Hi there,
I am planning a trip to Japan and my group and I are very interested in the Hozugawa River Cruise near Arashiyama in Kyoto. I have not been able to find if there is a weight limit for this? I am a bit of a larger person and don’t want to travel this way if I will need to be turned away.
8 comments
As far as i know, there is no weight limit mentioned when i went on it. That said, this is an incredibly boring and overhyped cruise. Of course i’m a guy so my view might be biased.
But i regretted getting onto the boat 5 minutes into it. In hindsight, a cruise filled with middle-aged women would obviously not be very ‘exciting’.
Nice views though.
(**Edit:** This is for rafting, not the cruise, so it probably doesn’t apply. Leaving it here anyway.)
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From https://www.hozugawakudari.jp/rafting/info via Google Translate (important part bolded):
> Limitation by weight/physique
>
> Please be careful if you are extremely obese. Those who are physically large enough to interfere with their motor function may not be able to respond in an emergency and may refuse to participate. The tour may also be interrupted if the boat’s balance or control is adversely affected. Inquiries and confirmations are required in advance, including problems with equipment fittings.
>
> Standard: Wetsuit 3XL size
>
> Height: 190 cm Chest measurement: 119 cm Waist: 96 cm Hip: 114 cm **Weight: 105 kg**
Or 231 pounds in Freedom Units.
It’s not clear to me whether this is a requirement or a suggestion. TBH I can’t tell why they make a big deal out of it at all, since in all the pictures I can find, nobody appears to be wearing a life jacket. A blog post on their site says [they got in trouble and are now requiring passengers to wear life jackets](https://www.hozugawakudari.jp/blog/819%E3%82%88%E3%82%8A%E6%95%91%E5%91%BD%E8%83%B4%E8%A1%A3%E3%82%92%E7%BE%A9%E5%8B%99%E5%8C%96), but that was 9 years ago and I doubt these pictures are all that old.
If you do go, I’d say be sure to know your weight in kilograms in case they ask. Sit in the center rather than the sides. And maybe know how to swim.
105kg
I went in November with my girlfriend, we did this cruise. I was 265lbs at the time and they did not seem fazed. I’m not the fluffiest fat guy in the world but I’m big.
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It seemed to me like they load passengers and see how they can adjust how many get on/where they are seated to ensure best balance of the boat. Some boats may have more or less people depending on weight or number of people traveling together. I wouldn’t worry about being turned away. It is a big tourist attraction and they must have many larger passengers.
Though, I don’t know how much weight or height you mean. You might send them an email with specifics to ask.
I mean…I’m going to assume you’re not 500lbs if you’re going to Japan, so you should be okay. The Japanese are exceedingly polite and will probably about break their own legs off to accommodate you. You’ll be okay, it’s a decent sized boat. They will probably just put you in the middle if you’re a lot larger than the other passengers to keep it balanced. Shouldn’t be a problem though, just be aware that you’ll most likely be sitting cross legged on the floor of the boat which I know isn’t terribly comfortable for me, being a bit bigger myself. I couldn’t tolerate a long boat ride like that but if you can then go for it, I hear it’s a beautiful trip!
I was on this cruise about 2 years ago. I don’t know if they have a weight limit, but I’m fairly certain they would just adjust the number of people on the boat. I went with a group of 4, including a larger friend and they instructed us on the order that we should board/sit in, in order to maintain a balance.