{"id":2275,"date":"2026-10-22T16:46:14","date_gmt":"2026-10-22T16:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/?p=2275"},"modified":"2026-10-22T16:46:24","modified_gmt":"2026-10-22T16:46:24","slug":"tama-river-tokyo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejapanpro.com\/blog\/fr\/tama-river-tokyo\/","title":{"rendered":"The Tama River Side of Tokyo Nobody Photographs: Gorges, Sake and a 1653 Weir (2026)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Tama River side of Tokyo is the stretch of river between Hamura and Okutama, at the far western end of the JR Ome Line. Here the river most people know from the flat banks at Futako-Tamagawa runs through rock gorges, past a sake brewery and under suspension bridges, and it is all still inside Tokyo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most visitors to west Tokyo go up Mt Takao or ride the cable car on Mt Mitake and never walk down to the water. This guide stays at river level instead: the Mitake Gorge path, Hatonosu, Okutama town and the Edo-era weir at Hamura, with train times, 2026 prices and what changes in late autumn and winter 2026\u201327.<\/p>\n\n\n

4 km<\/p>

Mitake Gorge riverside<\/p><\/div>

\u00a5600<\/p>

Gyokudo Art Museum<\/p><\/div>

\u00a5700<\/p>

Sawanoi brewery tour<\/p><\/div>

Early\u2013late Nov<\/p>

Usual Mitake leaf peak<\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n

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\"Tama
The Tama River in Mitake Gorge. Photo: Guilhem Vellut<\/a> \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n\n\n

Where is the Tama River side of Tokyo?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Think of the upper Tama River as a string of stations on one line. The JR Ome Line leaves the Chuo Line at Tachikawa, reaches Hamura, then Ome, and from Ome climbs into the hills to Okutama. Every stop worth your time between Ome and Okutama is a short walk from the platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The river changes character as you go up. At Hamura it is wide and tamed, with a 17th-century intake weir. By Sawai and Mitake it is a green, boulder-filled gorge. Past Hatonosu it narrows into cliffs, and at Okutama it meets the Nippara River below the mountains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stop<\/th>Station (JR Ome Line)<\/th>What is there<\/th>Le meilleur pour<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Hamura<\/td>Hamura<\/td>Hamura Intake Weir, start of the Tamagawa Josui canal, spring tulips<\/td>History, cycling start<\/td><\/tr>
Ome<\/td>Ome<\/td>Ome Railway Park (reopened March 2026), old town<\/td>Train fans, a lunch stop<\/td><\/tr>
Mitake Gorge<\/td>Ikusabata, Sawai, Mitake<\/td>Riverside path, Sawanoi brewery, Gyokudo Art Museum<\/td>The best half-day walk<\/td><\/tr>
Hatonosu<\/td>Hatonosu, Shiromaru<\/td>Hatonosu Gorge, suspension bridge, Shiromaru Dam<\/td>Quiet gorge views<\/td><\/tr>
Okutama<\/td>Okutama<\/td>River confluence, onsen, buses to Lake Okutama<\/td>End of the line, hot bath<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Two stretches of the same river are already covered on this blog. For the city end, read our Futako-Tamagawa guide<\/a>. For summit hikes from Mitake Station, including the cable car and the Rock Garden loop, see hiking near Tokyo<\/a>. This page is about the bits in between, down at the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you get to the upper Tama River by train?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Take the JR Chuo Line west from Shinjuku and change to the Ome Line at Tachikawa or Ome. Allow about 1\u00bd to 2 hours to Mitake or Okutama, depending on connections. IC cards work all the way, and no reservation is needed (Japan Web Magazine<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 15 March 2025, Chuo Line Rapid trains have had Green Cars, and the service runs on the Ome Line as far as Ome. You pay a Green Car supplement, and you get a reclining seat, a table and a power socket (JR East<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond Ome the line gets sparse. On the October 2026 Saturday and holiday timetable, trains from Ome towards Okutama run roughly twice an hour, and only once in the 13:00 hour (JR East timetable<\/a>). Check your return train before you start walking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n