Chiba Prefecture Charms - Tone Unga

The Tobu Noda Line, also known as the Urban Park Line, runs through the suburban cities of Kashiwa, Nagareyama, and Noda on the Chiba side of the Edo River. You'll see a mix of suburban sprawl and vestiges of 田舎 inaka, countryside. As the train approaches Unga Station, look up from your phone! The train station is named after 利根運河, Tone Unga, the canal that connects the Tone and Edo Rivers. It's a refreshing view with the green banks of the canal, trees, and some remnants of the canal's heyday.

In the Meiji era, the river systems were the transport routes that carried goods and people between Tohoku and the capital. To shorten the travel time, a Dutch engineer was contracted by a private company to build a canal. It was the first canal in Japan designed after European models. This was a bustling waterway with riverboats and businesses. The expansion of roads and rail transport wasn't the death-knell for the canal. It was a typhoon in the 1940s.

Now, it's a popular scenic spot. Ungamizube Park on the edge of the canal is a popular place to see nanohana and cherry blossoms. And it's got some quirky monuments. In the early 1900s, the Billiken charm, invented in America, took hold in Osaka. In 1913, the Tone Canal Company president erected a Billiken statue on the north side of the canal. He can't reach his feet with his tiny arms, so rub his feet and he bestows good luck.

The same year Billiken arrived, the Tone Canal Company created a miniature version of the 88 Shikoku temple pilgrimage. Some temples have gardens with pillars inscribed with the 88, but this is different. It's a treasure hunt on both sides of the canal. Some are simple shed-like buildings, and others have decorative woodcarving. You can get a map from the Tone Unga Koryukan.

The canal is also the site of the Tokyo University of Science Noda Campus. Attached to the campus is Risokai Memorial Nature Park with meandering paths, wetlands, and bamboo groves. Students and their professors are working on the restoration and preservation of the park.

The more I wander around the canal, the more I discover. Cafes, restaurants, galleries, and a craft soy sauce brewery are within an easy walk of the station. As I learn more, I'll review some of the places I discover.