Tokyo Yakatabune Cruise: Sukiyaki Cuisine, Show Performance, and Tokyo Tower Sightseeing Plan

It rained much more heavily than expected all of a sudden, so waiting was a bit rough (feels like a bus stop with chairs but no walls), but fortunately the rain stopped after we departed and the rest was great. Upon boarding, we took off our shoes, put them in a plastic bag to keep with us, and got on the boat, which has tatami flooring. While having our meal to the BGM of shamisen (electronic vibe) played by Ms. Minami, we reached the scenic spot right around when dinner finished. We then stepped out of the cabin to take photos on the 2nd floor, returned to the 1st floor, and enjoyed and interacted with Ms. Minami's shamisen performance before arriving back at the starting point, wrapping up the tour. As a final touch, we received a 5-yen coin (as a lucky charm). A unique feature (or downside?) of this package is that the hospitality and guide staff are not Japanese, so they hardly speak Japanese and instead use English. However, the shamisen player and the kitchen staff were kind anyway, making it a great experience.

We chose a Yakatabune cruise for our trip with my parents. We had a wonderful time, enjoying the excellent shamisen performance by Mr. Hibiki, who shares a name with a famous whiskey, and the superb hospitality of the kind and beautiful Karen-san. It was interesting that we were the only Koreans, or even East Asians, on board. 😂 I'm also grateful to the cute boy, whose name I don't know, who spoke to us in Korean. The quality of the beef in the sukiyaki was also excellent. I highly recommend this for family travelers. It was the best! 👍

We had a great time on this charming boat tour & dinner. The food was plentiful and tasty. Lulu was a marvelous host and Midori Sensei played beautifully and provided great fun interacting with the audience. The sites were great to see from the water, all lit up at night (except for the Statue of Liberty - wish they had lights on that). Very nice to sit on the roof deck for photos and a drink while stopped in Tokyo Bay. What a unique way to get away from the heat of the city and see some sights from a different perspective. We would recommend.

The night before our last trip, my family and I took this cruise. The sukiyaki was delicious, and the singer and live performance were so enjoyable. It had been a long time since I'd laughed so much, and we even sang along to the chorus together. We stopped briefly for 25 minutes to go up and take photos, enjoying the Odaiba scenery with the wind in our hair. At the end, they even gave us a lucky charm gift. I'd love to come again with my family and parents next time ❤️🤍💟🧡 The staff were also very kind. They even called us beforehand via WhatsApp to check if we were on our way. Thank you.

It’s my husband and I’s first time and Japan and to kick start our trip we booked this river cruise! It was absolutely amazing and Lulu, our guide and host was wonderful. The beef sukiyaki we had for dinner was delicious. Everyone on the boat was gracious and kind and the experience was unforgettable. We highly recommend!

A very pleasant houseboat experience! The kind and professional Karen led the international passengers on board to deeply appreciate the beauty of the lake! She carefully introduced everything along the way and helped liven up the atmosphere during the performance, allowing the tourists to relax and have fun together. The beef sukiyaki was delicious, and the traditional folk song performance was also excellent. Highly recommended!! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The trip was amazing, Shera did a great job giving us information about the places we passed by, also the food was very nice. the views at night in tokyo bay are something memorable. the music and songs were cool and interactive, everyone who chose this activity is going to have lots of fun.

Such a fun experience! Do not hesitate. Making our own food was fun and the results delicious. The instrumentalist was truly talented. The singer was charming and really got the crowd going. Not to be missed.

karen the staff, hinako the singer, yuiki the shamisen instrument player, all of them played very well. the food was so amazing and they served a lot with the hotpot. i enjoyed everything inside the boat. it’s just that, it was raining. ☔️ i will definitely recommend this experience especially at night. it is fun and not so much stress. i learned a lot with japanese culture and also about the boat.

This was a truly rare experience, cruising Tokyo Bay on a houseboat, enjoying the scenery along the shore. It's worth mentioning that the beef sukiyaki hot pot was absolutely delicious 😋, and the portion size was generous. We were also very lucky to enjoy a master-level Enka performance accompanied by a shamisen. The way they interacted with the guests was very entertaining, ensuring every visitor felt involved. Highly recommended!