A cycle ride through Ryugasaki and Edosaki on Sunday helped me structure a set of observations that had been puzzling me.
Old Ryugasaki and Edosaki are towns located on edges of rice paddy plains. Edosaki was the transhipment point for rice being transported between the Onogawa River valley to Edo. The rice moved from there onto Kasumigaseki, up the New Tone River (built 1661-1666, not to be confused with the current Tone River), then down Edo River to its destination. Ryugasaki similarly controls the north bank of the Tone River near the mouth of Kokai River. Above both towns is the Tsukuba plateau with its science city, expressways, railways, "new towns" and shopping centers.
