Breathtakingly beautiful—“Flatboats, Cherry Blossoms, and the Takase River”: A stunning view

Text and photos byKavanagh

The Takase River is an artificial canal built in 1611 (the 16th year of the Keichō era) by Kōra Masanobu. At that time, waterway transportation between Kyoto and Osaka relied entirely on this canal. Today, the flat-bottomed Takase boats used for cargo no longer ply the river, and it has become a linear waterway park. Every spring, from around the Fifth Avenue area to the Ichinohashi boat landing along Nijō Street, cherry blossoms bloom profusely along both sides of the canal, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene—one of my top recommendations for cherry blossom viewing.

The term “boat landing” refers to a facility where cargo boats would load and unload goods before entering the Takase River (similar to a port). In the past, there were several boat landings along the Takase River, but today only the Ichinohashi landing near Nijō Street remains. When I visited here in 2013, the Takase boat, which was usually displayed at the Ichinohashi landing, was nowhere to be seen. Later, I found out it had been sent for repairs... The Ichinohashi landing without the Takase boat just didn’t feel right...

When I returned to Kyoto in 2014 to see the cherry blossoms, I made sure to include the Ichinohashi boat landing along the Takase River in my itinerary to make up for the previous year’s regret. That afternoon, I revisited the site at dusk, hoping to witness the beautiful scene of cherry blossoms, the Takase boat, and the Takase River together.

Date of visit: 2014.04.05

Sake barrels from Fushimi are placed on the Takase boat.

Transportation: Take city bus to Kawaramachi-Nijō and get off.

Kavanagh @ Kyoto — Free stay.