A waterway connecting Kyoto and Osaka Bay, long closed for flood control, reopened Sunday as Japanese transport authorities began operating a lock on the Yodo River.
The water route between the major areas in western Japan is expected to support the transportation of supplies and debris during disasters when land connections are cut, while also helping to revitalize tourism along the main river in Osaka Prefecture.
Photo taken on March 16, 2025, shows a lock on the Yodo River in Osaka that began operations the same day. (Kyodo)
According to the local bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the completed facility, located 10 kilometers from the river’s mouth, is one of the biggest in Japan. It has been nicknamed the “Yodogawa Gateway.”
The governors of Osaka and Kyoto, Hirofumi Yoshimura and Takatoshi Nishiwaki, participated in a ceremony marking the reopening on Sunday. The lock can accommodate four large tourist boats, each carrying about 100 passengers.
The lock on the Yodo River, 20 meters wide and 70 meters long, can raise and lower vessels up to 2 meters.
During the Edo period (1603-1868), transportation by boat on the Yodo River was the primary means of travel between Osaka Bay and Kyoto, but navigation had been restricted since 1983. Calls grew for the installation of a lock to improve disaster response.
On Sunday, a dock started operating downstream that will handle ferry services for the six-month World Exposition in Osaka from April 13.
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AloJapan.com