Riviera's style and seaworthiness at home in Japan
by Riviera Australia 8 Nov 2021 02:45 PST
With more than 6,800 islands scattered from temperate to tropical seas, inland waterways, a sheltered western coastline and the vast Pacific Ocean to its east, Japan offers a smorgasbord of boating adventures.
Representing Riviera in Japan is leisure corporation Unimat Precious, one of the country's largest marine businesses that owns eight marinas and over 1,000 berths. Sales manager Futoshi Ninomiya says two extremely popular areas for leisure boating are Okinawa and Setouchi.
With the variety of cruising grounds and conditions, Japanese boating enthusiasts look for versatile motor yachts that are both capable of offshore cruising and are comfortable for owners and their guests to enjoy extended periods aboard.
"Riviera motor yachts are popular in Japan, recognised for their structural strength and superior performance. The interiors are very sophisticated and, in this respect, they are very different from other boat makers," says Mr Ninomiya.
"Okinawa is like Hawaii," says Mr Ninomiya of the southern region. "It is a very beautiful place for cruising, fishing and for diving as it has some of the clearest water in the world. Another is Setouchi, an inland waterway with many small islands; it has very calm waters and people enjoy cruising, fishing and adventuring!"
"Fishing is very popular in Japan. Around the Tokyo area, you can fish all year, but from June through until October people enjoy marlin fishing. This is famous in Japan for boat owners and there are many tournaments and festivals to celebrate it. For marlin fishing in Japan, people like to use a boat between 40 and 50 feet with a flybridge. At the same time, 20 to 30-foot boats are very popular for other recreational fishing on the west coast."
"They are also very versatile motor yachts that can handle rough and tough conditions; this makes Riviera ideally suited for all the different types of boating and boating areas that we have in Japan."
Yutaka Shimizu is new to the Riviera family after taking ownership of 54 Enclosed Flybridge named Luana. Mr Shimizu frequently enjoys travelling to Setonaikai National Park, an area with many islands in Setouchi. Luana means 'enjoyment' in Hawaiian, something he believes his friends and family will experience more of aboard his new luxury motor yacht.
"I was attracted to a Riviera flybridge because they're suitable not only for fishing, but also for long-distance cruising," says Mr Shimizu. "With an enclosed flybridge I have good visibility and, at the same time, I can avoid being hit by the wind on longer journeys. Luana is also very stable and comfortable when we're cruising thanks to the Seakeeper (gyroscopic stabiliser)."
"Riviera motor yachts are strong enough to survive rough weather and seas, but one of the deciding factors for me was the joystick and the ease of handling. It took some time to get used to the CZone digital-switching system, but it's easy and very useful once you get to know it. Out in the cockpit, we enjoy barbecuing, while the interior layout is very user-friendly with lots of storage."
Beyond the sheltered waterways of the Setouchi Islands, Mr Shimizu says he looks forward to venturing further south with his Riviera 54 Enclosed Flybridge to Oita and as far south as Nagasaki to fish.