Sumida River Cruise Pt 3

Flood gates? Maybe. I am unsure of the purpose of these gates, but I figure they would be lowered in times of storms, high tides, tidal surges and typhoons. I would imagine they would stop all the tide surges going up this small channel of water and possible causing damage to buildings, homes, businesses etc.

Sumida River Cruise Pt 2

Along the banks of the Sumida River there were many buildings and not much parkland, at least not on the section the we travelled on. This building was a little different to most that we saw, but in reality very similar to some  that we would find at home. Those lovely large windows would capture an amazing view of water craft as they travelled up and down the river. A club perhaps, or a restaurant maybe? Hopefully it is something that the public could go to to enjoy the view.

Sumida River Cruise Pt 1

Our river cruise had finally begun. Over to the right we can see part of the KachidokiBashi Bridge. It has two of these white arches, with a straight section in between. Unfortunately I only got one of the arches in my photo.

The bridge was built in 1940 and the flat section is a drawbridge. This bridge is the only draw bride along the Sumida River, and it has not been raised since 1970.

Water Vessels

Still on the Hinode Pier, we were getting close to this lovely red vessel. We were all still secretly hoping that this would be our river cruise transport. Alas this was not to be. Instead we were led on board some kind of flat bottomed, fully enclosed   river cat vessel.

We were towards the end of the queue when boarding, so by the time we got on board, all of the good viewing seats were gone. I had to make do with avoiding heads and hands in all my photos.

Back to the above water vessel, I never did find out what it was for. possibly a floating restaurant? Whatever it's use, there is some lovely decoration at the front on the side. My mind is thinking lace.......mmmmmm .......... will have to think long & hard before starting another piece. It is pretty to look at though.

Across the Sumida River

A view now across the Sumida River to construction happening. I found the shadows interesting on the buildings, and have come to the conclusion it is painted that way, or has something to do with the construction of the building. It appears to have sections protruding outwards, forming the curved line. It can be plainly seen on the sides of the building too, making me think it is construction rather than paint. I wonder if this is just a design feature of if there is some functional purpose?

The Rainbow Bridge

Still waiting at Hinode Pier I snapped this pic of The Rainbow Bridge. This is a suspension bridge completed in 1993, crossing the northern section of Tokyo Bay. The towers are white during the day, but at night they are illuminated into colours by lamps powered by solar energy. We only got to see the bridge during the day.

A River Cruise Begins

We were back on the bus with our tour guide and transported to the next part of out tour of Tokyo. This was to be a river cruise, departing from Hinode Pier.

This was the view of Hinode Pier as we played follow the leader to board our vessel that would take us on this trip. In the background we have the Intercontinental Hotel, and in the foreground we have a gorgeous boat. Was I hoping too much that this would be our transport up the Sumida River?

A Pretty Fence

This decorative fence was adorning the driveway up to the Imperial Palace. It was actually quite high, maybe a meter of so, with those sharp little pineapples on the top. Obviously there to deter people from going into the moat, I found it very decorative and full of inspiration for my lace work.

Renovation Work

Part of the Imperial palace was under renovation work while we were there, once again stopping us from exploring further. The gardens are open to the public and I believe there is a museum on site as well. This was as close as we got, and our last look at the Imperial palace before moving on to the next part of our tour.

Bonsai In The Park

Across the road from the Imperial palace is a park. Check out the full grown bonsai trees! All beautifully pruned and clipped into shape. We didn't see the tree workers doing their stuff, but I am sure we would have if we had time to go for a walk in the park.