KYOTO | Kamo River – Takase River – Pontochō

Autumn 2025. We – Sam and Danny, Michel and Wille, and Timothy – are travelling to Japan for a quite classic tour of the Land of the Rising Sun. We are flying separately as we used miles. On the planning: Tokyo, Kanazawa, Shirakawa, Osaka, and Expo 2025, Hiroshima, Himeji, Miyajima, Kyoto, Nara, Nagoya, Hakone, and back to Tokyo. Three weeks plus some extra days.

After visiting Nijō Castle, I decided to walk back to our hotel, Mercure Kyoto Station, via the Philosopher’s Walk or Philosopher’s Path (哲学の道, Tetsugaku-no-michi). So, on the spot I asked Chat GPT: “What’s the famous stream of water in Kyoto?”

The answer? “That depends a little on what you mean by ‘stream of water’, since Kyoto has several well-known ones — but the most famous are generally:

The Kamo River (鴨川, Kamogawa) – This is the main and most iconic river running through central Kyoto. Locals and visitors alike stroll or sit along its banks, especially near the Pontochō and Gion districts. It’s not huge, but it’s very scenic and symbolic of Kyoto life.
The Shirakawa Stream (白川) – A picturesque smaller stream that flows through the Gion and Higashiyama areas. It’s lined with willow trees and traditional wooden teahouses — one of Kyoto’s most photographed spots, particularly around the Shirakawa-minami-dori street.

If you were thinking of a romantic or quintessentially “Kyoto” waterway, you’re probably referring to the Shirakawa Stream. If you meant the city’s main river, that’s definitely the Kamo River.”

It turns out I meant neither, I was looking for the Lake Biwa Canal. And I would also not see the Shirakawa Stream, but the Takase River (高瀬川, Takase-gawa).

But actually it’s not a bad thing. Now I discovered an area I didn’t visit in 2013.

The Kamo River

The Kamo River, literally ‘Duck River‘, flows through Kyoto Prefecture. Its banks are among Kyoto’s most popular walking spots for both residents and visitors. In summer, restaurants along the river open wooden balconies known as noryō-yuka, offering scenic dining views.

Walkways line both sides of the river, and several stepping stones cross its width. The water level is generally low — under one metre in most places — though during the rainy season, the lower walkways may become flooded.

The river is closely associated with the two major Kamo Shrines along its course: Kamigamo Shrine and Shimogamo Shrine, connected by the sacred forest Tadasu no Mori, which serves as their shared chinju no mori (shrine grove).

The Kamo River originates in the northern mountains of Kyoto, near Mount Sajikigatake, on the boundary between Kumogahata and Keihoku villages. Flowing southward into the Kyoto Basin, it passes through the Kamigamo area and bends southeast near Demachiyanagi in Kamigyō Ward. There it merges with the Takano River, which descends from the northeast, before turning directly south through Nakagyō Ward.

Near Shijō Bridge in central Kyoto, the Shirakawa River joins the Kamo River. Further south, the Horikawa River and the West Takase River also merge into it. At Shimomukōjima-chō in Fushimi Ward, the Kamo River meets the Katsura River, becoming part of the Yodo River system.

In the early 17th century, the merchant Suminokura Ryōi constructed the Takase River, a parallel canal designed to facilitate transport and to divert navigation from the Kamo’s unstable main current.

The Kamo River features prominently in Japanese legend and culture. The famed encounter between Minamoto no Yoshitsune and Benkei is said to have taken place at Gojō Bridge (likely corresponding to today’s Matsubara Bridge). During the Edo period, Sanjō Bridge marked the western terminus of the Tōkaidō highway.

Historically, the river provided Kyoto with clean drinking water and played a role in the Kyō-Yūzen dyeing tradition. Its stones are also used to create the glaze for raku pottery, a hallmark of Kyoto ceramics.

The Kamo River is also considered the birthplace of Kabuki: in 1603, Izumo no Okuni performed with her troupe of female dancers on a temporary stage on its dry riverbed, creating a form of popular theatre that evolved into modern Kabuki.

The Takase River

The Takase River is a man-made canal constructed in the early Edo period to facilitate the transport of goods and materials. Its creation greatly contributed to Kyoto’s urban and economic development. For around 300 years, from its completion in 1611 until 1920, it served as a vital waterway linking Kyoto and Fushimi.

The canal draws its water from the Misosogi River, a branch of the Kamo River, which runs parallel to the Kamo’s west bank south of Nijō Ōhashi Bridge. Beginning at Nijō-Kiyamachi, the Takase River follows the line of Kiyamachi Street, eventually joining the Uji River at Fushimi Port.

On its route, the canal intersects with the Kamo River. The upper section (within Kyoto city) is known simply as the Takasegawa, while the downstream portion toward Fushimi is referred to as the Higashi-Takasegawa or Shin-Takasegawa.

The stretch of the canal between Sanjō and Shijō, in central Kyoto, borders the historic Pontochō district — one of the city’s traditional entertainment areas and a renowned spot for cherry blossom viewing. The water is shallow, generally only a few tens of centimetres deep, and historically supported small, flat-bottomed boats known as Takasebune, designed for low-draft navigation.

Towpaths were built along the canal so that boatmen could manually tow vessels. The western side of the canal once featured numerous boat landings and turning points (funairi) used for loading, unloading, and changing direction. Today, only the Ichi-no-funairi survives, preserved as a historical site. The southern section of the canal is no longer connected to the Kamo River.

The Takase River was excavated in 1611 under the direction of the merchant Suminokura Ryōi to transport timber and other materials needed for rebuilding the Great Buddha Hall of Hōkō-ji in Kyoto. By 1614, the canal was in general commercial use, and throughout the Edo period, it became a busy trade route between Kyoto and Fushimi.

During the Meiji era, the opening of the Lake Biwa Canal in 1894 reduced the volume of goods transported along the Takase, though efforts were made to divide the types of cargo handled by each route. Water transport on the Takase River was officially discontinued in June 1920.

At that time, city planners proposed covering the canal to widen the Kiyamachi Street tram line, but the project was abandoned following opposition from local residents. Instead, the new thoroughfare was designated Kawaramachi-dōri.

Following the great flood of the Kamo River in 1935, the riverbed of the Kamo was lowered by about two metres to improve flood control. This alteration caused the Takase River’s northern inflow point to be relocated near Jūjō-dōri, while its downstream branch, the Higashi-Takase River, could no longer draw water from the Kamo River. As a result, the lower section now remains largely dry except for water supplied by nearby irrigation channels, the Lake Biwa Canal, and the Nanase River.

Since 2010, Kyoto City has undertaken the Takase River Regeneration Project, which aims to preserve the canal’s historical landscape by restoring embankments and maintaining water flow.

Pontochō

Pontochō, Ponto-chō or just Pontocho is one of Kyoto’s best-known hanamachi (geisha districts), located beside the Kamo River. It is home to many of the city’s okiya (geisha houses) and ochaya (traditional teahouses), and remains an important centre of Kyoto’s geiko and maiko culture. Like Gion, it is celebrated for preserving traditional wooden architecture and classical forms of entertainment.

The Pontochō district is centred on a narrow, stone-paved alleyway that runs north–south between Shijō-dōri and Sanjō-dōri, one block west of the Kamo River. Its compact layout, lined with traditional machiya townhouses and red lanterns, gives it a distinctive atmosphere, especially after dark.

The area is historically associated with the origins of Kabuki. Across the river once stood the site where Izumo no Okuni, Kabuki’s legendary founder, began performing at the start of the 17th century. A statue commemorating her now stands on the opposite bank. The district’s emblem is a stylised water plover (chidori), often seen on lanterns and shop signs.

Geiko and maiko have been active in Pontochō since at least the 16th century, when the district was also known for prostitution and popular entertainment. Today, the area retains its traditional charm, with narrow lanes illuminated by paper lanterns and lined with an eclectic mix of exclusive kaiseki restaurants, ochaya, bars, and casual eateries. During summer, many restaurants set up wooden riverside terraces (noryō-yuka) overlooking the Kamo River.

At the northern end of the street, near Sanjō-dōri, stands the Ponto-chō Kaburenjō Theatre, the district’s main performance hall and rehearsal venue for geiko and maiko. Since the 1870s, it has hosted the annual Kamogawa Odori, a spring performance combining traditional dance, music, and Kabuki-style theatre, showcasing the artistry of Pontochō’s geisha community.

In the 1970s, the American anthropologist Liza Dalby conducted fieldwork in Kyoto as part of her doctoral research into the modern geisha world. During her stay, she was permitted to train and work informally as a geisha, an experience that formed the basis of her acclaimed book ‘Geisha‘ (1983).

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