Legend tells that one day, while bathing (whether in the Kamo River or the Izumi stream of Tadasu-no-mori is not clear), an arrow came flying down which the Princess took back home to the Shrine. At ...

The Kamo River flows 23km north-south through the city center. Emperors on their enthronement would once purify themselves in its waters, and dyers would rinse bolts of fabric downstream.

Now, sightseeing boats offer trips along it during the spring and fall. Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times The Kamo River has been a central artery of Kyoto’s social life for centuries ...