About Ankyo（暗渠）
The Hidden Rivers Beneath Tokyo
Tokyo is a city shaped by water.
Long before it became the modern metropolis we know today, it was a place where countless rivers and streams once flowed freely across the land. In the Edo period, these waterways supported daily life, transportation, agriculture, and even defense.
But as Tokyo expanded and modernized, many of these rivers were gradually covered over. Some were turned into sewers, others into roads or quiet walkways. Their names and courses faded from memory. What remains are the ankyo — hidden rivers that still flow, silently, beneath our feet.
Though invisible, these rivers have not disappeared. Nature’s flow continues underground, and if you look closely, you can still catch glimpses of it: a slight dip in the road, an unusual curve in an alley, or a line of cherry trees following an unseen path.
Exploring ankyo is like reading a secret layer of the city — a quiet story etched into the streets.
This blog is a way to share that story, and to invite you to slow down, look closer, and walk with a bit more wonder.