The Yodogawa: my majestic sanctuary

On the banks of the Yodogawa, people get away from it all without leaving the city.

Once a week, I mount my bicycle and head out for my reward for a good week's work. No, I don't go out for an ice cream or hit the local bar for a cold beer. I ride my bike past the shops and the bars and head to my Osaka sanctuary: the Yodogawa.

The Yodogawa, or Yodo River, is the main river flowing through Osaka. It starts where the Kamo River, Seta River, Kizu River, and Katsura River meet, just south of Kyoto, and winds majestically through Osaka all the way to the ocean. As Kyoto's main connection to the sea, the Yodogawa has been a vital transpor-tation route since ancient times and the city of Osaka, in earlier times a collection of small trading villages, developed where this river met the ocean.

Today, the Yodogawa, just north of Umeda, is a place where people live, enjoy time with their family and friends or come for some time alone. It's a place where people can simply be themselves.

Along the riverbanks, people are busy enjoying their free time. As I ride along the paved bicycle path I see teenagers singing and methodically perfecting their dance routines. Musicians play their saxophones, their guitars and their bongos. Art students paint their impressions. Photographers hide in the grass to snap photos of rare birds and other wildlife. Families barbecue their steaks and chat under the setting sun. I even spot a group of almost hidden older gentlemen sitting within the safety of the high grass, as if escaping from dish duty back home, laughing and playing cards.

I routinely pass little kids (as well as big ones) enjoying what seems to be their eternal baseball practices. Helmets and bats neatly lined up, they practice the plays until the sun goes down. While the children practice, parents push lawnmowers, rake up the cut grass and collect rubbish to make the fields playable for their little athletes. Along the foul lines of the baseball diamonds, older men practice their chipping and putting.

I then pass by those not interested in baseball. They're playing soccer or American football or rugby or volleyball or frisbee or cricket. Young men race their remote control cars in the dirt paths and their planes in the sky. Hidden behind the bushes, teenagers race their dirt bikes along the track. Further along the twisting path I pass the tennis courts, filled with singles and doubles serving it up. A wake boarder jumps the surf and waves hello. When the tide is low, clam diggers mine along the reeds.

The river is full of wild and not-so-wild animals. Families bring their dogs to run and sniff. A dog training school sets up obstacles for their dogs to overcome. A lady practices her synchronized walk routine with her big white duck. Children catch beetles, butterflies and cicadas. Turtles laze in the water and along the shore. Large herons, hoping to grab an easy lunch, watch the fishermen carefully.

The river has a natural, rustic, far-from-manicured beauty. The seasonal flowers grow wildly and in abundance. Each month or two the colours change … the reds and pinks fade, as the white, purples and yellows bloom. Recently the oranges and hot pinks have been at their best.

Although the Yodogawa isn't the cleanest river, and I wouldn't dare take a dip, it does have some beautiful areas along its banks to picnic, play sports or do what ever it is you feel like. Unlike the rest of Osaka, it just doesn't seem to have any rules to follow or fashion trends to uphold.

Text & photos: Laura Markslagand