A Signpost was erected in the middle of Inokashira Pond

Notice in pond — Signpost at Inokashira Pond

While walking through Inokashira Park, I noticed a single signpost standing in the middle of the pond. It floated on the water like a solitary lighthouse on a deserted island. Reaching it would require rowing a boat, and frankly, it hardly seemed worth the effort just to read whatever it said. Yet, since it had been placed in such a conspicuous spot, visible to everyone from afar, it must convey something of importance—perhaps “Keep Out” or “No Fishing.” The irony, of course, is that in order to read such a warning, one would have to enter the pond, thus becoming a violator of the very rule written on the sign.

Inokashira Pond has been a place of leisure since the Edo period, once serving as the headwater of the Kanda aqueduct that supplied water to old Tokyo. Though it quietly supported the city’s history for centuries, today it’s known mainly for rowboats and romantic dates. Only that lonely signpost in the middle of the pond seems indifferent to such sentimentality. Swaying faintly in the wind, it appears almost sullen—as if disapproving of the park’s newfound charm.

Inokashira Park on Google Map

Comment via

日本語