Sagano Romantic Train + Hozugawa River Cruise

Konnichiwa from Australia
My wife and I have paid for 7 x nights in Kyoto first week of April 2026. We wish to take the Sagano Romantic Train and then take the Hozugawa River Cruise. As Google internet searches now provide AI answers which can conflict with website information, I am finding it challenging to determine how best to achieve this. I believe that once the train arrives at Arashiyama, we would then catch another train the JR to the Kamekoa Station. I have three questions please: My first question is: How much time should we allow for arriving at Kamekoa Station before we get to the starting spot for the Hozugawa River Cruise? We intend to book in advance, as we realise it will be busy due to cherry blossom season. I believe there is no combination Sagano Romantic Train/ Hozugawa River Cruise ticket? My final question is are bookings for the Hozugawa River Cruise best made from Klook, or is there another preferred booking agency for theHozugawa River Cruise? Arigato so much. Have a lovely day - Tony Maher

Most people take the bus from the terminal station of the Sagano Train to the river cruise, as explained here:
https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e3965.html#section_get_there

There are no combination tickets for the train and boat. In the old days everybody would buy the boat ticket on the day at the pier, and board first-come first-serve and I suspect that on most days you will still be able to take the next departure if you were to do it these days, but on busy days (e.g. autumn color peak), you may have to wait. By making a reservation for a particular slot, you have a secured departure, and for the Sagano train you need a reservation, too, anyway. Klook is the way to make the reservation in English:
https://www.klook.com/activity/74947-kyoto-arashiyama-hozugawa-river-b...

JTB sagano romantic train and boat ride combination package from Kyoto is also available.
https://www.jtbtravel.com.au/day-tour/kansai/kyoto-tours/kyoto-bus-tou...

We did the train and boat ride this past summer. Booked our fares directly with both companies. Third parties will charge extra fees beyond what the actual fares are. We walked from Torokko Kameoka Station (about 1km) to the JR Umahori station and then took the JR to Kameoka. We built in 2 hours to linger around for lunch. We did not know about the bus, but there are also taxis waiting around if you prefer.

Both sites have English and were fairly easy to manage.

https://www.sagano-kanko.co.jp/en/?

https://ars-hozugawa.triplabo.jp/home