Sumida River

sumida river sumida river2 sumida river and sky tree yakata bune

Sumida River is famous as the water bus and fireworks festival!

The Sumida River flowing through Tokyo is one of the famous rivers in Japan. It was so polluted that fishes and waterfowls couldn't live in it in 1950th because of pollutant by rapid economic growth.

However, nowadays it's so clean fishes and waterfowl come back and water plants revive by Ukima filtration plant and neighborhood's cleaning after that. Some people enjoy fishing in some place along this river now.

water bus crusing map

The Sumida River flows tourist spots in Tokyo such as Asaskusa, Ryogoku, Ningyocho, Tsukiji and Tsukishima. Therefore, water buses and privately owned Japanese boat called Yakatabune cruise for tourists on this river. The water buses runs from Asakusa to Hinode Pier for about fourty minutes on Sumida river line cost from 720 yen(about 7 dollars). You can rent voice guidance in English for 300yen, and you'll enjoy the view and sights as seen from this bus.

sumida river fireworks festival head-office building of asahi breweries

The Sumida River is also famous as the place Sumida River Fireworks Festival is held on last Saturday in July every year. It's one of the big three fireworks festival in Tokyo, and about one million people come here for watching 20,000 fireworks. There is traffic control aroud here on that very day, and a railroad schedule change for fireworks though trains in Tokyo is known for the its accuracy and unchanging.

You should go for watching it when you visit Tokyo in July. If you can't go in person, TV TOKYO (channel 7) televises it. This TV program is sponsored by Asahi Breweries Ltd whose head-office building looks like a glass along the Sumida River in Asakusa, and Hideki Takasashi a Japanese actor known as the Samurai Momotaro is an MC of it.