A river or a stream?

Yesterday we went for a family bike ride. Less than five minutes walk away is what the Japanese call a river. I'd rather call it a stream. Look at the photos, what do you think?

When we first came to Tokyo we were kind-of disgusted that they'd concreted up the sides of pretty much every water course in town. Though I guess we've grown used to it now. The bonus of that particular strategy is that along most they've created paths for bikes and walking. It's a safer place for the boys to ride their bikes (though you still have to be careful crossing the occasional road). There are also places where you can get down and play in the water too (if you wish), though I'm not sure how clean the water is.

In contrast to the "river" we used to live near, this one seems to run all the time. Our previous waterway only ran after rain (it is the third photo). It was a nice way to walk to kindy back then, a little bit of space and away from the worry about traffic. It is the rare street that has a footpath and usually then it is only on a busy road, so for younger kids you are always concerned about them running into traffic, though admittedly on those streets without footpaths usually the traffic is only moving at about 20-30km/hr.

So, in general we're happy to be living near a "river". Especially as there is relatively little other nature around. Most houses have a tree or two or some pot plants. CAJ has some terrific cherry blossom trees, but no grass. So, to find a little bit of space and something nice to look at, the "river" is welcome.

It is also still a nice place to take a family bike ride, though yesterday's ride was just a little bit hot. We weren't gone all that long and the boys came back looking like they'd just had a hot shower - their hair was wet and faces red.