The Matsue Horikawa Sightseeing Boat Tour

Basic data

Facility summary and accessibility conditions

Parts of the moat surrounding Matsue Castle, built in 1611 along with the castle, still remain.
A castle town with a combination of the original castle and moat is rare throughout Japan.
The boats slowly cruise the moat in about 50 minutes.
The view of the city from the boat is nostalgic.
Through the four seasons of the year, you can enjoy the nature of the woods and the beauty of the moat which have existed for over 400 years, since the castle was built.
In winter, all boats are equipped with charcoal kotatsu heaters.
When boarding the boat, you have to leave the wheelchair, but staff members are trained to offer adequate support for getting on and off the boat and on board.
There are no chairs on the boat, so you have to sit directly on the floor.
Boarding the boat for wheelchair users is available only at the Matsue Horikawa Fureai Place boarding point.

Address 507-1 Kuroda-chō, Matsue, Shimane Horikawa Sightseeing Boat Tour Administration Office
Telephone 0852-27-0417
Fax 0852-27-0341
URL http://www.matsue-horikawameguri.jp/
E-mail
Reception hours March 1 - June 30: 9:00 - 17:00, every 15 minutes July 1 - August 31: 9:00 - 18:00, every 15 minutes September 1 - October 10: 9:00 - 17:00, every 15 minutes October 11 - November 30: 9:00 - 16:00, every 15 minutes December 1 - End of February: 9:00 - 16:00, every 20 minutes
Regular holidays

No(Depending on the weather, cancelation may occur.)

Transportation, closest station, bus stop

From Matsue Station to Ōte Mae Horikawa Jōsenjō bus stop (Ōte Mae Place boarding point), 2 km(1.2mi).
About 25 minutes on foot.
Lake Line Bus, about 13 minutes.
To Horikawa Yūransen Noriba bus stop (Kuroda Fureai Place boarding point, wheelchairs available) by Lake Line Bus, about 17 minutes.
Approximately one in three buses is a low floor bus.
For more details, contact the City Bus office.
From Matsue Station, the City Bus North Loop outer and inner lines (all buses are low floor buses) takes 30 minutes.
Get off at the Horikawa Yūransen Noriba Nishi Iriguchi bus stop.
5 minutes on foot.

Bumps at the entrance

No

Entrance width 82cm(32.2in)
Accessible bathroom
Bathroom entrance width 90cm(35.4in)
Accessible parking space

Yes
Jōzan Nishi Parking space: 2 lots.

Wheelchair loaning

Yes

Multilingual information Partially available
Display items with multilingual explanation Partially available
Multilingual pamphlets Partially available
Staff fluent in foreign languages

Not available

Wifi connection Yes
Audio (English) guidance

Yes

Accesible data

Photo Comment
Outlook of the boarding point Outlook of the Fureai Place boarding point
Entrance to the boarding point The Fureai Place boarding point, outlook of the entrance
Ramp in front of the pier View of the ramp in front of the pier.
Gentle slope way
Pier of the boarding point Pier of the boarding point (Width 140cm,55.1in)
Inside the accessible bathroom Inside the accessible bathroom
Barrier-free transportation lecture Barrier-free transportation lecture Scene 1
Picture of a wheelchair being assisted at a barrier-free transportation lecture Barrier-free transportation lecture Scene 2
Picture of a wheelchair being carried to the boat at a barrier-free transportation lecture Barrier-free transportation lecture Scene 3

Inspector’s comments

A wheelchair user (manual) / Female
During the investigation, the boat operators suggested us to try their simple stretcher made of strong cloth and two iron pipes for smooth boarding for wheelchair users.
It was a relief to know that they are concerned about people with disabilities and the elderly.
There were many wheelchair users, which shows that the staff, including the boat operators, are used to assisting them.
A visually impaired (total blindness) / Female
With experiences of accepting assistance dogs on board and lots of wheelchair users, it has been a famous tourist spot in Matsue.
About 5,000 people with disabilities use it in a year, which shows that they are comparatively familiar with accommodating them and brings relief.
They regularly conduct barrier-free lectures, which enhances ability to accommodate people with disabilities.