Annotation: "Another interesting feature of this postcard is that this is not ideal water to be rowing in. This area looks..."

From collection Sumida-gawa [Sumida River]

Another interesting feature of this postcard is that this is not ideal water to be rowing in. This area looks like a harbor where large steam ships and other smaller cargo boats come in to dock and unload and load supplies. Because steam ships can dock, it is implied the water is the ocean. The ocean is quite rough, and it is extremely hard to row in rough water. However, the water in the image looks quite calm and almost unrealistic because it is so still. Rowing on a closed river is preferred to rowing in an open harbor because of the water quality. It is quite possible that boats rowed in the harbor regularly, but it’s hard to believe that the water would be this calm in reality.