Explore Osaka with Witty Rakugo Comedian
On Naniwa Exploration Cruise♪

● Tour Begins at Minatomachi Pier in Namba

สวัสดี！
Hello! I’m Nulek. I came from Thailand five years ago to study Japanese.
Did you know Osaka is known as the “Aqua Metropolis” or “City of Water”? This great urban city has lots of canals and rivers running through a sea of buildings and, along with that, different cruise ships that are perfect for sightseeing in Osaka.
Among them is a Naniwa Exploration Cruise with Rakugo Comedian run by Ipponmatsu Shipping Company. Rakugo is a 400 year old Japanese traditional art of storytelling in which a Rakugo-ka artist tells and acts out a comical story.
I’m not exactly sure if my Japanese is good enough to understand the story, but regardless of that, I’m looking forward to seeing Osaka from a boat♪

Naniwa Exploration Cruise offers two routes. I went on their “Loop Line on the River Course”. It departs from Minatomachi Pier, located just north of the Minatomachi River Place in Namba, just a 3-minute walk from Namba Station on Osaka Metro’s Yotsubashi Line.
The other route, “Yumesaki Line on the River Course”, departs from the Universal City Port.

Fares are 3,000 yen for adults and 2,000 yen for students. Kids who are not yet in school (1st grade) ride for free! Reservations are required and can be made online or by phone.
This was my cruise ship! It felt like I was going into a submarine. I was excited.

Unfortunately, it was rainy on the day I went on the cruise. But the cruise ship, Hotaru, offered a rain free space inside with all glass roof and walls that allowed for a nice panoramic view. The glass roof can be slid open. I’m sure it’d be really nice with the roof open on a sunny day. Natural wood used in the interior created a relaxing atmosphere and soft seats with backrest and tables made a comfortable seating.

The boat’s capacity was 40 persons. Many piled in and it was already time to depart. Ittekimasu!

● Enjoy Witty Storytelling by Rakugo-ka Artist

Rakugo-ka Artist, Katsura Kamon, was our guide. He is a young Rakugo-ka artist active on stage and radio. We welcomed him with a big applause. He looked handsome in kimono.
His eloquent talk captured all the guests right away, while creating a cozy, at-home atmosphere.

The Loop Line on the River cruise went west on the Dotonbori River, then onto the Kizugawa River, the Dojimagawa River, and the Higashi Yokoborigawa River, and back to the Dotonbori River.
It basically goes around Osaka’s city center in a loop in 90 minutes.

The Dotonborigawa River Floodgate looked like this in rain.

It’d look like below on a sunny day.
The floodgates regulate the water level that changes as the tide level changes, and purify water while blocking the high tide.
We went through the gate as it opened after the water level was adjusted.

On the other side of the floodgate was a junction where the Shirinashigawa River and the Kizugawa River meet. Our boat went up the Kizugawa River towards Kyocera Dome Osaka. This baseball stadium looks like an U.F.O. to me.

Along the river were colorful graffities. See the red torii behind them too?

The scenery changed when the boat came to the end of the Kizugawa River, where an express way ran above our heads.

And where the Kizugawa River meets the Azugawa River, which runs all the way to Osaka Port, I saw the Osaka Municipal Central Wholesale Market that comprises of fish, vegetable, and meat markets.

Looks like this on a clear day. With cruisers anchored along the market, it looks a little like the sea.

● Nakanoshima’s Historic & New Buildings

The scenery changed drastically as the boat enters the Dojimagawa River. We were entering the Nakanoshima area, surrounded by high rises and other buildings. On the south side of the river were Osaka International Convention Center and Rihga Royal Hotel.

Going under the Oe-bashi Bridge was an exciting moment.
At the Oe-bashi Bridge, the clearance under the bridge is only a little over 3 meters, pretty tight for ships and boats to pass through. They usually have to go right in the middle, at the highest point, to avoid a crash.

But our boat was special and handled it no problem!
Our boat is designed to function like a submarine(!) with a large tank at the bottom of the boat that can hold 40 tons of water. By sinking the ship with the weight of the water, the boat can clear the low bridge clearance with no problem. Isn’t that clever?
See the white line behind me in the picture below? That is the bottom of the window. It was aligned with the wooden frame where my elbow is, but now it looks raised because the cabin has been sunk.

We’re ready to go under the bridge! Even the music in the cabin changed to add to the intensity of the moment lol.

They were not kidding. Our roof was undeniably close to the bottom of the bridge!
But we got through safely!
I got a kick out of this gripping moment.

As we came out of the Oe-bashi Bridge, I saw theOsaka City Central Public Hall on the right. I like the retro exterior of this historic building.

Elevated Hanshin Expressway continued on the left side.

Ahead of the boat, the big green apple sculpture at the Nakanoshima Children’s Book Forest appeared.
Opened in July 2020, this library for children was designed by the world famous architect, Tadao Ando. I’d like to check out this new work of Tadao Ando someday. Advance reservation is required right now.

● The Sakura Cruise

As we got closer to the Tenjin-bashi Bridge, Sakura trees lined the riverbank. (Photo taken on March 1)

It’d beautiful—like below—when Sakura is in full bloom.

If you’re a Sakura fan, take the Sakura Special Cruise which operates during the Sakura season. It takes you a little further than the usual tour, onto the Okawa River to the Sakuranomiya-bashi Bridge, passing right by Osaka’s top Sakura spot, the Japan Mint. The Sakura Special Cruise will operate between April 1st and 10th this year.

This would be the view—Sakura on both sides of the river—that you would be able to enjoy it live on the Sakura Special Cruise.

If not this year, maybe you can plan for next year.
And look forward to next year’s Sakura season already!

The boat made a sharp tun around the tip of the Nakanoshima island and we now faced Kensaki Park.

Passing the Hachikenya-hama Boat Dock, the boat entered the Higashi Yokoborigawa River.

The Higahi Yokoborigawa River was a little narrower than others.
Originally built as a moat for Osaka Castle, this river has been buried and unburied accordingly with the historical events of the castle.

Another floodgate! Controlled release of water helps you know the location of the gates. The wall rose gradually out of water. It was quite impressive.

Our comedian guide told many stories around the places we saw. Here at the flood gate, he had a quick quiz about canals.

● Disembark at Dotonbori

Finally, we were back on the Dotonbori River.

We were surrounded by so many things to see. I held my camera up to take more pictures.

But it was rainy…
And my picture turned out like this one…which I think is pretty cool? If only the sky was blue and the ceiling was open…

I imagine the Don Quixote(DON DON DONKI) Ferris Wheel would look much more imposing like this!

Now, can you tell what this is? It’s super famous.

You got it! It’s the Glico Running Man! It looks bigger from the boat.

The fun 90 minute ride was coming to an end.
We laughed so hard the entire time. We all loved Kamon san’s talk.
He even invited us all to snap a picture lol. Take lots of pictures on the cruise!

I’m still learning the Japanese language, but I was able to enjoy his storytelling. It covered a range, from facts and useful information to jokes and fun stories.
Even if you don’t understand the language well, the Naniwa Exploration Cruise is a nice cruise where you can enjoy Osaka from the river.

The weather wasn’t great when I went, but I still enjoyed my exploration of the city on a boat.
The same company operates a number of other cruises in Osaka, including the Tonbori River Cruise, Tonbori River Jazz Boat (Dotonbori cruise with a live jazz performance) , and Nakanoshima River Cruise that runs in the evening.

Catch a cruise at night and you will see a beautiful sunset or enjoy the bright city lights of downtown Osaka.
Whichever cruise you choose, it will be a great addition to your day in Osaka.
Do check the cruise details beforehand; the operation of these cruises may be limited currently due to the pandemic.