25 years passed since I moved to Nagareyama City, Chiba from Nerima, Tokyo.

It was own house construction, which was my dream.

At that time paddy field surrounded my home and it was very inconvenient compared with Tokyo because there were no supermarket and it took 2 hours for our office in Gotanda, Tokyo.

However, there was clean water of the Edo river where just 10 minutes walk from my house, and there was no factory unlike Tokyo, and it was blessed with the nature, and it was the land, which was good for the life.

Nagareyama is a town with the old history, which it goes back to in the age in 800s.

Specially in the Edo Period, After the big river improvement business which was that the Edo river branched from the Tone river, was completed, it prospered specially as a town of the water transportation that a specialty such as soy sauce, the agricultural products is carried to Edo through the Edo river.

Then, it became the prefecture office location of Katsushika Prefecture at the beginning time of the Meiji Restoration.

The water transportation dealers who were a local influential person opposed to a railroad-opening plan, which was high technology in those days.

Then, it was decided that the railroad go by way of Matsudo and Kashiwa, where were local village compared with Nagareyama in those days.

Water transportation was replaced by the railroad soon, and the prosperity of the town changed from Nagareyama to Matsudo and Kashiwa.

But, ironically this prosperity produced the by-product of the pollution. On the other hand environment of Nagareyama have no pollution, clean water and green. Those are good for living was reconsidered again, and many people come to the riverbed of the Edo River from Tokyo and neighboring Prefecture for a holiday.

Specialties are mirin, sweet sake, and shochu, spirits that used with clean water of the Edo River.

There are historic spots such as Suwa shrine which began in the Kamakura Period in 1200, the 'Soujyuan', a hermitage, where a famous 'haiku' poets Issa have had stayed, and a famous garrison of Shinsengumi who compelled from Kyoto.

In different from Hijikata Saizou, a famous warrior in last of Edo era, who fought bravely and death in battle in Hakodate, Kondo Isami, commander of Shinsengumi was caught easily in Ngareyama and was executed soon in Itabashi, Tokyo.

Tutor for college graduate thesis in my alma mater was Professor of the development economics.

At the time of the graduation thesis guidance, the professor said to me "Thank you for coming from Nagoya all the way to see me" then I replied "As a matter of fact, my home is Nagareyama and I live in Nagoya for transference ".

Then, the professor replied to me "I live in Chiba. We live in same prefecture. Do you know our president live in Nagareyama?" I didn't know the matter, and then I found out a name of the president of my alma mater, certainly, in the telephone book.

I examined a map of my hometown and found the same name hospital in the same address.

It will take about 20 minutes by a car from my home.

I was proud of living in the same town with president of my alma mater, though he moved to Aoyama in Tokyo.

After that, Nagareyama interchange in Jyouban highway opened where it will take about 7 minutes by car from my home, then it became very convenient at the present day of the car society.

More over, new railroad, the Tsukuba express way, is under construction in Ngareyama.

It will be shortened for 30 minutes, the commuter time to Tokyo, when the railway open after 3 years.

I wonder that relation between development of industry, transportation and environment.

Welcome to Nagareyama, the town of clean water, green and the president of my alma mater.

May 18, 2002 Y.Noguchi.

Top