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Yanagawa Moat Boat Ride

■Yanagawa Moat Boat Ride
Sometimes called the “Venice of Japan,” the small city of Yanagawa is popular with tourists for the 470 kilometers of canals and moats that wind through the town.

Originally dug as irrigation ditches and transport corridors between rice fields, the canals were transformed following the decision by the Kamachi clan to turn Yanagawa into a castle town in the 16th century.

Today, boats called donkobune navigate stretches of the inner and outer moats, propelled by bamboo poles and carrying tourists through narrow tunnels and around sharp bends, past 400-year-old expanses of stonework. Along the way, small waterside shops sell food and drink to passengers on the boats, a charming way to get drunk. The canals and moats are at their best in spring, when the trees lining the banks come into blossom, but the town is pleasant any time of year.

Of course, the extensive system of canals also make for some very lovely walks, and one obvious destination is the Ohana estate and garden, the former home of the Tachibana family, who ruled the town during the Edo period. In 1910 and 1911 the 14th descendant of the Tachibana household performed extensive work on the estate, adding a wonderful Western style house and the Shotoen Garden, modeled on Sendai’s Matsushima Bay. With the later addition of a folk museum and several excellent restaurants, Ohana is a must for anyone visiting Yanagawa.

●Yanagawa Boat Ride
>>Access
1-6 Shimohyaku-cho, Mitsuhashi-machi, Yanagawa city, Fukuoka
JR Hakata station====(10 min. by subway)====Fukuoka(Tenjin)station====(47 min. by Nishitetsu Omuta line)====Yanagawa station====(3 min. on foot)====Yanagawa boat ride

>>Hours
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

>>Holidays
No holidays

>>Fee
Adult: 1,500 yen
Child (5-12 years old): 800 yen

●Ohana
>>Access
1 Shinhoka-machi, Yanagawa city, Fukuoka
JR Hakata station====(10 min. by subway)====Fukuoka(Tenjin)station====(47 min. by Nishitetsu Omuta line)====Yanagawa station====(10 min. by taxi)====Yanagawa Ohana
JR Hakata station====(10 min. by subway)====Fukuoka(Tenjin)station====(47 min. by Nishitetsu Omuta line)====Yanagawa station====(70 min. by boat)====Yanagawa Ohana

>>Hours
9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

>>Holidays
No holidays

>>Fee (Admission)
500 yen

>>Website
Ohana (English)

■Yanagawa Eel
The streets of Yanagawa’s tourist district are perfumed with the tempting aroma of the town’s most famous dish. River eel, grilled and steamed on a bed of rice, tops the menu at restaurants all over town. Served with a rich sauce, the delicate white flesh of the eel is absolutely delicious. Think you won’t like eel? Well, there’s only one way to find out, and chances are you’ll surprise yourself. The restaurants at the Ohana Estate are a good place to try the dish, as is the well-known restaurant Wakamatsu-ya on the main tourist street.

●Wakamatsuy-ya
>>Access
Okinohata-machi, Yanagawa city, Fukuoka
JR Hakata station====(10 min. by subway)====Fukuoka(Tenjin)station====(47 min. by Nishitetsu Omuta line)====Yanagawa station====(10 min. by taxi)====Yanagawa Ohana====(5 min. on foot)====Wakamatsu-ya
JR Hakata station====(10 min. by subway)====Fukuoka(Tenjin)station====(47 min. by Nishitetsu Omuta line)====Yanagawa station====(70 min. by boat)====Yanagawa Ohana====(5 min. on foot)====Wakamatsu-ya

>>Hours
11:00 a.m. - 7:30 p.m.

>>Holidays
Wednesday

-Matt Mangham

>>Hotels and Ryokans in Fukuoka Prefecture