Yakata-bune

We have a lot of canals in Koto-ku. From Edo era they have been very important for our daily lives. People can move and carry various things very easily by boat through canals.

Some of us use Yakata-bune. Yakata-bune is a kind of Japanese roofed pleasure boat with zashiki (tatami room) for use in parties and enjoying food on a boat. A big Yakata-bune has a capacity of more than 100 passengers. A small one has about 10 passengers.

People hold parties with their family members, friends and coworkers in Yakata-bune. And they can enjoy the cruise of Tokyo bay. They can experience the different sights and sceneries from the boats. They have a good time with Yakata-bune..

There are two splendid events which many people like to do in particular seasons in Tokyo. One is to see cherry blossoms in spring, the other is to see fireworks in summer. Many people enjoy them especially form Yakata-bune. On those days we can see a lot of Yakata-bune on the rivers and canals in Tokyo. We can hear very happy voices from them. But it is very difficult to reserve the boats on such special days.

After Edo era the water quality of Tokyo got worse and worse. The water became dirty and smelled. People could not use Yakata-bune. But nowadays it has improved a lot. So Yakatabune became greater in number and continue to the present.

There are some agencies of Yakata-bune in Koto-ku. We call them Funayado. Please try to get on Yakata-bune and et some cool experience.

By H. H.

Must-have summer sweets

When you want to eat something cold and sweet on a sweltering summer day in Japan, just look for the flag in front of restaurants, sweet parlors  and stalls. The red kanji character is "ice" in English.

You can have "Kakigori" or shaved ice there.

A bowl of shaved ice is served with variety of flavored syrups such as strawberry, lemon, melon, condensed milk and sometimes assorted toppings such as red bean paste, rice dumplings and ice cream.

Especially green tea flavor is very Japanese.

This type of Kakigori is called "Uji-Kintoki" which uses green tea syrup and topping red bean paste. Uji is a famous green tea production area and Kintoki is a kind of red bean.

Recently, popular Kakigori shops create their own unique flavors and toppings in order to attract many customers. For example, the one in this picture depicts the sunrise on the top of  Mount Fuji with red bean paste, strawberry syrup and condensed milk.

And this flavor is Houji-cha (roasted tea) syrup with some rice dumplings, tea jellies, ice cream, red bean paste and a wafer cake filled with red bean paste.

Why don't you try it after our tour ?

by KM