As this is a water-rich area, there are many Suijinja (water god shrines) here. As soon as I started driving, I found one, then two, then three. On the riverbanks, rare flocks of intermediate egrets gathered, and there were also many grey herons.
After driving a short distance along the levee, we pass under the Hitachi Tone River Bridge (about 330 meters) of the Higashi Kanto Expressway. This bridge has a pedestrian and bicycle path on its side, and you can actually walk (or run) across the river. It's a path known only to those who know about it, as it cannot be seen from the expressway.
The left bank of the Hitachi Tone River is Itako City, and the right bank is Katori City in Chiba Prefecture. This is an area where Chiba Prefecture juts into the north side of the Tone River, which forms the prefectural border with Ibaraki Prefecture. This occurred due to river improvements that altered the course of the Tone River.
I tried crossing to the Katori City side on the pedestrian path. The surroundings are mostly rice paddies. Although I haven't been there yet, I hear that the Tone River Bridge on the Higashi Kanto Expressway further ahead also has a similar pedestrian and bicycle path. I imagine how inconvenient it would be for residents if this path didn't exist.
Crossing the Hitachi Tone River again to return to Itako City, and running along the levee, Mt. Tsukuba revealed its form in the distance. The clarity of the air can be judged by whether this mountain is visible.
The Hitachi Tone River has an official rowing course. The 2019 Ibaraki National Sports Festival was held here, and it is also a training camp site for the Tokyo Olympics. The Itako City Boat Center Amenbo, located on the riverbank, can store over 100 boats and serves as a base for promoting and strengthening this sport.
As I ran along the river, I saw rowers diligently training early in the morning. Their rowing strokes were graceful. Like running, the movements of rowers are very mechanical and technical.
Ever since I read David Halberstam's masterpiece "The Amateurs," which was also made into a movie, I have both admired and feared the solitude and grandeur of rowers.
If I had continued running, I would have reached the JR Kashima Line railway bridge, but I turned back before reaching it. Before returning to Wanigawa Bridge, I made a short detour to visit the former Tokushima Elementary School (Itako City), which closed in 2012.
It used to be a filming location for movies and such, but I wonder what it's like now. The schoolyard is covered in deep weeds. I experienced the ineffable nostalgia that abandoned schools evoke.
If I hadn't been running, I probably wouldn't have been inclined to take a detour. I impulsively changed my path. And there, I found a good path and a quaint space.
Text and Photos: Yoshida (Community Collaboration Team)