Many of Japan’s urban streams have concrete river banks, a fact that has been harshly and rightly criticized (see Alex Kerr’s Dogs and Demons). Nevertheless, plants still grow there and turn many such canals into nice informal greenspace.
Informal greenspace and spontaneous vegetation are highly resilient: this river is frequently flooded after strong rainfall, yet both plants and animals thrive here.
Japan Trip 2011 - Day 4 - Cycling round Kyoto. by -AntSizedMan- #flickstackr
Flickr: http://flic.kr/p/aFbKcB
