Tokyo by Sea: Sumida River Boat Tour

After reading about them in the weekly Metropolis magazine's special feature, the time had come to take a ride on one of the old-fashioned Sumida river boats. Advertised as a 3 hour boat ride with all you and eat & all you can drink that takes you around Tokyo's harbor near Odaiba. As expected, a lot of people were attracted by the tempting offer and we made a reservation for 10 people on a Thursday holiday which we had off from school. The boat ride was from 5 to 8 pm so you could see the sunset, it was even better for us since there weren't any people on the boat besides one other small family.

It was a close call at first getting everyone there on time but we all managed to make it to the dock before the boat shipped out.

Sean and Yoon make their debut in the blog during in this entry but during the semester they've been right next door to me in the Akasaka dorm. Both Korean and students at Temple University back in Philly, Sean & Yoon were already friends back home before coming over to Japan. Sean is a finance major like myself and he's got a really great sense of humor. I don't think I've ever seen him in a bad mood or depressed about something. Famous for his nocturnal sleep schedule, Yoon has played the part of everything from party animal to a serious & reliable friend. They got along great throughout the semester and both will be staying for the Spring semester while further improving their Japanese language skills.

Yoon and Sean

Back to the boat ride, it really was everything they promised. Limitless cans of popular Japanese beer brands, chu-hi's, juices, and water you name it they had it.

Eddie, Yoon, & Kevin opening up their first cans of the evening

Food was another story... While it was all you can eat, it was also cook it yourself! The ingredients you could order were primarily different types of "okonomiyaki" and "monjayaki" both variations of a pancake/fritter which is usually filled with cabbage, ginger, and seafood. Our party of 10 was squished into 3 tables each with one small flat iron grill in the center where you are supposed to cook the food.

it begins

uncooked, half-cooked
finished! (with a little mayo and soy sauce on top)

After an hour and a half of eating the staff turned off the grill and we all relaxed a bit to enjoy the view and conversation.

enjoying the ride.

By the time our three hours were up everyone left with a full stomach and some nice memories. It was a great time and I'm glad that we were able to get such a big group together to enjoy it!