Photo: WKIPEDIA
national

Tokyo eyes revitalizing water transport for 2020 Olympics

15 Comments

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

© KYODO

©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.

15 Comments
Login to comment

"But it remains uncertain whether water transportation will pay for itself as it is not widely known among the public and most of the docks are inaccessible from train and subway stations."

Right!

Without large numbers of users or big corporations subsidizing the routes then this is doomed from the start...

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This should be a major investment from the government, high speed ferries could bring so many people in and out of Tokyo without the trains.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

All my friends were amazed when I found the tour boats from Hanode to Asakusa. They had no idea it was there. Of course it was a bit of a walk from the Yamanote line so all the points about no stations and no advertising are true.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I have used the boats several times - mostly when visitors come. For me they are convenient due to where I live. They would need to bring the price down a bit but I think this has the potential to be a great idea. I can see the Olympic village being built from my window and a couple of venue locations and I think this could work. Shuttles would be needed from a few of the train stops but there is certainly potential here I think.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

the government is changing a lot of laws and rules just for a two week even that will be forgotten the day after its done

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Dango - you're not wrong there. The blind belief that the Olympics will be a magical long-term cure for the economy astonishes me. Look how well Rio is doing after their Olympics. How many years has the UK been going through Austerity government?

Still, don't worry, we will ever know how much of our money was filched by this boondoggle. We have an established precedent from the Nagano Olympics - just destroy all the records.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/digest/daily/jan99/nagano21.htm

But after all, if we didn't throw money at this, it would only be wasted on fripperies like pensions and child care. Who needs future generations when you can have two weeks of running around and jumping?

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Over the decades, Tokyo's planners have viewed the port, Sumida and other bodies of water as a hindrance, making them less and less accessible and removing their role from commercial and social life. Good luck trying to reverse this entrenched mindset.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Of course it was a bit of a walk from the Yamanote line so all the points about no stations and no advertising are true.

Wrong! Hinode station on the Yurikamome line is two minutes from the water bus terminal. Take the Yurikamome from Shimbashi station on the Yamanote Line.........................

3 ( +3 / -0 )

with the M9.8 quake happening soon, these waterways and boats may be the safest place to be. the city will be destroyed, so water transport will be paramount.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

"I'm really happy to look up at Nihonbashi from beneath the bridge," said Tomoko Yano, one of the passengers who paid 1,000 yen for the 40-minute cruise.

You can bet it won't be a ¥1,000 cruise when the Olympics are on.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Hotaluna is cool !

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Even New York City got its ferry fleet going for the same price as a subway or bus ticket (flat $2.75 fare)

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/29/nyregion/new-york-ferry.html

the city’s nascent ferry fleet, whose ridership has far exceeded expectations, is rapidly becoming an alternative to the beleaguered subway system.

Two of the four new ferry lines are already carrying more passengers than had been projected for 2019. The ferry service has proved so popular that the city has had to order bigger boats

it has carried more than 2.5 million passengers, about 700,000 more than had been expected.

“Everybody loves it,” said Kathleen Warnock, who since August has been riding sleek boats instead of packed subway trains between her home in Astoria, Queens, and her job in Lower Manhattan.

But she admitted that there was one review of the ferry service that was especially satisfying. She recounted receiving a note from her father in which he said: “I’m on a boat back from Rockaway with a Brooklyn lager in my hand. My life is complete.

So a ferry system in a crowded city subway system can be done correctly

0 ( +1 / -1 )

The problem with river transport is that, by necessity, it's a slow way to get about. You can't move at particularly high speeds due to other water traffic and the risk of erosion of the riverbank. The river bus on the Thames is lovely if you have all day, but if you just want to get from A to B it doesn't work.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

The boats in the picture at the top of the story are nice looking vessels and good for tourist trips but a ferry will need something larger. And if it serves beer so much the better! That will encourage users!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

the government is changing a lot of laws and rules just for a two week even that will be forgotten the day after its done

Many people remember the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, so not sure they will be "forgotten" the next day.

Whether they are a good use of money, my opinion is no they are not.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Login to leave a comment

Facebook users

Use your Facebook account to login or register with JapanToday. By doing so, you will also receive an email inviting you to receive our news alerts.

Facebook Connect

Login with your JapanToday account

User registration

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites