（click on map to enlarge）
Edo River
One winter day, in the middle of January, I rode the Edogawa from Ichikawa Station all the way north to where it flows from the Tone River. Although Ichikawa is in Chiba Prefecture, the Edo River forms the border between Saitama and Ichikawa so I’ve included it in Saitama. The bike trail is fantastic. Much of it smooth and wide; often as wide as a highway for cars. It’s a bicycle highway all the way up.
As is the case during much of the winter, there was a pretty strong wind from the north. The views are very pleasant. There is a wide plain that the river runs through that reminded me of the area I grew up in the midwest US. Off in the distance there were some beautiful snowcapped mountains. You can see all the way u
p into the peaks of Gunma to the left, Mt. Tsukuba to the right, and even the far away peaks of Nikko to the north. The winter skies in this area of Japan are fantastic.
As you come to what is called the Sashima District you can see a white castle off to the right glistening in the sun. The place is called Sekiyado Castle. It is some sort of historical museum featuring a castle and surrounding gardens. It’s worth a stop to check it out. It’s near the spot where the Edogawa flows out of the Tonegawa.
The Tonegawa is a huge river. It’s the second longest river in Japan and has the largest drainage area. It forms the northern border of Saitama. It flows from way up in the mountains of Gunma all the way out to the ocean at the northern end of Chiba. It is home to Japan's longest car free cycling path, the 220km long Tone River Cycling Road which starts in Shibukawa City, Gunma and runs all the way to Choshi City, Chiba. I have yet to do much riding there but hope to do so in the future.
On this ride I rode along the Tone for only about 8 km until Kurihashi, where I took the train back. It was a chilly, but beautiful winter ride that was indeed a blessing.
Edo River Gallery
