We found this small river when we were on our way to walk from the Sumida River to the Arakawa River. Not one tourist in sight, we decided to relax a little bit there and stayed longer than expected at first because it was such a beautiful spot. The hydrangea were in full bloom, a crane was looking at the people walking by, and there were several benches for taking a small break from the hectic pace of Tokyo.
The Kyunaka River flows into the Arakawa River in the south and has a great view of the Skytree in the north. On several bridges you can go to the other side. You can take a walk or go by bike or even go for a run there - we saw many joggers on our way. It is a beautiful oasis in the middle of Tokyo, ready to be explored. They even created some small artificial "islands", which you can walk on and which make a great adventure for the little ones.
Getting there
The Kyunaka River lies between the Sumida River and the Arakawa River. Hirai Station (Chuo-Sobu Line) and Higashi-Ojima Station (Shinjuku Line) are close by. Kameido Central Park and Ojima Konatsugawa Park are on the western side of the Kyunaka River.