Six volunteers collected 37 bags of trash at yesterday’s inaugural Shinkoiwa river clean up event or our first ever effort in this area. The grass had really grown up since scouting the area in late April, so it was not easy to get the trash but everyone really made a great effort. Toward the end we were able to pad the numbers a bit with about 14 more quick bags after finding a mother lode of discarded blankets and futons, and we ran out of time while only bagging about 1/3 of it. Mina-san otsukaresama! On the way back I saw a family of racoons living under a bridge (photo included). These are considered invasive species in Japan (after pets were released or escaped) and sadly the Japanese government is attempting to kill all of them. Tokyo authorities capture and kill over a thousand of them every year as they are feeding on the endangered Tokyo salamander and other native creatures.
Arakawa River clean up Jul 12, 2025
