It has long been said that rivers bring life, but this time round, join us on our journey tracing the source of rivers in Japan, which will bring us many adventures and memories to keep for a lifetime.

Our first journey starts off with a bang as we follow the big Katsura River that runs 114 kilometres from Kyoto to Osaka, changing its name to Yodo River at the Osaka Bay. Begin by taking a walk along the Yodo River. Connecting Umeda and Juso, you’ll come to the Juso Ohashi Bridge located just seven kilometres from the estuary where a Yodo River marathon used to be held. Yet another historic site in the vicinity is the Juso Ferry, where there used to be a ferry landing. However, the forerunner of the Juso Ohsahi Bridge was built in 1878 and that laid to rest the landing’s function.

Since the day, there are tea houses and Juso baked rice cakes that still remain today. Just a 30 seconds walk from the bridge, there is an old-established store which has been making Juso rice cakes for the longest time. Still made using the traditional methods, the baked cake with sweet beans has been loved by many travellers over the years.

Before jumping aboard a train from Juso to go up the river, be sure not to miss the ever popular octopus ball shop along the way. Made from seaweed and fish stock, the Octopus balls (tako yaki) give visitors a genuine and authentic Osaka taste.

Following the river upstream, visitors will arrive at Yahata from Juso, which is also between Kyoto and Osaka. It’s a five minute walk from the station to a flood plain along the river, where the next adventure begins. A unique site to behold, where the Katura River is just slightly further down, the Yodo River is also divided into three other rivers at this spot. From the Kyoto, Kizu River and Uji River, the Katsura River also flows into the Yodo River.

The next stop is Fushimi, which used to flourish as a river port. Still maintaining its strong features as a castle town, Terada-ya is well known as the inn where Ryoma Sakamoto was attacked. It’s even said that Ryoma arrived here by boat. It’s here that another river joins the Katsura in Fushimi. Divided into two, namely the Katsura River and the smaller Kamo River which branches off from the Katsura River, the latter also flows through Kyoto city.

As visitors stroll along on the way to the Fushimi station, do stop by and try the Sake steamed bun before continuing your journey along the Katsura River. With over 100 years of history, this old-established sweet shop has once been chosen as an offering to the Emperor in the past. The recommended inn for the night is also located along the picturesque Katsura River. Furthermore, the view of Arashiyama which offers the beauty of all the seasons, and the Togetsu Bridge over the Katsura River is all within sight.

Do take a ride on the trolley train at the Sagano Station, which runs along the river which will bring you to yet another exciting destination. There, visitors can get a real adrenaline rush with the dynamic down stream boat ride along the Hozu River. Not for the faint of heart, the downstream ride will bring passengers to Arashiyama. Don’t belittle this downstream ride on the Hozu River, which has a long history sending wood to Kyoto since 1606. Plus, if you’re lucky, you’ll even get some ‘showers of blessings’ from the rushing currents along the way.

Located at Arashiyama is the inn Rangetsu, which opened in 2005. Comfortable and spacious in Japanese style, enjoy an authentic Kyoto Kaiseki course for dinner as well. Serving a variety of dishes from steamed flounder and green beans with carrot sauce, to the main dish of grilled lobster and beef with a paprika sauce, the deluxe dinner will definitely please the eye and the palate.

Heading further up in the mountains to look for the river source, visitors will arrive at Hiyoshi town, where the water visibly begins to get clearer. The giant Hiyoshi dam that dams up the Katsura River is also a real sight to behold for visitors to the area, who can get a good view of this mega structure from the observation deck. One of the biggest in Kinki, the Hiyoshi dam provides water to one million people.

The next stop on the journey is Keihoku, also known as the bus inter-change station. Surrounded by rich greenery, the Katsura flows right through the city centre. Taking a bus which will bring you deeper into the mountains along the river, it’d be good to engage a guide for this part of the trip. Walking along the river, it’s not difficult to sense that the source is near as faded signs pointing adventurers in the right direction. The walk and chase to the source while tiring, is definitely worth the effort as clear water which few have seen awaits. Standing at the source of Katsura River which branches out into many other rivers which flow to the Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean, one can’t help but feel a sense of wonder and awe for Mother Nature.

Our next journey is the Chikugo River in Kyushu where we will follow it from Ariake Bay up to the source in Kumamoto prefecture. However, we begin this adventure from Okawa City in Fukuoka.

While it may be an hour’s walk from the estuary, the rare sight of a lift bridge awaits. Taking five minutes for the bridge girder to come down, when it finishes, people can walk across it like a promenade. It was originally constructed as a bridge for the National Saga railway, and the crossing barrier is what remains of the railway.

Only a 15 minute bus ride away is Jojima town, where one can watch fishermen catch the rare Etsu fish, which can only be fished from May to July in the Chikugo River. The Etsu has a slim and beautiful body and legend has it that a reed thrown by a monk was changed to what is the rare fish today. For the locals, it’s a bountiful fish related to the Kobo monk. Watching how the fish is caught makes savouring this rare fish, sashimi style, taste even better. The local way to eat it is with chilli and ooba leaves in sesame sauce.

If you can’t get enough of Etsu, do visit Takayama, a popular sushi shop by the locals where Etsu dishes are popular only at this time of the year. The recommended dish is the chef’s original, grilled Etsu sushi or the Chirashi Sushi set, which is another popular lunch menu. As the Etsu is a fish with many small bones, the fish has to be made with 300 shallow cuts, making it truly a fine art.

Head next on the bus to Kurume, which is home to the middle area of the Chikugo River. A textile town known for the traditional Kasuri cloth, the Chikugo River flows calmly and has a different atmosphere here. As the city has been living with the river, there is even a shrine specially dedicated to the river.

Suitengu (Shrine of the water god) is the head shrine of all Suitengu in Japan. As it is the god of water, the view from the precincts is naturally a great view of the river. Having a strong connection to the Chikugo River, Suitengu is also known as the god to bless a safe delivery, though people usually pray for safe water travels in the Chikuma River area.

History is told that the Chikugo River has overflowed many times and also has battled with flooding, such as the big flood in 1953, for many years. Furthermore, if you’re interested in hearing Kappa (water imp) legends, do take the train to Tanushimaru town, where the Kappa legend remains. It’s definitely not hard to miss that this is the town of Kappa, as Kappa statues line the streets and many other places just like a guardian deity. A particular Kappa statue on the bridge was apparently built after the big flood in 1953 and was made to pray that the flood never occurs again.

The next city on the itinerary is Asakura, which is famous for the three-wheel water mill. Installed on a watercourse from the Chikugo River, it only operates during the faming season, providing a truly unforgettable traditional scenery.

Alighting at the Hita station, you just might feel as if you’ve gone back in time as Mameda-machi still maintains the old houses and streets, just as it used to look like. A great place to stay is an inn called the Kizantei hotel, on the other side of the town. It is an old-established ryokan that used to be a first-class restaurant.

While it may be named in other areas as the Chikugo River, in this part of town it’s known as the Mikuma River. In the old story, it used to be a lake and when it dried up, the hills emerged. As the river flows through three hills of Hiokum, Hoshikum, Tsukikuma, the Chikuma is called Mikuma River for this area.

As the sun begins to set, the fun is only just beginning as dinner is served on a roofed pleasure boat. The pleasure boat is a summer feature, and is moved by manual labour. Unlike the usual pleasure boats which create a ruckus with their motor, this ride will prove to be a quiet and tranquil one, allowing you to fully enjoy and bask in the stillness of nature.

With such a lovely ambience, a befitting dinner is served. The Kaiseki course, named as cool breeze romance, is served for dinner. Comprising 13 colourful dishes, the highlight of the dinner is Oita’s specialty, a slightly boiled eel, followed by a sashimi dish from the Genkai Sea and many other sumptuous dishes.

	Regardless of which journey, it’d probably be best to engage a local guide to help you get close to the river source.
	If you’re in the mood for some shopping, you can stop by the shopping area at the Juso station.
	Be sure to bring along your swim suit and take a swim at the juncture of the three rivers at the Yodo River.
	A special package that offers a view of the cormorant fishing from the room is available in July at the inn Rangetsu at Arashiyama.

When it gets completely dark, the amazing cormorant fishing show begins. With 300 years of history, this traditional fishing method is kept by three cormorant fishermen now. Although his job is a battle with nature, it has a quiet dynamism and will cost you 3150 yen to enjoy.

Not losing track of the goal of our journey, visitors have to take a few buses to get closer to the source of the Chikugo River. Along the way, you’ll pass by the famous Kurokawa Spa at the upper raches of the Chikugo. Also, for all tofu lovers, do stop at the home-made tofu shop known as Kisshou. Serving a variety of tofu dishes, Kissho’s tofu are all made of water from the source of the Chikugo, which enhances the tofu’s flavour.

Approaching the source of the river, it’s hard to ignore the smell of sulphur, which is also reason why the place is called the sparrow hell, since small animals such as sparrows die from the gas. Walking further from the sparrow hell, it’ll take an hour’s walk to come to the top of the hill. A breathtaking view awaits as with many valleys each having a river that flows into the Chikugo.

Our last journey for the day is to the source of the Kitakami River. 249km long, connecting Miyagi and Iwate, the estuary is located in Kitakami town and flows into the Pacific Ocean. A relaxing place, the reed field is truly a treat to the ears and has been selected as one of 100 beautiful sounds in Japan.

Getting on a roofed pleasure boat, apart from enjoying the beautiful scenery, visitors can try their hand at shijimi clam fishing at a sandbar. Depending on how hard you work or how lucky you are, each person can even take up to two kilograms of clams back home!