Japan - Rivers in the Land Of The Rising Sun
A visit to tourist meccas like Tokyo and Osaka, on Japan’s main island, doesn’t mean you’ll be confined to land during your stay.
While Japan is an island chain with few navigable rivers, we found a couple of great opportunities for fun on the water.
Both the Sumida river in Tokyo and the Okawa river in Osaka will provide a welcome respite from the neon, crowds and excitement of urban tourist attractions and shopping districts.
If you’re going to Japan from the eastern seaboard, be prepared for a long flight. You’ll spend 13 hours aloft on the trip from Dulles, VA, to Narita Airport outside of Tokyo. Account for the 12-hour time difference and it’s easy to understand why you’re exhausted when you land at 3:30 pm Tokyo time. It’s 3:30 in the morning where you come from. We had planned to visit the Jazz bar in Tokyo’s Prince Park Tower hotel on the evening of our arrival. All I remember is Monica leaving and then telling me what a great time she had.
Tokyo’s Prince Park is a fabulous hotel. It boasts 14 restaurants and lounges, offering a wonderful variety of dining experiences, from casual to fine dining. The restaurants feature outstanding Japanese, Chinese and French cuisine. For entertainment and relaxation there’s that jazz bar I missed, and a natural hot spring spa. Breakfast in the Stellar Garden sky lounge afforded an unbelievable view of Tokyo. The city goes on forever. Dinner at the Katsura Steak House featured Kobe beef steaks. All I can say about this steak is… believe the hype. The 33 story Prince Park Tower is located in Shiba Park close to everything. The hotel sits between Tokyo tower (a Japanese redux of the Eiffel tower) and Zojoji Temple, The great main Buddhist temple where six of the 15 Tokugawa shoguns are buried.
It’s not far by rail from any of the attractions of Downtown Tokyo. Japan is a beautiful country with crowded metropolises like Tokyo and Yokohama, amazing countryside and the mysterious Mount Fuji. You can’t see it from Tokyo but on a bullet train ride to Kyoto, Fuji San peeks through the clouds, giving you a brief glimpse of its majesty, and then disappears, lest you be overcome. We had two water adventures: Cruising the Sumida river in Tokyo, up from the mouth of Tokyo bay, and an idyllic cruise up the Okawa river in Osaka, Japan.
People are fond of Sumida River history. They say the old Sumidagawa was clean enough in the Edo period to brew tea from. Today there is no tea brewing along the banks of the Sumida. Waste from the many factories, buildings and river traffic has seen to that. But a cruise along the river is still a relaxing and rewarding experience.
The boat leaves from Hinode Pier, just North of Japan’s famous Rainbow Bridge and ends at the Senso-Ji temple at Asakusa. Though only a forty minute ride, the flat boats pass under 13 bridges, each unique in it’s architecture, some having survived the Bombing of Tokyo during World War II, and more famously, destruction by the most infamous reptile in the world…Godzilla. The Sumida is Godzilla’s home turf and despite the number of times the big lizard has destroyed the city, Tokyo continues to rebuild. Most of the city’s buildings are no more than 25 years old. Tokyo is full of neon and electric signs, packed with people and tradition and the train system is clean and on time.
Each of the Sumida’s bridges has a name and some offer a unique architectural style. Nearly all are immortalized in song, in paintings or in Japanese films.
Edo’s bridges were more than an avenue for travel across the city. I f ancient paintings are to be believed they provided space for all sorts of social and official activity, from public announcements and romantic interludes to the shackling and public display of criminals. At the end of the cruise you’ll arrive in Asakusa (Old Downtown Tokyo).
It is here, only a couple of blocks from the pier, that Sensoji (also known as Asakusa Kannon Temple) is located. Sensoji is a Buddhist temple located in Asakusa. The legend says that in the year 628, two brothers fished a statue of Kannon, the goddess of mercy, out of the Sumida River, and even though they put the statue back into the river, it always returned to them. Consequently, Sensoji was built there for the goddess of Kannon. The temple was completed in 645, making it Tokyo’s oldest temple.
Visitors first enter through the Thunder Gate, the outer gate of the Sensoji and symbol of Asakusa. A shopping street of over 200 meters, leads from the outer gate to the temple’s second gate, the Hozomon. The shopping street has a history of several centuries. Beyond the Hozomon main gate stands the temple’s main building and a fivestoried pagoda.
The Asakusa Shrine, built in the year 1649 by Tokugawa Iemitsu can be found close by the temple’s main building. For a suggested donation of 100 yen, visitors may consult the oracle and divine answers to their questions.
Sumida River Fireworks displays are held between the Umayabashi Bridge and the Komagatabashi Bridge and between the Kototoibashi Bridge and the Sakurabashi Bridge over the Sumida River. The displays draw nearly 1 million spectators and feature about 20,000 explosions.
A Shinkansen (bullet train) ride from Tokyo to Osaka only takes two and a half hours to cover the 350-mile distance. At these speeds the scenery is best enjoyed by looking straight ahead. Any other angle could result in a neck injury as the passing countryside snaps your head from side to side. Osaka is famous for it’s nightlife and for Butamon, a seasoned pork bun you won’t find in its northern rival, Tokyo. In fact when you arrive at the Shin Osaka station you would be wise to pick up a couple of them for your travels during the day.
The Osaka skyline looks a lot like the emerald city in the Wizard of Oz. You won’t find the wizard here but you will come face to face with Osaka Jo.
Osaka Jo (Osaka Castle) was begun in 1583 by the feudal Lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi and was completed in 1598, the year Hideyoshi died. Osakajo is one of Japan’s most famous castles, and played a major role in the unification of Japan during the sixteenth century. After touring the massive Osaka Castle you’ll be ready for a leisurely cruise on the Okawa River. If you arrive in April you can see Cherry blossoms along 2.5 miles of the river’s shoreline. The blossoms are lighted at night for delightful romantic walks.
Like the Sumida, the Okawa River is crisscrossed with low bridges. Some have towering spires while others have ornate decorations along their spans. Tall buildings with neon lights line the shore.
On the way back to Tokyo, you can stop in Yokohama and visit the Minato Mirai 21 shopping center. This is a seaside park located at near the mouth of Tokyo Bay. There’s plenty of culture to be found in museums and public spaces. You’ll also find every upscale store you can imagine. Some stores are home grown but most you can find in the States. The mall is situated at the site of the former Mitsubishi shipyards. It features a Ferris wheel that provides an unparalleled view of Tokyo, the bay and Yokohama from nearly 350 feet up.
So there you have it. For Inland boaters Japan offers a host of opportunities to experience culture, shopping, tradition nightlife and, in case you miss it, the water.
