About eight minutes walk from Hirakata station,  there is a river called Amano gawa. A bank of the river shows us many different aspects in the festival seasons such as hanami; cherry blossom-viewing picnic in spring, tanabata (ster) festival in summer and Christmas in winter.
     In spring, about two hundreds cherry trees  bloom on the bank of Amano river. I think this bank is the nearest place to go out to enjoy the cherry blossoms in Hirakata, if you live near  Hirakata station or the  campus of Kansai Gaidai. According to the Meteorolofical Agency, the cherry trees will start to bloom in the latter part of March in this year.
    In addition, the ster festival event will take place in summer. We Japanese cerebrate July seventh and call it Tanabata. The oblong cards on which people write down their desires and some decorations are tied to bamboo trees and with these trees, the bank and street around the river will be decorated. At night in Tanabata day, the bank is decorated with a lot of candles, and it is very beautiful. I remember many couples watching it last summer. 
     Futhermore, in Christmas, the trees on the bank are decorated with some piaces of aluminum foil. It is not so showy as Christmas decorations in other places, but these lights are velvety and beutiful. Also it is easy on the environment.
     Thus, the bank of Amano river changes in seasons, and it is fun to see the different views. Many people in Hirakata city  probabury across the river regulary without the intention, but the river and its bank decorate our dairly lives in the festival season.