Shall we gather at the river?

Crossing the Kamo River (which means 'duck', named after the migratory birds that fly from Russia each year), you can see people out in the light rain enjoying the fresh.
There are cyclists everywhere, many obviously tourists, pedalling along the river banks lines with the blossoms.
After crossing the road, I walked along the footpath of the road that ran parallel to the river. This side of the road was just like any other footpath and was also full of cyclists - almost all Japanese, and looked much less like tourists. Cyclists here in Japan cycle everywhere, in any direction on the road. sans helmets! Very disconcerting! Actually, I have to keep reminding myself to not be so culturally blinkered - it's these little things that often remind us why we travel: comfort zone etc.