The forgotten banks of the once proud and historical Sumida river. Perhaps more picturesque in other parts of Tokyo, but in Arakawa-ku it's little more than a concrete chute. I'm trying hard to picture how it might've looked years ago,with mud maybe, and trees, but my mind refuses to cooperate. Concrete shores are bounded by concrete walls; whose purpose is to prevent flooding, but also serves a secondary purpose of hiding the river from view, so consequently it's a great place to throw away your garbage.
Maybe one day Japan will put a stop to the endless and horrid concretification of its rivers and coasts, but for the time being things are looking grim indeed.
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