Hirakata Port

The port of Hirakata flourished during the Edo period (1603–1867), when it played a crucial role in the transport of goods on the Yodo River connecting Osaka and Kyoto. Nowadays, you can take in the much-changed riverside landscape by hopping on a cruise at Hirakata, travelling downriver all the way to the Hachikenyahama boarding dock in central Osaka. One highlight of these journeys is the passage through the Kema Gate, a lock that allows boats to pass between the current main waterway and the old river, which have different water levels.