Last weekend I took a walk along the Sengawa River which is located just a few blocks away from where I live, Seijo. In reality, I had never paid attention to the river, even though I have been there many times, that is because most of the times I go with friends, but this time I decided to take a closer look at it.
Before visiting the river I did a little research about it and found out that it is 20.9 km long and that it originates in Chōfu City, one of Tokyo’s 23 special wards located to the west of Setagaya City, where Seijo is located. I started my walk at Soshigaya Park, which is a quite a big green area just next to the Sengawa River where many families go on picnics during the weekends, and where many sportspersons start their jogging trails either down or upstream. This area is also known for its beautiful sakura trees that cover part of the sidewalk in front of the park, just by the river. I decided to go downstream, since towards that direction it seemed greener and more beautiful.
As I was walking downstream I could see many people jogging, walking their dogs, riding their bikes or simply out for a walk; some other people were taking photos of flowers growing in little gardens located by the river. In one section of the river I could see many large and nice houses to the sides, it was interesting to notice that in this area the sidewalks were better preserved, the fence of the river was bigger and somehow more beautiful, and that there were some little gardens that made my walk even more enjoyable, but this perfect beautiful scenery soon ended where the high-class residential area came to an end.
By the river I could also see some tennis fields where many people were playing and I even saw some tennis balls inside the river. I was impressed to see many big fishes trying to go upstream, but barely being able to do so, since the stream was so low that they would crash into rocks or obstacles on their way. There were also many types of birds and a few ducks taking a refreshing bath. When arriving to Seijogakuenmae Station I decided to go back, since the place started to look less attractive and green.
In general, my walk alongside the Sengawa River was very peaceful and pleasant. I would definitely go back for a walk this week.
River Culture 