Information for the Kotatsu Boat Nagatoro in 2026, one of several winter only activities in Nagatoro in the Chichibu district of Saitama Prefecture. Its all happening in Nagatoro and Chichibu in January! Icicles, strawberry picking, wintersweet festival and a truly only in Japan activity of Kotatsu boat riding! From January 1st until February 28th 2026 you can ride a boat on the Arakawa in Japanese style: sitting under a warm Kotatsu. Except if there is bad weather. Bad weather such as heavy rain, snow or high wind, does effect the schedule.
Kotatsu Boat
A kotatsu is a type of table you’ll find in almost every Japanese home. It is a low table with a removable top and a heater under the frame below the top. In Winter families put a kotatsu blanket between the frame and table top and turn on the heater for coziness to the max!
On the kotatsu boat they do the same thing. A blanket is placed between a frame of a long table and a removable table top. A heater below the frame keeps you warm as you sail down the Arakawa, Nagatoro’s most famous and beloved river. If you are new to the ‘line kudari’ boat ride in Nagatoro, you can find more information in English here.
Kotatsu Boat 2026 Information
Date: public holiday January 1st to February 28th annually, on suitable weather days
Time: Available between the hours of 10 am and 2.30 pm – weather permitting. Please do check with the official website to see if the boat is operating on the day you hope to ride.
Cost: 1100 yen for adults, 700 yen for children over three years old.
Reservations: none required.
Access: from Iwadatami kudari Line depot, a three minute walk from the Chichibu Railway Nagatoro Station
In the area:
Mt Hodo is relatively close to the kotatsu boat ride. At the top of the mountain there is a wintersweet grove where there is a wintersweet festival during half of January and half of February. More information about the wintersweet festival in English here. For the last week of February and of the boat ride, there is a plum blossom festival on Mt Hodo. There are three famous icicles of Chichibu that you can see during some of the period of the Kotatsu boat. The Otaki Ice Festival is the only naturally formed icicle display. The other two icicles are Ashigakubo and Onouchi.
There are several campsites in the area. For example, two of the most popular campsites – Waterpark Nagatoro and Autocamp Nagatoro. Waterpark Nagatoro is also a port for the spring to autumn river boating on the Arakawa. General information for Line Kudari:
The featured image in the thumbnail is from the official website.
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