Last Updated: 31/01/2023
Japan has an abundance of modern transport networks, ensuring visitors can easily get around the country by way of train, road, and even flights. Taxis are everywhere, and its neigh impossible to get lost in a country of friendly locals and labeled streets wherever you go. However, despite the overflowing transport technologies, nothing quite beats the traditional experience of a Japan Rickshaw! The country has a rich history with this mode of transportation, having, in fact being responsible for the naming of this cart as we know it today. The word “rickshaw” is derived from the Japanese term jinrikisha and particularly the last part rikisha that loosely translates to “human-powered vehicle.”
Rickshaw Japan tours have been popular for decades now, perfectly fitting in with the theme of Edo streets in Tokyo, castle towns, and many other traditional settings across well-preserved architectural heritages in the country. From treading across Meiji train stations to going laps around buildings and streets hundreds of years old, Japan rickshaw tours promise all kinds of fun with culture and history.
If you are intrigued by the rural aspect of Japan, and the era of the Shogunate and samurais, these rickshaw adventures are your ticket back to a time when home meant castle!
1. Step out of urban Tokyo and into Edo Asakusa
Tokyo is a modern city in all rights, but Asakusa still clings to the charm of Edo Japan and makes for a beautiful Asakusa rickshaw tour, entailing the old temples such as Sensoji. In the near distance, the course also features views of the Tokyo skytree!
Stroll Through Asakusa Highlights on a Rickshaw Tour
Asakusa, Tokyo
2. Highway strolls of beauty in Futami town
Nestled within green trees, clear streams, and peaceful dirt roads, the outskirts of Futami town provide some of the most healing rickshaw tours in Japan. Enjoy serene rides across torii gates and forested highways as you get acquainted with raw nature!
Go on a Sightseeing Tour Around Mie's Nature and Historical Cultural Attractions (60 Minutes Tour)
Ise, Mie
Go on a Sightseeing Tour Around Mie's Nature and Historical Cultural Attractions (45 Minutes Tour)
Ise, Mie
Go on a Sightseeing Tour Around Mie's Nature and Historical Cultural Attractions (30 Minutes Tour)
Ise, Mie
3. A rickshaw ride to old Japan in Takayama
Sit back to a Takayama rickshaw across a city filled with wooden merchant houses from feudal Japan. It was an important town for the Shogunate due to its quality of timber and carpentry back in the day, and it still retains that rustic rural element!
Sightseeing Rickshaw Ride Through the Old Town of Takayama, Gifu!
Takayama, Gifu
4. Lunch and history with Kamo rickshaws
Branded a miniature version of Kyoto due to their old town similarities, Kamo’s cityscape is best savored on a scenic rickshaw. Make your way across past century houses on a tour that includes a traditional lunch at the ever-impressive Yama cafe!
Experience riding a rickshaw. A plan with lunch at the long-established restaurant ``Yamaju Main Store`` where you can enjoy the rich four seasons
Kamo, Niigata
Meal and Rickshaw ride experience at YamaCafe
Kamo, Niigata
5. Flashes of Meiji life in Matsuyama, Ehime
This Matsuyama rickshaw adventure takes you around one of the country’s oldest and most famous wooden bathhouses, the 1894-built Dogo onsen Honkan. You’ll also be treated to strolls around Meiji architecture at the Dogo tram station, among other pieces of tangible Ehime heritage!
Enjoy a Stylish Journey Around the Old City of Matsuyama on a Rickshaw! (20 Minutes Course)
Matsuyama, Ehime
Enjoy a Stylish Journey Around the Old City of Matsuyama on a Rickshaw! (10 Minutes Course)
Matsuyama, Ehime
6. Escape into nature with a Kamakura rickshaw
Kamakura was long ago the political heartbeat of Medieval Japan. It is today a land of Buddhist temples, ancient houses, and wonderful lush nature. Sample the best history and sightseeing via a Kamakura rickshaw outing.
Visit seasonal tourist attractions such as Kamakura Daibutsu, Zeniarai Benzaiten, Takedera on a rickshaw
Kamakura, Kanagawa
Enjoy a Unique Sightseeing Tour Around Kamakura's Highlights on a Rickshaw (60 minutes course)
Kamakura, Kanagawa
Enjoy a Unique Sightseeing Tour Around Kamakura's Highlights on a Rickshaw (40 minutes course)
Kamakura, Kanagawa
7. Blast from the past: Amazing Mima city rickshaw
Udatsu street in Mima city is lined with shops and residences from the 1700s. Everything has been kept nicely intact to date, ensuring rickshaw tours of great historical joy and nostalgia. There’s onboard commentary to uncover stories behind the ancient walls!
Slip into the Edo Period on a Rickshaw Sightseeing Tour in the Old Streets of Udatsu (10 Minutes Course) *Availability depends on seasons
Wakimachi Oaza Wakimachi, Mima, Tokushima
Slip into the Edo Period on a Rickshaw Sightseeing Tour in the Old Streets of Udatsu (20 Minutes Course) *Availability depends on seasons
Wakimachi Oaza Wakimachi, Mima, Tokushima
Slip into the Edo Period on a Rickshaw Sightseeing Tour in the Old Streets of Udatsu (30 Minutes Course) *Availability depends on seasons
Wakimachi Oaza Wakimachi, Mima, Tokushima
9. Rickshaw getaways in willow trees
The Takahashi river, Ohara museum of art, beautiful willow trees, and an Edo period canal are all at your sightseeing pleasure on an Okayama rickshaw tour. You’ll go through the famous streets of Higashimachi and Honcho, where the atmosphere is vividly reminiscent of Edo!
Rickshaw Guided Tour at Okayama: Stroll Along the Kurashiki River and Historical Streets of the Edo Era (60 Minutes Course)
Kurashiki, Okayama
Rickshaw Guided Tour at Okayama: Stroll Along the Kurashiki River and Historical Streets of the Edo Era (2 People or More) (30 Minutes Course)
Kurashiki, Okayama
Rickshaw Guided Tour at Okayama: Stroll Along the Kurashiki River and Historical Streets of the Edo Era (2 People or More) (60 Minutes Course)
Kurashiki, Okayama
8. Seafront views in a past port town
Oozing the feel of an old port town, the Mojiko retro area is a combination of cobbled streets and 100-year-old buildings. Take rickshaw rides across the blue sea off a coastline that looks out onto the Kanmon strait connecting Kyushu and Honshu islands!
Rickshaw Sightseeing Guided Tour at Fukuoka: Enjoy the Magnificent City Views and the Historic Buildings of Mojiko Port (30 minutes course)
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
Rickshaw Sightseeing Guided Tour at Fukuoka: Enjoy the Magnificent City Views and the Historic Buildings of Mojiko Port (60 minutes course)
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
Rickshaw Sightseeing Guided Tour at Fukuoka: Enjoy the Magnificent City Views and the Historic Buildings of Mojiko Port (60 minutes course)
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
Rickshaw Sightseeing Guided Tour at Fukuoka: Enjoy the Magnificent City Views and the Historic Buildings of Mojiko Port (30 minutes course)
Kitakyushu, Fukuoka
Frequently asked questions
QWhere can I ride rickshaw in Asakusa?
AYou can find multiple plan options on Activity Japan to suit your preferences. Duration choices vary between 3 hours and half an hour for the longest and shortest trips, depending on the rickshaw plan. You’ll get to pass by Senso-Ji shrine, among other classic spots!
QWhere can I ride a rickshaw in Japan?
ANo matter where you are in Japan, there are always rickshaw plans near you. The most popular one is the plan for Asakusa, Tokyo, with further options across Fukuoka, Ehime, Tokushima, Niigata, Okayama, Kamakura, and Shonan. You can ride a rickshaw from anywhere in the country.
QIs a Japan rickshaw ride worth your time?
ARiding a rickshaw in Japan is at the top of the wish list of many travelers. They are highly desirable for their historical sightseeing in Edo streets and castle towns, and also the beautiful trips in nature. The local drivers-cum-guides also offer interesting stories about the travel locations!
QWhat is a rickshaw, and what does the experience involve?
AA rickshaw is a cart that rides on a pair of wheels, pulled by a person. It typically affords room for one to two passengers and resembles an open horse carriage. Rickshaws come in shades of red or black and can navigate tight spaces.
QHow can I book a rickshaw ride?
AIt’s extremely easy to reserve a rickshaw tour on Activity Japan as you can narrow down your preferred tour through location searches. Once you’ve found a plan you like in Niigata, Kamakura, Asakusa, or anywhere else, you can set the date, and you’ll be good to go!
