Yanagawa

柳川

The 'Venice of Kyushu.' Boatmen pole flat-bottomed boats through a 470 km network of waterways. After the ride, you can stop for a steamed eel rice dish cooked over charcoal. It is Fukuoka's most classic day trip.

Yanagawa lies about 60 km south of Fukuoka City, on the shores of the Ariake Sea in the southern Chikugo Plain. It was a castle town of the Tachibana family's Yanagawa domain during the Edo period. The city is laced with waterways (horigiri) totaling about 470 km. Originally built for irrigation and defense, they are now the most famous water-village boat rides in Japan. Kawakudari boat tours: Boats depart from landings near Yanagawa Station on the Nishitetsu line, run by several companies including Shogetsu and Yanagawa Kankō Kaihatsu. Each flat-bottomed boat carries a dozen or so passengers, and the boatman poles it slowly along waterways lined with willows and low stone bridges. The trip to Ohana, near the end point, takes about 60 to 70 minutes. Along the way you pass more than a dozen stone bridges, and on the lowest ones everyone has to duck. The boatman sings folk songs and points out the white-walled warehouses, the Suitengu shrine, and the former home of the poet Kitahara Hakushū. Fares run about 1,700 to 2,000 yen. In winter (December to February), boats are converted into warm kotatsu boats with quilts, and in summer there are evening breeze boats. During the Yanagawa Hina Festival (February to April), spherical 'sagemon' hanging ornaments decorate the banks. After disembarking, be sure to eat unagi seiro-mushi (eel steamed in a bamboo basket): grilled eel and rice steamed together with the sauce and topped with shredded egg. Long-established restaurants such as Motoyoshiya and Wakamatsuya cost about 3,000 to 4,000 yen per person, and lunchtime queues are common. You can also visit Ohana, the Tachibana family residence, with its Shoto-en garden and Western-style building (admission 1,000 yen), and the birthplace of Kitahara Hakushū. Getting there: From Tenjin Nishitetsu Fukuoka Station, take the Nishitetsu Tenjin Omuta Line limited express for about 50 minutes to Nishitetsu Yanagawa Station. A free shuttle bus runs from the station to the boat landings. You can also combine the trip with Dazaifu. Nishitetsu sells a Dazaifu-Yanagawa sightseeing ticket that includes round-trip train fare and the boat ride. A half-day visit, or about 4 to 5 hours including lunch. Notes: There is no shade on the boats, so wear a hat in summer. Boats do not run during heavy rain. The boat landing is about 2 km from the station, but you can take the shuttle bus back.

Yanagawa

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