The Kamo River runs north-south through the heart of Kyoto and is the city's most-used outdoor space. Grass and gravel banks several metres below street level run for kilometres on either side; cyclists, joggers, dog walkers, students, families, and kaiseki chefs en route to work all use it as both shortcut and park. The water itself is shallow and exceptionally clean for a city river, and herons stand patiently in it most of the year.
Two informal landmarks along the central stretch deserve a stop. The Kamogawa kameishi — concrete stepping stones in the shape of turtles, herons, and chidori — let you cross the river dryshod at several points between Demachiyanagi and Shijō; locals know each shape and use the right combination as a kind of route name. In summer, the line of kawayuka dining platforms extends out over the riverbank from the Pontochō restaurants — the city's most photographed evening scene.