Mogami River Boat Ride

The Mogami was the trade artery of the Yamagata basin, carrying safflower and rice down to the Sea of Japan, and the boatmen who poled the cargo upstream sang a work song, the Mogami-gawa funauta, to keep time. The tourist boats keep it: the crew sings unamplified while the boat drifts, and that is the reason to take the trip rather than the scenery, which is a pleasant wooded gorge with waterfalls dropping into the river rather than a dramatic one. The run takes about an hour over twelve kilometres between Furukuchi and Kusanagi Onsen, with a bus back. Basho travelled this river in 1689 and wrote about it in the Narrow Road to the Deep North, which is why the route has the standing it has. In winter the boats are enclosed and heated with kotatsu tables; in autumn the gorge colours in late October.

What you actually see

• The boatmen's song - the river work song sung unamplified as the boat drifts.
• A wooded gorge - waterfalls dropping into the river along twelve kilometres.
• Basho's route - the river he travelled and wrote about in 1689.
• Heated winter boats - enclosed hulls with kotatsu tables in the cold months.

When to go

Late October for colour; April to November generally. Two hours including the return bus.

Honest expectations

The scenery is gentle rather than spectacular. Commentary and songs are in Japanese only. Trips are cancelled in high water after rain. The boats are covered, which limits photography.

Nearby

Shinjo is south; the Dewa Sanzan mountains are west.