Kamitakada Tributary of the Myoshoji River（妙正寺川上高田支流）February 02, 2026
I found a quiet trace of the river lingering at the foot of the cliff.
Where I Walked
Starting from the point where the Kamitakada Tributary joins the Myoshoji River, I walked upstream.
Along the way, I also traced the remnants of a smaller stream that once flowed into the tributary, following the paths of both waterways.
Why does finding these traces make my heart race?
With a map in hand, I took a slow walk through the town where I grew up for the first time in years.
Some of the houses where my friends once lived had disappeared, but the public bathhouse and dagashiya — traditional Japanese candy shops — we used to visit together were still there.
At the time, I never noticed it, but the traces of the old river still quietly remain in the landscape.
The point where it flows into the Myoshoji River.
Looking closely at the wall, I noticed a square outline that appears to be the remnant of an old drainage outlet.
One of the joys of walking along hidden waterways is the moment when things you hadn’t noticed before begin to emerge.
Crossing to the opposite side of the river, I took this photo facing toward the Myoshoji River.
You can see how the course bends slightly as it flows.
Old stones remain lined up at the base of the wall on the right side of the road.
I wonder if they are remnants of the former riverbank.
Here, they are lined up along the left side instead.
Here, the Kamitakada Tributary turns to the left.
A small stream joins it from straight ahead.
The trace of the small stream is remarkably narrow.
I decided to take a detour and head upstream to follow its course.
One of the public bathhouses I used to visit with friends.
I was glad to see that it was still there.
The old dagashiya building was still there.
The waterway appears to have once flowed behind this building.
From around here, the waterway seems to run along the base of the cliff.
A building stands closely against the cliff.
The apartment block behind it has its entrance on the opposite side, with access located around the third-floor level.
A photo taken facing downstream. Beyond this point, I could no longer find traces of the waterway upstream, so this may have been close to its source.
I decided to return to the Kamitakada Tributary.
The stream runs beside the crematorium.
With a funeral crematory nearby, it’s not a place I’d particularly want to visit at night.
From here on, the stream runs through the grounds of an elementary school, so I would need to take a detour to continue tracing it upstream.
I decided to end today’s exploration here.