Yanbaru Experience (Higashi Village Tourism Promotion Council)
ヤンバルエクスペリエンス（NPO法人 東村観光推進協議会）26°36′ N 128°09′ EKayakEnglish spoken
Yanbaru Experience is Higashi Village's tourism council booking site, and it places guests on 1.5–2 hour guided canoe trips through the protected Gesashi Bay mangroves from ¥7,000 an adult and on three-hour night nature watches in the Yanbaru forest with the village's registered eco-tour guides, some of whom speak English.
The mangrove at Gesashi Bay is a national natural monument, and Higashi village channels canoe tours through a list of registered guide companies, with the council's site taking bookings for all of them. After a 20-minute paddling lesson you spend about 70 minutes among the three mangrove species before landing back at Fureai Hirugi Park. Because the boats need water under them, the start time moves with the tide every day, and the booking calendar shows it.
The night nature watch drives the forest roads around Higashi with a guide who stops for whatever turns up on the tarmac, from Yanbaru land snails and freshwater crabs to land hermit crabs, a protected species the guides lift off the road. Children from three can come along with a parent. Fureai Hirugi Park has charged ¥500 to park a car and ¥200 for a motorbike since April 2026, and its rules keep wheeled vehicles, bicycles included, off the boardwalk, so leave the bike in the car park.
What they offer
| Offering | From | Duration | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mangrove canoe tour on the Gesashi RiverChildren aged 3 to primary school ¥6,000. Start times follow the tide and change daily. A longer 2.5–3 hour course costs ¥9,500 (children from age 5 ¥8,500). Cancellation after confirmation carries a ¥1,000 fee up to three days before; weather cancellations are refunded in full. | ¥7,000 / adult | 1.5–2 hr | Year-round |
| Yanbaru night nature watch (driving patrol with short walks)Each extra adult ¥7,700 and child (3 to primary school) ¥4,400; under-3s free. Meets at the council office, Taira 809-1, Higashi. Request bookings pay in yen cash only. | ¥15,400 / group of 2 | 2.5–3 hr | Year-round; starts 18:00 from November to March |
FAQ
Quick answers about Yanbaru Experience (Higashi Village Tourism Promotion Council)よくある質問
Can you kayak in the Yanbaru mangroves in winter?
Yes. The Gesashi River mangrove canoe tours booked through Yanbaru Experience run all year, with start times set by the tide each day. Prices start at ¥7,000 for an adult.
Is there an English-speaking mangrove tour in Higashi?
Yes. Yanbaru Experience says some of Higashi village's registered guide companies offer English, and it assigns the guide after you book.
What time does the Yanbaru night tour start in February?
The Yanbaru night nature watch starts at 18:00 from November to March and lasts about 2.5 to 3 hours. It costs ¥15,400 for two people, with ¥7,700 for each extra adult.
How much does Yanbaru Experience (Higashi Village Tourism Promotion Council) charge?
Yanbaru Experience (Higashi Village Tourism Promotion Council) lists Mangrove canoe tour on the Gesashi River from ¥7,000 per adult (1.5–2 hr).
Does Yanbaru Experience (Higashi Village Tourism Promotion Council) speak English?
Yes. Yanbaru Experience (Higashi Village Tourism Promotion Council) works in Japanese and English.
Is Yanbaru Experience (Higashi Village Tourism Promotion Council) open in winter?
Yanbaru Experience (Higashi Village Tourism Promotion Council): The Gesashi canoe tours run all year on a tide timetable, and the night watch starts earlier in winter, at 18:00 from November to March. Cancellations for weather go out by email by 17:00 the day before.
Within 6 km