Mogami Gorge Boat Ride
A 12-kilometre flat-bottomed boat descent through the Mogami River gorge between forested cliffs — the boatmen (funako) sing traditional folk songs as herons fish alongside. Basho included this journey in "Narrow Road to the Deep North".
1.5 hours (one-way boat)
¥2,800 (adults, as of 2025)
Boat departures: year-round; summer (May–Sep): 9:00–16:00; winter (Oct–Apr): departures at 10:00, 12:00, 14:00
April–November; April–May (cherry), October–November (autumn)
Bus from Higashine or Shinjo stations to Furukuchi
Location
Why Visit
- 1
The funako song "Mogami-gawa funa-uta" fills the gorge — a performance passed from boatman to boatman for centuries
- 2
Spring cherry blossoms, summer greenery, autumn maples and winter snow scenery change completely with season
- 3
Basho wrote "Collected in one the rains of May, swiftly flows the Mogami River" after this journey
- 4
A small wood-burning brazier on the boat keeps passengers warm in autumn and winter
Local Tips
The flat-bottomed boat glides 12km through the Mogami Gorge as the boatman sings traditional Mogami River songs (funa-uta). The gorge is dramatic in all seasons — spring cherry blossoms, summer green, autumn red, winter snow-laden trees. Basho described this river in his 'Narrow Road to the Deep North' — the landscape hasn't changed.
Add to your AI itinerary
Let AI build a multi-day trip around this spot.
Advertisement
More in Yamagata
Bunshokan — Yamagata Prefectural Museum
Bunshokan is a striking red-brick building completed in 1916, originally serving as the Yamagata Prefectural Office and Assembly Hall before being designated an Important Cultural Property of Japan. The Taisho-era Western-style architecture, complete with a central clocktower, stands in sharp contrast to the castle walls of the adjacent Kajo Park, offering a window into a different chapter of Yamagata's history. Today the building functions as the Yamagata Prefectural Museum of Art, housing rotating exhibitions and permanent displays, and remains one of the most recognisable landmarks in the city.
Dewa Sanzan
Three sacred mountains — Haguro (birth), Gassan (death) and Yudono (rebirth) — pilgrimage circuit of the ancient yamabushi mountain ascetics. The Haguro-san five-storey pagoda among 600-year-old cedar trees is one of Japan's most atmospheric.
Ginzan Onsen
Japan's most photogenic hot spring village — Taisho-era multi-storey wooden ryokan line both banks of a narrow mountain stream, their gas lanterns glowing golden on the water at dusk. Snow transforms it into a perfect winter world.