Glide along old canals in a hand-poled boat
In some old towns, a boatman called a sendo pushes a small wooden boat along the canals with a long pole or a single oar, telling stories about the town as you go. You sit low on the water, passing white-walled storehouses and willows, and bend down as the boat slips under low bridges. Most rides take 20 minutes to an hour; the stories are in Japanese, but the scenery is enough on its own.
A boatman pushes a flat-bottomed boat with a single bamboo pole along the canals, past willows and storehouses with namako walls, black tiles set in a lattice of white plaster, and under bridges so low that you bend down. The ride downstream takes about an hour, and the boatman sings boat songs on the way. Yanagawa is about 50 minutes from Fukuoka by express train.
The boat circles the moat of Matsue Castle, one of the few castles in Japan that keeps its original main tower, in about 50 minutes, passing stone walls and old samurai houses. Under the lowest bridges the boat's roof comes down, and everyone bends forward together. Tickets are sold at the landing, and Matsue is far from Tokyo and Osaka, so it fits a trip through western Japan.
In the water town of Itako, a boatman rows a ro-bune, a boat moved by a single long oar at the back, along the Maekawa river and tells local history and old tales for about 30 minutes. Some of the boatmen are women. Outside the iris festival in June, booking is needed a few days ahead, so ask your hotel to call for you.
A boatman in a sedge hat poles a small boat up and down the canal, so you look up at white-walled storehouses and willows from the water. The ride is about 20 minutes, short enough to fit into a walk around the old merchant quarter. Buy tickets at the Kurashiki-kan tourist office by the canal; in January and February the boats run only on weekends and holidays.
A boatman takes you up and down the Ono river through Sawara, a merchant town of old shops and storehouses, chatting about the town for about 30 minutes. From the wooden bridge above the landing, water pours into the river every 30 minutes. Sawara is about 1.5 hours from Tokyo by express bus, and the boats do not run on some days, so check before you go.
Unlike the town canals, this boat goes into nature: a boatman steers with an oar and pole through narrow channels between tall reed beds where water birds live, for about 80 minutes. Omi-Hachiman is about 35 minutes from Kyoto by JR train, then a short bus or taxi ride. Shared boats run only from April to November, and payment is cash only.