How to get to the Hozugawa River boat ride

Kyoto to Kameoka

One train, one line, no changes. JR Kyoto Station to JR Kameoka Station takes about 20 to 30 minutes depending on the service, and the fare is ¥410. From Kameoka Station the boarding pier is roughly ten minutes on foot. There is also a bus, about 15 minutes and around ¥500, from Torokko Kameoka Station to the pier, which is the one to use if you have arrived on the Sagano Romantic Train rather than the JR line.

Leave more time than the timetable says

An hour, door to pier, from central Kyoto. That covers the walk to the platform, a train you did not have to run for, and the ticket counter at the other end. On weekends in the main season the boats leave when full rather than on the hour, so arriving early genuinely changes which boat you are on. The clock for each season is on the timetable page.

The return is the real problem

This is where a Hozugawa day goes wrong. You board at Kameoka and you get off 16 km away in Arashiyama, which is not where your train ticket, your bag or your afternoon plan is. From the landing it is a 15 to 20 minute walk to JR Saga-Arashiyama Station, and from there back into Kyoto. That walk is pleasant and it is also through the most crowded part of Arashiyama, so it is rarely quick. Anyone travelling in from Osaka has the same problem twice over, which is why the day tours from Osaka exist at all.

Letting a tour do it

A package handles the Kameoka transfer, holds the boat seat, and drops you in Arashiyama with the afternoon still usable. The boat and train day from Kyoto runs on a coach, and I would rather you knew that up front. There is a full-day flagship version with an onsen at the end, and a door-to-door day from Osaka. Every option and what it actually covers sits on the tours hub.

Frequently asked questions