Tour Boat Offering Views of Grand Ring from Sea Begins Services in Konohana Ward, Osaka

The Yomiuri Shimbun

11:55 JST, October 19, 2025

OSAKA — A tour boat service offering views of the Grand Ring at the site of the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo started on Saturday.

Two to three tours are scheduled each day through Nov. 16, and tickets have already sold out.

The service is run by Osaka-based Universal Cruise Inc., which operated ferry services connecting the venue of the Expo on Yumeshima in Konohana Ward, Osaka, with three locations during the event.

The one-hour cruise around Yumeshima departs and arrives at Universal City Port, one of the three locations, near the artificial island.

Families and others carrying or wearing merchandise featuring Myaku-Myaku, the official mascot of the Expo, boarded the first ship Saturday morning. They cheered at the sight of the Great Ring from the sea.

Among the participants was a 46-year-old company employee from Kyoto City who visited the Expo, which ran until Oct. 13, nearly 10 times with two family members.

“I realized once again the scale of the ring,” he said. “This trip has given me an unforgettable memory.”