Obori River Clean Up Campaign

I just love finding stuff like this - a local blog about some region I would not have heard of, and the more I read the better it gets.

Check this out:

Next, I talked to Mr. Nakano of Oborigawa no Mizu wo Kirei ni suru Kai – the Obori River waterway clean-up association. The Obori River is a part of the Tone River system and feeds Teganuma Marsh. The organization welcomes volunteers who can come out and clean up garbage that washes down the river, teaches children about the water cycle, and hosts events on the river.

I was surprised to learn that the Oborigawa to this day has a significant salmon run. So that’s what the grandpas are patiently waiting to catch! Looking down from the Joban train line which crosses the Obori on the west side of the marsh, you can see people with rods. Mr. Nakano says that, like salmon runs anywhere, there is a four-year cycle, and people eagerly anticipate the return. The big event of the summer happens on Marine Day, July 22nd*, when volunteers do “osoji”, a big clean of the river. Come help out!

*Make that July 19, 2010 (Monday) which is a public holiday in Japan.

生きものと水質調査２０１０
　　日時：　２０１０年７月１９日（月、海の日）　
　　　　　　　９時３０分～１１時００分
　　場所：　国道６号脇のアサヒ飲料跡地の裏、
　　　　　　　大堀川左岸と地金堀の合流点

From Chibaraki Life

More rivers on Kurashi here