Before I'd even set eyes on the river I heard a deep rumble from its bubbling gash of white and cobalt water rending apart the Tama Mountains.
Officially part of Tokyo, Oku-Tama seems at a planetary distance from the metropolis of 35 million people. Descending the slope from Sawai Station on the JR Ome Line, you cross over a road before continuing on down to the vigorously flowing Tama River itself. Earthen paths run along both banks, offering access points for scrambling down to the water. There are no concrete embankments here — a welcome rarity in Japan.
Walking the river paths of Oku-Tama, the visitor is highly attuned to the environs. One of the charms of the area are gardens created on slopes, with locally sourced stones used to make shallow, graduated walls. In season, sunflowers and daffodils mix with marrows, gourd frames and ridges of radish. Occupying the earth spaces between the walls, they make for a well-organized riot of growth and color.