Etchūjima Pier

Etchūjima Pier sits along the inner reaches of Tokyo Bay in the Kōtō district, serving as one of the city's quieter departure points for yakatabune, the low-roofed wooden pleasure boats that have carried guests across Tokyo's waterways since the Edo period. These lantern-lit vessels were once the preserve of merchants and feudal lords seeking an evening of food, drink, and traditional entertainment on the water, and they remain one of the more distinctive ways to experience the capital from a perspective that the city's streets cannot offer.

From this pier, guests can board a traditional yakatabune cruise that combines a hot pot meal with a live shamisen performance, the three-stringed instrument central to classical Japanese music. The itinerary also includes entry to Tokyo Tower, the 1958 lattice landmark that still anchors the city's skyline. Together, the cruise and the tower offer a pairing of old and modern Tokyo that reflects the city's layered character.