Escape the urban sprawl by taking a tour on “Japan’s last clear stream” that will leave you clearly in tune with nature.

Kochi Prefecture makes up a large chunk of the southwestern part of the island of Shikoku. Full of intriguing highlights such as statues dedicated to local samurai of legend Sakamoto Ryoma or the Kaiyodo Kappa Museum, the largely rural prefecture also has no shortage of unspoiled natural scenery for when you need a rural reset.

Our Japanese-language reporter Marie Morimoto was in need of such an escape, so she hopped over to Kochi’s Shimanto City. More specifically, she headed to the sprawling Shimanto River, which is known for its numerous chinkabashi “submersible bridges” that become fully submerged during times of flooding. Her plan was to take a sightseeing tour on a yakatabune, a type of roofed “house-style” used for pleasure cruises on rivers and bays in Japan for hundreds of years. The particular provider that she sought out was called Yakatabune Sakoya, which has a boat launch on the east side of the Sada Bridge.

Stepping aboard, Marie saw the main passenger room full of zabuton floor cushions and a long, low table. She picked a spot and sat down.

She peeked out a window and spotted dozens of ayu sweetfish darting among the smooth riverbed pebbles. They were easy to spot in the clear, calm water.

Actually, the water’s surface was so close to Marie’s eye level on the boat that it was a bit frightening. She doesn’t often get the chance to visit a large-scale waterway outside of a major metropolitan area, so it reminded her that rivers are true forces of nature in their own right.

Before long, the boat’s motor turned on and they began chopping through the water. Marie could feel the sheer volume of water from inside the boat as it accelerated. Surprisingly, the boatman announced that the water level was actually relatively low this year. In a typical year, the river’s various submersible bridges might become completely submerged and disappear altogether from view at times. As the boat passed under one such bridge, she found herself shocked at how high the water must rise for the structure to become underwater.

The boatman shared fun stories as they moved along. One piece of trivia that Marie found particularly interesting was that the Shimanto River’s nickname, “Japan’s last clear stream,” is not derived from the fact that its waters are extremely clear. The true reason behind it is that it’s Shikoku’s longest river with no manmade dams to interrupt the water’s natural flow, resulting in unspoiled nature and rich local ecosystems.

He continued to share more about everything from the birds that rest on the river’s sandbars to the lives of local fisherman, as well as how fast cars drive across the bridges and a time when some foreigners wanted to jump off a bridge into the water in the middle of winter. Marie found herself enraptured by the way that he shared the local lore with ease.

At one point he turned off the motor while they rested in a gentle, pool-like spot and the surroundings reverted back to the sounds of nature. “It’s OK to touch the surface,” he shared, so everyone onboard leaned out of a window to dip their fingers into the water.

The emerald-green water was cold. Marie swayed her hand back and forth to the tune of birdcalls and gazed out at the mountains in the background. She felt somehow frozen in that moment, simply existing within the stillness of nature.

The boat tour eventually concluded after 50 minutes, and the last thing the passengers did was walk onto a submersible bridge to take in some sights. Standing on top of it, Marie again marveled that there are times when this structure is completely underwater. She supposed that the locals who experience this scenery every day must think of it as a very natural thing.

The Yakatabune Sakoya boat sightseeing experience was something that left Marie not so much flooded with adrenaline, but with a calmer, more refreshed feeling. It was as if her time on river had left a big imprint on her very soul. She already knew that she would reminisce about this day fondly in the future. A large part of that sentiment was thanks to the expert boatman who had deftly navigated steering while sharing insights into the river’s scenery and culture.

Reservations for a Yakatabune Sakoya boat tour can be made via phone (+81 090-5147-4023), by an online form, or by email (arechi@leaf.ocn.ne.jp). Fares are a reasonable 2,000 yen (US$13) per adult (junior high school-aged and above) and 1,000 yen per younger child. At least two people must make reservations during a particular timeslot for the boat to run.

For more local sightseeing in Kochi, you may want to book a ride on this luxury sightseeing train after taking Japan’s first full-flat overnight sleeper bus from Tokyo.

Tour information
Yakatabune Sakoya / 屋形舟 さこや
Address: Kochi-ken, Shimanto-shi, Sada 492-1
高知県四万十市佐田 492-1
The boat launch is located on the east side of the submersible Sada Bridge in Shimanto City (about a 15-minute car ride from Nakamura Station).
知県四万十市佐田沈下橋たもと（中村駅より車で15分）
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