No.91 Tamagawa Cycling Course "Picnic Bridge" Completion Ceremony

A new pedestrian and bicycle bridge has been completed on the Kawasaki City side of the Tama River Cycling Course, upstream of the Nikaryo Kamigawara Weir. At the completion ceremony on May 25, 2019, I and the Chairman of the City Council were invited and had the opportunity to address the attendees.
With the completion of this bridge, approximately 20 kilometers from the Kawasaki City Saiwai Ward to the Tama Ward has been connected.
On the other hand, in Inagi City, construction has been completed as part of the 2017 Tama River Cycling Road Improvement Project to connect the previously interrupted section at the Kawasaki-Inagi city border.
As a result of the construction work in both cities, a cycling course of approximately 24 kilometers has been connected from the river mouth to the Omaru Nozema Bridge.
In Inagi City, we have been promoting "Bicycle Town Inagi" through various initiatives over the past few years, including attracting the Tokyo Olympic cycling road race course, introducing shared bicycles, developing bicycle lanes, inviting the bicycle race "Inagi Cross," and joining the National Association of Mayors promoting community development using bicycles.
Kawasaki City is also working on a demonstration project for shared bicycles, and we hope that in the future, citizens of both cities will be connected by bicycles.
The bridge that has been completed this time is not a large bridge, but considering that it connects the cycling course from the river mouth to the Omaru area and serves as a catalyst for further citizen exchange between Inagi City and Kawasaki City, it becomes a significant bridge.
I would like to express my respect and gratitude to Mayor Fukuda of Kawasaki City, the local neighborhood association members, and the staff of the Kawasaki City Construction and Greenery Bureau who worked hard on this bridge construction.

By the way, this new bridge is named "Picnic Bridge," and I was curious if there is any origin behind it. At the completion ceremony, the Meiji University Mandolin Club performed, and I also wonder what the connection is between this bridge's completion and their performance.
Actually, the name of this bridge comes from the song "Over the Hill" that was performed that day. The composer Masao Koga was a member of the Meiji University Mandolin Club, and he was inspired by a cherry blossom viewing held near Inadazutsumi, close to this bridge, to compose the mandolin ensemble piece "Picnic," which later had lyrics added and became a big hit as "Over the Hill."
Based on this historical fact, it seems that this name was adopted at the request of the local neighborhood association that requested the bridge's construction. Hearing the origin of such a stylish name made me feel a personal connection to this good story.
On sunny days, it's also fun to ride a bicycle and head towards Kawasaki along the Tamagawa Cycling Course.