The is a part of Katsura River in

Kyoto Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kansai region of Honshu. Kyoto Prefecture has a population of 2,561,358 () and has a geographic area of . Kyoto Prefecture borders Fukui Prefecture to the northeast, Shiga Prefecture ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. The river begins in the mountains near Kameoka, a town northwest of

Kyoto City Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...

. It snakes into the

Arashiyama is a district on the western outskirts of Kyoto, Japan. It also refers to the mountain across the Katsura River, Ōi River, which forms a backdrop to the district. Arashiyama is a Cultural Properties of Japan, nationally designated Monument ...

section of western Kyoto before changing its name to Katsura River. The Hozu River is considered scenic, and is known primarily for its association with ''Hozugawa Kudari'', literally "down the Hozu river", a sightseeing

whitewater Whitewater forms in the context of rapids, in particular, when a river's Stream gradient, gradient changes enough to generate so much turbulence that air is trapped within the water. This forms an unstable current that foam, froths, making t ...

boat that goes downstream from Kameoka to Arashiyama. Hozugawa Kudari is especially popular in the fall, when the Japanese Maple leaves change colors, and in the Spring, when the

sakura The cherry blossom, or sakura, is the flower of trees in ''Prunus'' subgenus '' Cerasus''. ''Sakura'' usually refers to flowers of ornamental cherry trees, such as cultivars of ''Prunus serrulata'', not trees grown for their fruit (although ...

, or Japanese cherry tree, blooms. The trip usually takes about two hours. In August, 2006, a rock fell from the mountains that line the river and hit a woman on the head, seriously injuring her. Overall, however, Hozugawa Kudari is considered safe.

Gallery

Image:Hozuboat1.jpg, Boat on Hozu River Image:Jrballe_hozu_river_2007_001.JPG, Hozu River from the Romantic Train

References

External links

Hozugawa River Boat Ride
(Hozugawa Yusen Sightseeing Boat Association) (Hozu gorge) Rivers of Kyoto Prefecture Rivers of Japan {{Japan-river-stub