River Tour

Yesterday several of us took a river tour from Kameoka. The top photo is of the autumn leaves turning red, which is a really big deal in Japan, drawing Japanese tourists and locals. The lower photo is actually from almost the end of the tour, when a snack boat came by selling grilled squid, tofu, eggs, and daikon. You can see Tim, who was smart enough to bring a hat. It was a little chilly on the river, but beautiful.




The river tour took us through the gorges that we catch glimpses of from the train. Three men powered the boat, one with a bamboo pole (used like a pole for punting on the Thames in England, meaning you push off from the bottom or by catching a cranny in a rock that protrudes from the water; one such high rock has been used for hundreds of years; this river used to be the way timber was transported downstream. Now the river transports tourists and kayakers. On the right side of the boat another man used an oar, tied with string to gunnells rather than an oarlock.