A trip in Dotonbori wouldn't be complete by just taking a photo at Glico man or trying the delectable Japanese foods or shop in Shinsaibhashi. You must try the Exciting, Fun and Romantic Tonbori River Cruise. I've been to many river cruise around the world but this one is unique on its own. It is a 20 mins boat ride along the Dotonbori canal passing thru its 9 bridges with a great view of Dotonbori and Namba districts in Osaka. One of the famous landmarks it will pass by is the famous neon lit sign of Glico Man. The ticketing is beside Dondonki store in Osaka and they only accept cash. Ticket is priced at 900 yen for adults and half the price for kids. The port is just in front of it and you ticket will dictate the departure time you will be taking. They recommend to be at the port 10 mins before the departure time. The waiting time is not that long. There is a tour guide that speaks English as you traverse the canal entertaining and explaining the different attractions and their history on both sides of the canal. We took a lot of good photos and videos which are insta-worthy. The weather was cool and just perfect in early June. The boat is open air so be mindful if its raining. Overall, our 20 mins is a trip to remember - it's worth it!
I loved taking this little ride! I was surprised to see that it was included in the Osaka Amazing Pass, cuz its not as cheap as other attractions. This is a 20 minute ride with a tour guide explaining the buildings by the side of the river. The sound wasn’t too great in my tour and I couldn’t understand very much (also, they speak very little English), but I still liked it. They even provided us with some complementary rain ponchos, because it started raining lightly. I do recommend it!
The river cruise is only 20 minutes from one end to another on the Tombori river where you will see the buildings and bridges only.
On the boat there will be a person give a short performance on the drum. If you are short of time, give this a miss. Since it was free for Osaka Amazing Pass, so we took a ride since around the place.
Would not recommand
Useless
Last 20min
You only see a few bridges while breathing the fumes from the boat.
Don't get the hype....
We had to wait almost 1h for this!
For 900 yen I can’t say it’s as exciting as it seems from the shore. It is very difficult if at all to understand the tour guide. You get into this open barge head down the canal for literally 500m turn around and back along the opposite way for about 1km turn around and back.
You get a great shot of the Glico Running Man and the canal from the water.
Meh!!! Would be the words I would use. I would rather use the money and go on the Ferris wheel located right behind where you board the cruise.
