Unlike Dazaifu, the other interesting bits of Yanagawa town aside from the river boat punting tour are spread out. The small town didn’t feel crowded at all, compared to the crowd masses in Dazaifu later in the afternoon. It’s an easy way to tell: there is no Starbucks at the train station haha. In fact, exiting Yanagawa Station and watching the train depart made me feel like I’d just entered a frontier laid back town with little to do beyond finding a saloon and getting my liquor fix!
The boat tour ended at 10:40AM, and I had in excess of an hour before the complimentary bus arrives to bring me back to the start point. Rather than walk the 3km distance – which I would have normally done so were it not for my wanting to give my still aching legs a break – I took the time to explore the area.
Pictures and comments!
At Tenjin Station and having just picked up the Dazaifu & Yanagawa Sightseeing Ticket Pack. You get a whole bunch of tickets, coupons, info booklets, and other information – all in a useful envelope.There’s a colorful map included in the pack that shows you the interesting sights in both cities, and brief descriptions of each.Rokkyu Boat Stop, the terminal and end-point of the boat tour. The admissions counter at Shogetsu Station will provide a map for you to where their bus pick-up point is, though I found the map simplistic to the point that it was a little confusing.There’s a small park area and pond at Rokkyu Boat Stop for you to take a look too. It’s about right behind Shoto-en Garden.Nary a soul in sight.Ohana Mansion, the former residence of the feudal lords of Yanagawa that was built in the 17th century I think. The estate in one description is a fusion of Japanese and Western architectural styles. I assume the former is in reference to the Garden just behind the mansion, because the house is distinctly western!The Ohana mansion as seen from the front gate. There’s an admission charge to enter the interiors of estate and garden, but you can walk on the outside for pictures.One of the many canals in Yanagawa. The place is less ostensibly pretty than Bikan Historical Quarter, but it also feels more real, and account that the canals run past private residences and establishments, including fresh produce shops and small eateries, used by the town’s populace.The Tourist Information Center, about 10 meters from the bus pick-up point. This Center is also marked on the map provided by the tour company.There is a small range of souvenir you can buy in the center, apart from picking up the usual information and tour booklets. There’s also a coin-operated vending machine that dispenses a range of hot beverages (the ubiquitous machines for cold drinks is outside), and also a second machine that lets you DIY higher-quality coffees.River Boat Punting Tour. There seem to be more than a few companies that offer tours.
The Yanagawa boatmen are in equal parts skilled professionals, gymnasts, and daredevils. For low bridges, boat tour guests duck underneath the bridge, while the boatmen hop up, stroll across, then jump back onto the boat – all to the boat guests’ delight and applause. I stumbled upon one such demonstration for two boats filled with Chinese tourists, and quickly took a series of shots in sequence. One of the frames below is exactly when the boatman leapt off the bridge to land back on his boat, to the passengers’ delight, laughter and applause!
The boatman comically waves his passengers ‘good bye’, then smoothly climbs up the bridge as his boat continues underneath it.Strolling across the bridge. No rush!The boatman have got their timings down right to the exact second. In fact, he has several seconds perched on the edge waiting for his boat to almost be completely out from under the bridge before he makes his leap.Look at the trepidation of the passengers nearest to the rear of the boat haha!Perfect landing!And he took a bow next.
Summary: the amount of time you get to explore the area really depends on when you want to board the complimentary bus shuttle bus back. There are a couple of Unagi restaurants and eateries in the vicinity. The area is very quiet, serene and peaceful – compared to the noise and bluster of the next town, Dazaifu which I’ll cover in the next post.
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