Diving into the Ocean on Japan’s Amphibious Bus | Yokohama, Minato Mirai
Today, I rode the amphibious bus
“SKYDUCK”! Enjoy Yokohama and Minato Mirai
twice as much from both land and sea! Turn on the subtitles and let’s set off
right away on a swimming bus journey! Today we start from Sakuragicho Station in Kanagawa Prefecture Sakuragicho Station is just 3 minutes by train from Yokohama Station Right in front of us lies the Minato Mirai (“harbor of the future”) area Landmark Tower and Queen’s Square The mysterious floating pod
(Yokohama Air Cabin) And unique art objects As well as many sightseeing boats passing by On this day, even dinosaurs
came to visit Minato Mirai! “Gao, gao!”—roaring with great force Apparently there was an event
called the Dinosaur Festival The roars echoed far and wide A 3-on-3 basketball tournament—
Minato Mirai was lively as always today Now, let’s head to today’s main event,
the amphibious bus Passing right next to the amusement park, A short walk further and we can see… There it is! The amphibious bus
“SKYDUCK”! It has such a unique and interesting shape For now, it looks more like a bus than a boat How will this transform into a boat? I can’t wait to actually get on! Now, this is a submerged road— —or rather, the departure point for the SKYDUCK I can hear lively voices from somewhere It seems to be splash time! !! What an incredible splash!
It plunged into the water without hesitation! Then, it turned its screws and
began moving forward as a boat In no time at all, it had transformed
from a bus into a boat Now here’s the SKYDUCK on land It drives calmly down the road
as if to say, “I’m just a bus, so what?” From this view, it really does look like an ordinary sightseeing bus The time for boarding (or embarking?)
is drawing near The ticket price is 4,000 yen / $27 Here comes the SKYDUCK The name “DUCK” comes from the fact
it works both on land and on water like a duck Amazingly, the vehicle costs 100 million yen!
(＄680,000） From the front, it looks a bit like a boat The lights are covered to keep them from getting wet You can see that the covers are firmly
fixed in place with screws And at the back, it’s equipped with propellers The combination of tires and propellers
is quite rare The license plate is just like that of a regular car On the roof, it even has the boat’s registration sticker attached It feels fresh to board the bus
by climbing a gangway! If the entrance were low in boat mode,
water would flood in Finally, time to get on board Climbing up the gangway we saw earlier The round window in the front door
gives it a boat-like feel Capacity: 41 passengers Length: 11.9m, Height: 3.7m I also peeked into the driver’s seat A familiar steering wheel for driving And also a joystick for operating the boat! The ceiling is like a soft canopy There are no windows, giving it a very open feel Of course, since it’s still a vehicle, it has seatbelts It’s time for departure First, we’ll spend about 10 minutes
touring Minato Mirai by land Since there are no windows,
we have to be careful not to stick our hands or face out into the road Let’s go! This building is said to have
over 100 years of history Its retro exterior is stylish This is the main building of the Kanagawa Prefectural Government Office It also has that retro feel,
really giving off the “port city Yokohama” vibe On this day, a luxury cruise ship was also docked at Osanbashi Pier On the right, you can see the Red Brick Warehouse It’s bustling with activity,
likely due to some event being held This sail-shaped building is the InterContinental Hotel It looks like the time has finally come The SKYDUCK that dove in earlier was taking a break Here we go! Turning left here brings us to
that submerged road We’ve been sightseeing by bus until now And now, to go into the sea in the same vehicle—
this is pure madness Here we go! SKYYYY DUUUCK! Splash successful! It plunged into the sea
with even less hesitation than I imagined The SKYDUCK has fully switched into boat mode From here, we’ll spend about 40 minutes
touring Minato Mirai from the sea The bridge above is Bankoku Bridge This bridge is famous as a spot for
taking beautiful photos of Minato Mirai This white tower is the APA Hotel On the right-hand side,
there were also many yakatabune houseboats Here’s how the SKYDUCK looks from land It’s funny seeing something that looks like a bus
sailing briskly through the sea The spray of water from the back
is proof that the propellers are working hard But if the engine stops,
it’s just a drifting bus…! So if you spot a bus floating in the water at Minato Mirai,
there’s no need to call for rescue, haha The SKYDUCK continues on Cruising while feeling the sea breeze is wonderful Now from a distant perspective again,
we pass right by that luxury cruise ship we saw earlier The cruise ship is so huge
that the SKYDUCK looks tiny in comparison I was surprised at how close we actually passed Here’s the view from the SKYDUCK The luxury cruise ship viewed from the sea was breathtaking! Its name is Asuka III,
a very new ship launched in July 2025 As expected of a brand-new ship,
its white hull gleams brilliantly! An 8-night, 9-day cruise to Hokkaido
costs at least 1.08 million yen / $7297 for solo travelers… I want to ride it someday… Leaving the Asuka III behind, we move on The SKYDUCK sailing away from the Asuka III Even from the front, the Asuka III shows off its graceful form When in boat mode, it’s okay to stick your hands out the window frames No seatbelts are needed either,
so everyone is relaxed Over there, you can see the Bay Bridge It’s 860m long Another iconic Minato Mirai view The 100 million yen (＄680,000）SKYDUCK speeds through the sea Way to go, SKYDUCK! We’ve seen houseboats and luxury cruise ships, And now even a warship is docked here On the other side is a Japan Coast Guard vessel With so many different kinds of ships,
there’s never a dull moment Now that I look closely,
there are wipers on the front They occasionally move just a little—so cute The SKYDUCK swimming proudly
with the warship in the background And on the right side, yet another luxury cruise ship! Its name is MITSUI OCEAN FUJI A 28-day journey to Hawaii costs— 8.2 million yen / $55,405
(for a suite room) With an early booking discount,
it’s reduced by 830,000 yen to 7.37 million yen / $50,000 !
Hmm, not exactly cheap! I’d like to go on it in my next life Let’s forget about impossible dreams
and enjoy the summer sky The sea, the blue sky, and fluffy clouds—
that alone makes me happy Here’s the InterContinental Hotel,
designed to look like a yacht’s sail At the tip of the sail,
a goddess named “Michibiki” watches over everyone I saw the InterContinental from land when the SKYDUCK was in bus mode,
but from the sea, it has a different kind of presence The SKYDUCK passes under the bridge
right below the InterContinental Hotel Looking up close at the giant yacht sail is impressive Landmark Tower and Queen’s Square
stand like guardians of the port Between the two towers, looking down,
we can see the submerged road where we started That concludes our fun water tour The SKYDUCK transforms from a boat back into a bus Landing—heave-ho— The SKYDUCK changing from boat to bus Once ashore, it’s shower time for the SKYDUCK Since seawater can cause rust,
it’s washed down thoroughly Thanks to this daily maintenance,
the SKYDUCK can work hard every day Thank you, staff! They carefully clean the parts
that were submerged in seawater The whole tour lasted about an hour The sheer novelty of the amphibious bus itself— And the exciting views of Minato Mirai from the sea
left me completely satisfied! It seems there’s also a night cruise,
so romantic types should check that out too Just in case of emergencies,
it’s fully equipped with floats and life jackets Now, down the gangway we go—
goodbye, SKYDUCK Thank you for watching until the end I’ll keep traveling around Japan
to find more interesting vehicles and unique spots, So if you’d like to see more,
please subscribe to my channel and give it a like!
🌟Please turn on subtitles while watching.
Ride Japan’s Amazing Amphibious Bus in Yokohama’s Minato Mirai! 🦆🌊
In Yokohama’s scenic Minato Mirai area, I hopped on an incredible amphibious bus that can travel both on land and in the water — a truly unique way to explore Japan!
🚍 Trip Highlights
・A thrilling plunge from the streets straight into the sea
・Everyone shouting together: “Skaaaay Duuuck!”
・Floating silently when the engine is turned off — just a drifting bus on the water
・Powerfully cruising on land and sea, just like a duck
🦆 About the Amphibious Bus “SKYDUCK”
Name Origin: Like a duck, it thrives both on land and in water
Length: 11.9 m (39 ft) | Height: 3.7 m (12 ft)
Capacity: 41 passengers
Operator: Hinomaru Motor Co., Ltd.
Ticket Price: 4,000 yen (approx. $27 USD)
If you’re visiting Japan and looking for something fun, exciting, and unforgettable, this amphibious bus ride in Yokohama is a must-try!
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