may be shorter, may serve one hot pot instead of a course, or may not include a meal at all. The sections below line the options up so you can compare like with like. Look at the hours on the water, the meal and the drinks before you look at the number.
The long dinner cruises
Two listings sell the full evening. The Sumida River cruise from Asakusa starts from $102 for 2.5 hours with about 14 dishes and free-flow drinks. The Tokyo Bay cruise from the Funasei pier in Shinagawa starts from $119 for 3 hours, with a multi-dish dinner and all-you-can-drink included.
The difference comes down to time and route. The Shinagawa cruise is half an hour longer and starts on the bay; the Asakusa cruise starts on the river and runs down to the bay and back. Both have strong ratings: 4.59 from 897 reviews and 4.71 from 285 reviews.
Their cancellation terms are the less obvious cost. The Asakusa cruise refunds in full up to 10 days in advance and the Shinagawa cruise up to 11 days in advance. If you cancel later, you lose the fare, so book these once your Tokyo dates are fixed. On a short trip to Tokyo, that refund window can matter as much as the price.
Reviews behind the price
How many reviews each cruise has
reviews
Price and what it buys
Starting prices of Tokyo's cruises
| Cruise | From | Length | Food and drink |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shinagawa bay dinner | $119 | 3 hrs | Dinner, all-you-can-drink |
| Asakusa Sumida dinner | $102 | 2.5 hrs | About 14 dishes, free-flow |
| Odaiba route | $63 | 1.5 hrs | Sukiyaki or tea |
| Sukiyaki and show | $63 | 1.5 hrs | Sukiyaki, soft drinks |
| Sunset small boat | $51 | 1 hr | Bring your own |
| Water bus | $21 | 55 min | None |
Starting prices per person as listed on GetYourGuide; they are from prices, and the price for your date and option can be higher.
Pick a budget
Full dinner, short cruise or just the view
Full evening
Mid-priceSukiyaki and a show
1.5 hours, Etchujima
- Includes
- Sukiyaki, soft drinks
- Cancel
- 24 hours before
- Price
- from $63
CheapestDecision helper
Which price level suits you?
Decide what you want the money to buy
A long dinner cruise
From $102 with about 14 dishes and free-flow drinks.
The Shinagawa cruise
From $119 for 3 hours with all-you-can-drink.
A sukiyaki or tea cruise
From $63 with a shamisen performance on board.
The water bus
From $21 for 55 minutes on the Sumida River.
A 24-hour cancellation cruise
The short cruises refund in full until 24 hours before.
Reservations are generally required: Small groups of two or more can reserve the scheduled cruises, while larger groups can also charter a yakatabune
The shorter sukiyaki and tea cruises
The Etchujima cruises cost much less. The sukiyaki and show cruise starts from $63 and the Odaiba-route cruise from $63, each lasting 1.5 hours to 100 minutes. The tea ceremony cruise starts from $63 and the cherry blossom cruise from $63.
For that price you get a sukiyaki pot with unlimited soft drinks at night, or a tea ceremony with Japanese sweets by day, plus a live shamisen performance. Some options add a Tokyo Tower ticket or a summer free-flow alcohol package, which change the price of that option. Read the option names carefully at checkout, because the same listing can show several prices for different evenings.
They are flexible, too. Each of them lets you book now, pay later and still get a full refund if you cancel by the day before. For a traveller who is not sure of the evening yet, that flexibility is worth something on its own. It also lets you watch the weather forecast before you commit.
Checklist
Before you pay
01
Compare
- What the fare includes: meal and drinks
- Hours on the water
- The free cancellation deadline
02
Budget for
- Your own trip to the pier
- Any option extras, such as a tower ticket
- A diet-change fee if you need one
Cost calculator
What your group would pay
Enter your group size to compare four ways onto the water.
People
Total from$204
per head from $102
Check availabilityfree cancellationEvery total takes the cheapest GetYourGuide price of that cruise times the number of guests, converted at the ECB's daily rate; the booking page holds the final figure.
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Cheaper ways onto the water
If dinner is not the point, the prices drop. A 1-hour small-boat sunset cruise on Tokyo Bay starts from $51 per person, in a small group of up to 7, with a guide in English; there is no meal, but guests may bring their own drinks in cans or plastic bottles and a light meal.
The cheapest of all is the water bus. A ticket from Asakusa to Odaiba Seaside Park starts from $21 for a 55-minute ride, with Hamarikyu and Toyosu also on the route. It is transport with a view, not an evening out, but it shows you the Sumida River and its bridges in daylight. Tokyo Cruise also sells water bus tickets on the day, first come first served.3
A full Tokyo day tour sold on GetYourGuide also includes a 50-minute bay cruise, with a tea experience, a buffet lunch and Tokyo Tower, from $77. That suits someone who wants the bay as one part of a sightseeing day. You see the river and the bay in daylight, then have the evening free for a restaurant in town.
Tokyo Bay cruise price, from short to long
If you are comparing Tokyo Bay cruise price points only, the ladder is clear. The small sunset boat starts from $51, the Etchujima cruises from about $63, and the three-hour Shinagawa dinner from $119.
What climbs with the price is time and food. The cheapest bay option is an hour with no meal; the middle option is 1.5 hours to 100 minutes with a hot pot or sweets; the top one is three hours with a full dinner and all-you-can-drink. Choose by what you want from the evening, not by the number alone.
Private evenings sit far above these. A private yakatabune cruise with dinner and a members-only bar starts from $382, and a private night walk with a cruise from $637. Neither has reviews yet, so the shared cruises, with hundreds of reviews each, are the better-tested choice.
Hidden costs and small print
A few costs sit outside the fare. On the Asakusa cruise, dietary or meal changes carry a handling fee per guest and must be requested at least two days before. Getting to the pier is up to you, because hotel pickup is excluded; Azumabashi pier is about 5 minutes on foot from Asakusa station.4 Allow for a taxi if you are carrying shopping or arriving late from another tour.
On the Shinagawa cruise, a late arrival costs you the whole fare: check-in is 30 minutes before departure and latecomers are not refunded. The same listing offers hotel pickup only as an option.
Children are priced by each listing, so check the options. Amitatsu says children up to 3 ride free on its boats, without a meal or a seat.5 The Shinagawa cruise lists a special meal for children aged 3 to 5. If you travel with a baby or a toddler, ask before booking whether a seat and a meal are needed, so you are not charged for something the child will not use.
Is a yakatabune dinner worth the price?
Think of it as dinner and drinks with a two-and-a-half-hour view thrown in. For the price of the Asakusa cruise, you get a long Japanese course, unlimited drinks and the river and bay from the deck, and the listing holds a 4.59 rating from 897 reviews.
The cheaper cruises are not lesser, just shorter. A 90-minute sukiyaki cruise with music suits a first night, or a family with children who will not sit through a three-hour meal. And if all you want is the view, the water bus is the bargain.
Whichever you choose, prices on this page are starting prices, and the price shown on GetYourGuide when you pick a date and an option is the one that counts. Use the calculator on this page to see what your whole group would pay in your own currency.
Your night on the river
Dinner, drinks and the lights of the Sumida.
Choose a date, board in Asakusa, and cancel free up to 10 days before.
You ask,we answer.
How much is a dinner cruise in Tokyo?
From about $63 for a short cruise. Short cruises start from about $63; the long dinners start from $102 and $119.
What does the Asakusa fare include?
Dinner, drinks and the boat. About 14 dishes, free-flow drinks and the boat fare; no pickup or English guide.
Are drinks extra?
Not on the long dinners. Both long cruises include unlimited drinks in the fare, alcoholic and not.
What is the cheapest way onto the water?
The water bus. A ticket from Asakusa to Odaiba starts from $21 for 55 minutes.
Can I cancel for free?
Yes, within each listing's window. Asakusa until 10 days before, Shinagawa 11 days, the short cruises 24 hours.
Do small children pay?
It depends on the listing. Amitatsu lets children up to 3 ride free, without a meal or a seat.5
Is there a service charge on board?
Not with Amitatsu. Amitatsu says its fee already includes the service charge and tax.1
Sources
Evidence for this guide
- 1Amitatsu (operator)Yakatabune AMITATSU, English information↩
- 2Tokyo Metropolitan Government (Tokyo Updates)Yakatabune: Enjoying Tokyo's Scenery with Traditional River Cruise↩
- 3Tokyo Cruise Ship Co. (operator)FAQ↩
- 4Amitatsu (operator)Boarding piers (乗船場のご案内)↩
- 5Amitatsu (operator)Shared yakatabune (乗合屋形船のご案内)↩
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